Tell Me What to Read: Summer 2016 Edition
I’m in a serious reading zone right now (hooray!) and I’m cruising through titles like I did back in my reading glory days of 2010 when I had no children, a 35-hour-a-week job, and a husband who traveled a lot.
Which means it is clearly time for a summer edition of Tell Me What to Read.
You know the drill – suggest something fun (although that doesn’t need to mean chick-lit – I’m up for non-fiction, memoirs, young adult, middle grade, AND chick-lit), and I’ll pick three to read in July, August, and September.
Your job: Comment with the title of a book you think I should read.
 My job: Choose three from the suggestions and announce which ones I’ll be reading.
I’ll read one a month (ish) between now and the end of September. Feel free to read along and check back every month for my reviews.
And, as always, even if I hate the book, I will not hate you.
And go!
The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye. Just released last month. I just read a blog post that recommended it for people who loved Harry Potter.
Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas
The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes
Sycamore Row by John Grisham
The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
The Book of Bright Ideas by Sandra Kring
In my top 5. A story set in a small town in Wisconsin, 1960’s – a little girl travels to the small town with her wild older sister. She carries her mom’s ashes in an urn and a book that she uses to record all the mysteries of the life. It takes place over a summer – Winnalee (the little girl) befriends Button. I mean, Winnalee and Button? How could you not like this book? (the cover is dumb – just fyi)
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
I couldn’t put it down. Narrator is a man looking back on the summer of 1961 when his family suffered tragedy. It’s a coming-of-age story and the characters are great. I read it in two days.
I just finished Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier, and I feel like it's going to be one I'm going to be recommending for the rest of my life. Such a fun book.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Pax and second Bread and Wine
'Maybe In Another Life' by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It's almost a year old, but I just read it and loved it! A fairly easy and fun read, but really made me think about life and all it's various possible paths and destinations!
'Maybe In Another Life' by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It's almost a year old, but I just read it and loved it! A fairly easy and fun read, but really made me think about life and all it's various possible paths and destinations!
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson. Lovely, summery, English countryside goodness, plus, I think the cover is beautiful!
The Residence by Kate Anderson Brower is about the staff who work at the White House. They stay between administrations trying to be non-partisan and discrete, and it was fascinating hearing from people who had worked with multiple presidents from JFK onwards. The stories generally aren't too gossipy like I feared (if anything, I think the author is a bit too deferential at times), and it often feels like a series of anecdotes rather than a coherent whole but they're such fascinating stories that it's still worthwhile if you like stories from behind the scenes. For example, every inauguration day now I am going to picture staff at the White House rushing around moving out the old President and moving in the new one.
"It Ain't So Awful, Falafel." Firoozah Dumas. I LOVED her memoir "Funny in Farsi" years ago, so when I heard she had a new young adult book out I jumped at it. It wasn't spectacularly written – I'd say she was aiming for upper elementary school/early middle school reading level – but the subject matter was fascinating. It's all about growing up Iranian in the United States in the late 1970s. That in and of itself makes for some good reading, but when the Iranian hostage situation went down, everything hit the proverbial fan. I didn't know anything about it, so it was fascinating to learn so much. My kids gobbled it up too.
When We Collided by Emery Lord (It's probably her best so far.)
Most Dangerous by Steve Sheinkin
My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows (Funny. Listen to the audiobook. It's fabulous.)
One on a Million Boy – can't recommend this highly enough – loved!!
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Amy Snow by Tracy Rees–just finished it & loved it!
Here are two great YA books!
Blood Red Road by Moria Young
The Shadow Club by Neal Shusterman
Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindberg. Written while the author (mother of 5, and the first woman in America to earn a glider pilot's license in 1930) was on a brief vacation by the sea. Insights on a woman's life and relationships as they change through the years. At one point I was in tears because she pin-pointed my exact feelings with such vivid and accurate analogies! She has such wise insight on the balancing act of a woman's life.
Oops – her last name is spelled Lindbergh, with an 'h' at the end.
Just finished The Nest on MMD's recommendation and it was great. Currently reading One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid and enjoying it immensely. Her characters are just so darn relatable! Can't wait to see what you pick!
My favorites of the last two dozen books I've read:
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Summerlost by Ally Condie
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
When Breath Becomes Air
The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth
Second House from the Corner by Sadeqa Johnson
Multiple Listings by Tracy McMillan