{Potential} Summer Reading List, 2015

Summer reading is the best! There are hours in the day that can just be spent reading. I love my summer reading and look forward to it with a yearning. I’ll be reading all summer long: I can read in the car on the road trip between Spokane and Seattle, there’s my lovely cabin porch and my glorious bed that’s perched in nature, and there’s time in the summer sun on the dock, beach, or boat. I don’t have to worry about how long it will take me to read a book because I’ll have the free hours to put in to it. I love my summer reading and just thinking about it has generated some books I’ve wanted to read. I use Goodreads a great deal when determining the books I’ll read. I usually always shoot for a rating of 4.0 or over, but that’s not always possible. If the Goodreads rating comes in over 3.6, I’ll consider it–most of the time. I’ve included my summer reading book’s rating in parenthesis as a reference. Are you on Goodreads? Let’s follow! I’m Ann Krembs on this social network.

{Potential} Summer Reading

1. Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon
I can’t wait to read the Outlander! First, it was recommended by Paige from House of Ginger (more about her later) and my mom. I enjoy reading books that come highly recommended. Then the book has actually become the plot for a television drama series–before I get hooked on that, I want to make sure and read the book. Here’s the premise: Claire is a nurse in WWII. She’s just been reunited with her husband, and they are on their second honeymoon. She happens upon a stone that she travels through and is taken to Scotland, 1743! I love time travel stories, and according to all that have read it, this one’s a winner. (4.16 on Goodreads)

2. Beautiful Ruins, by Jess Walter
Beautiful Ruins is one of those epic novels that spans 50 years. There’s bound to be plenty of characters and a great love story. The winning point to this novel for me is the Italiano in it. One of the main characters is an Italian man remembering and the stunning vision of a woman he remembers from way back. This tall, thin American actress arrived to the tiny Italian village and now he’s going to find her….Another great thing about this book is that it was written by a man from my hometown, Spokane! Also, I remember my sister devouring it a couple of summers ago. It’s about time I finally read it. (3.68 Goodreads)

3. Yes Please, by Amy Poehler
Yes Please speaks to women advocating for themselves; I like books like this. I actually want to listen to this book–especially since Amy Poehler narrates it! She’s so funny. I just love watching her, and I have a feeling her book is going to hit home for me. The most recent review I read from Independent Fashion Bloggers really sealed the deal. I can’t wait to read this book and then be inspired. (3.8 Goodreads)

4. The Harder They Come, by T.C. Boyle
So, The Harder They Come isn’t really a book I would normally pick up, but…I’ve joined an online book club on Goodreads called Bookish Babes. This really neat woman that I mentioned up above started it. Paige is super fashionable, she’s a working mom, she writes a really cool blog, and she’s a reader. I have loved all Paige’s book recommendations and basically want to read anything she has liked. She recommended both Outlander and the next book It’s Kind of a Funny Story. For the month of May we were supposed to read The Royal We (my copy arrived on June 1st, so I’m a little behind), and for April we read FanGirl (luckily I had read that one). Anyway June’s book is The Harder They Come, and the moment I saw Vietnam veteran, violence, and anti-authoritarianism in the description, I was like, Uh oh. But, it’s a book club book, so I am trying to keep an open mind. The the keywords Central America and cruise also caught my attention, and I think I’ll be ok. T.C. Boyle wrote this book based on a true story, and it delves into the American psyche. Should be good and for sure interesting. (3.75 Goodreads)

5. It’s Kind of a Funny Story, by Ned Vizzini
Lately, there’s been a new trend in young adult fiction, and I’m not even sure what genre you would call it. Suicide genre? Anyway, there are so many books about suicide; I’ve read a few of them and put down a few too. It’s Kind of a Funny Story is a suicide story, but since it was written in 2007, it’s before this whole trend in contemporary young adult lit has taken off. In this story, the main character succeeds in getting into that choice school, but once in he’s driven to suicide. The real story begins when he’s placed in a psychiatric hospital: the crazies he meets there help him to find the source of his anxiety and not to mention the possibility of happiness. This book has been recommended to me various times, so I’m happy to read it, but it’s going to be hard. The really sad part about this book that will make it difficult in reading is that Ned Vizzini, the author, has committed suicide. He suffered from depression and took his life in 2013. This novel was made into a movie in 2010. (4.15 Goodreads)

6. The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion
Has everyone read The Rosie Project lately? I feel like I see it being read everywhere. Maybe it’s because my library’s copy is always on hold, or it could be that Kevin is reading it right now. Anyway, it’s about a man with Asperger’s syndrome who has never been on a second date. When one of his friends–he can count them all on one hand–tells him he’d make a great husband he’s of course shocked but then intrigued. What ensues is his very thorough and data driven Wife Project; the result, being Rosie, is surprising! (4.0 Goodreads)

Summer Reading Books

Have you read any of these books? Do you want to read any of them with me? Just let me know here or on Goodreads. I’d love to follow more readers out there!
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