Sunday, May 3, 2009

TSS: What to Read This Summer?


School will be over in five short weeks and I will suddenly have these huge hunks of time in which to sink deeply into my reading and reflect.

Now is the time to ready myself, to request books from the library, to put books on my wishlist, stockpile.

But what shall I read?

Any great travel stories out there? Good recent fiction? Any books you have read and are pushing on everyone you meet?

My plan for today: Finish Great Expectations.

18 comments:

  1. I have a TBR list that continues to grow by leaps and bounds - so I am afraid that I don't have a definitive book to recommend. I did want to say that I absolutely LOVE the photo and want to escape to that location right now!!

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  2. "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese is good fiction.

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  3. Thank you for recommending Cutting for Stone. I loved Verghese's nonfiction, but I've rarely seen the wonderful nonfiction writer who also writes beautiful fiction. I hesitated on this one.

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  4. I highly recommend THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, if you haven't read it yet. It's a wonderful little book.

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  5. I have read Guernsey and I agree with you....It would make a wonderful summer read.

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  6. I'm looking for good stuff too Deb as my Sunday Salon post is about my quest for good summer bookclub material. We'll have to keep each other apprised of any gems for which to be on the lookout. I can definitely say I am looking forward to reading Kamila Shamsie's Burnt Shadows soon as I thoroughly loved her Salt and Saffron several years ago.

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  7. Disoveries of mine this past reading year:

    Burning the Days by James Salter
    On Call - A Doctor's Days and Nights in Residency
    by Emily Transue
    Drinking the Rain by Alix Kates Shulman
    March by Geraldine Brooks
    Christine Falls by Benjamin Black
    (aka John Banville)
    Angels and Ages by Adam Gopnik

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  8. Didn't even realize Gopnik had a new book...will check out the others, all new to me except On Call and March....Thank you for the suggestions.

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  9. The school semester ends later here (only at the end of June), so I haven't given this much thought yet. I love planning my summer reading, though!

    I've see you've read The Once and Future King - huge Arthurian books are perfect for the summer, I think. I might have to finally get to Mary Stewart this year.

    Anyway, the book I push on everyone I meet is Nation by Terry Pratchett, so I'll have to suggest that :P

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  10. How are you liking Great Expectations so far? I hope you finish it, it's a favourite of mine. :D

    Summer reads? Hm. You may have already read these but I'll try to list a few favourites from the past that I haven't seen in the blogging world of as yet or of late:

    Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman
    East, West by Salman Rushdie
    Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros

    Enjoy your summer reading!

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  11. Right there with you! Can't wait for the hungry reading of summer. A few of us are still moving ahead with Proust's In Search of Lost Time. We will all post on his birthday in July on volume 2. Keep thinking about a Trollope re-read too. But we'll see.

    Today I am reading the new Laurie King book, The Language of Bees, and hosting a giveaway on my TSS post. Happy reading!

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  12. Pretty much everything I've read this year is something I'd recommend. Off the top of my head:

    The Help by Kathryn Stockett
    The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
    Little Bee by Chris Cleave
    The Midwife by Jennifer Worth
    Still Alice by Lisa Genova
    The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
    The Likeness by Tana French (and In the Woods)
    The Laws of Harmony by Judith Ryan Hendricks

    I've review all of these on my blog. Here's to summer reading!! :)

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  13. I am counting down until summer vacation. I have four weeks to go and my kids have until the end of June. I can't wait to sit around and mostly read.

    I'm suggesting The Hunger Games. Have you read East by Edith Pattou? It's middle school fiction but it's also great for all ages. I stayed up all night to read it. What about Bones of Faerie by Janni Simner? It's a great read but don't read it after Hunger Games. You won't like it as much. What about Castle Waiting by Linda Medley? It's a graphic novel with strong themes of community and diversity. Let us know what you pick!

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  14. I also think the Pratchett novel Nation is worth a look and personally I can't wait to read A.S. Byatt's new novel The Children's Book. Byatt's books are quite a demanding read and not every one's cup of tea, but if you enjoy complex, cerebral books.

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  15. Wow! I'm adding as fast as I can to my Amazon wishlist! Thank you all for the great suggestions.

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  16. For some fun mind-candy summer reading, you can't beat the Stephanie Plum mysteries by Janet Evanovich.

    If you want something deeper and beautifully-written, I recommend The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway.

    By the way, I tagged you for a favorite things meme:

    http://booksandmovies.colvilleblogger.com/2009/05/05/favorite-things/

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  17. I'm shoving The Help into anyone's hands I can...fantastic book!

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  18. I'm seeing some patterns here....The Cellist...The Help...Nation...all recommended by more than one person. Good! Thank you!

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