Summer Reading

This is a post I've been planning for quite a while, but just haven't made myself sit down and write. It's my summer reading list. To me, reading is one of the best parts of summer: sitting on a deck chair with a cool drink and a good book, listening to the wind in the trees and feeling the cool breeze, all the better if it happens to be near a lake, river or ocean. Heaven!!! But what I'm reading is always an important part of that picture, so it is important that I choose just the right book. I have quite a long list this year.

I'm leaving for New Brunswick next week, and this year I'm determined to only take my Kobo. Last year, I think I needed to take an extra suitcase for all the books I carted along with me. Not again. Oh, yes, I do have plenty of books lining my shelves that I plan to read, but there are certainly more than enough on my Kobo to keep me occupied for a few weeks in NB. Here's my planned ebook list, order yet to be determined:

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova    I loved her first novel, Still Alice, which I read for book club last year, so as soon as this one came out I downloaded it. But have I managed to read it yet? Nope. Definitely one for vacation.

Learning by Karen Kingsbury    I'm a Karen Kingsbury addict. Even though I swear each time I read another one of her books that they become more and more predictable, and that I'm getting tired of reading about the same people now that she is on the 207th Baxter Family book (perhaps a slight exaggeration), I can't help myself. It's kind of like the way company can begin to get on your nerves before the end of a visit — You still can't wait to see them the next time! (Anyone reading this who has come to stay with me before, I'm of course NOT talking about you!) The book came out June 21, and I downloaded it that day. I can't wait to see if Bailey and Cody are finally going to get together! (As if there is any doubt... I know... I'm an addict, I tell you...)

The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis    I'm told by very reliable sources that this work of Canadian political fiction is absolutely hilarious, and a definite "must read". I planned to read it in Mexico, but never got to it, so it has moved down the list to the NB vacation. I'm really looking forward to this one.

Ape House by Sara Gruen    I read Water for Elephants a couple of months ago, wanting to read it before the movie came out. I still haven't seen the movie, but that's okay — It's never as good as the book. And the book was very good. I really enjoyed it. And I like that the author has a connection to London, so I thought I'd try this one. May not get to it before I head back to Ontario, though.

I also have Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult, 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper, and The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley on my Kobo waiting to be read. Plus one hundred classics that came preloaded on the device. I don't have to worry about running out of things to read on vacation.

At the beginning of August I'll be back in London, and back to my loaded bookcases. And my library card. Today I took two books back to the library unread, resigned to the fact that I won't have time to finish them before I leave for NB. They were The Centurian's Wife by T. Davis Bunn and Janette Oke and The Mermaid's Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. They'll have to wait, but they'll still be there when I get back. If I have time for them. This is the stack of books I have waiting at home:

I know — There's NO WAY I'll read all of these before September!

To Kill a Mockingbird is for my book club, and I may not even be home for the meeting, but since it was my suggestion, I feel like I should read it. I suggested it because I haven't read it since high school, when it didn't mean nearly as much to me as I'm sure it would now, and after our club read The Help, I really wanted to go back and read something authentically from that time.

The rest are books that have been highly recommended to me, by one book lover or another, which is how I usually formulate my reading list. I'm really looking forward to reading all of them, and I'm determined to get to each and every one before Christmas. Some of them will get read in the summer, though. I would ask for further suggestions, but as you can see, I really don't need any. Unless, of course, anyone sees any glaring omissions... No, those can wait until next year. Meanwhile, which one should I start with? There's where I need help!