Summer reading recommendations

[Beach Runner]

I sometimes get in a mood of all serious* books, but usually take turns with the serious and the fluff.

* surprised you there, didn't I?

Right now, I am catching up on Vanity Fair mags.

I hear ya about being in the mood for reading fluff. Right now I am catching up on old issues of Newsweek (the new format is unreadable due to the font and the layout) and Southern Living that I didn't have time to read because spring semester gets so crazy.

I likes me some Stuart Woods (he's from around these parts), but I am embarrassed to be seen reading them.

Just finished Better Than Beauty. I'll have to give y'all the Cliff Notes sometimes. I have renamed it Etiquette That Your Mother Would Have Taught You If She Hadn't Been Crazy.

 

[shakennotstirred]

I likes me some Stuart Woods (he's from around these parts), but I am embarrassed to be seen reading them.

His old books are great! His new ones not so great, although I continue to read them. I think he writes his Stone Barrington series poolside while drinking a cocktail - not much thought is put into those.

 

[scooterbug44]

Just finished Better Than Beauty. I'll have to give y'all the Cliff Notes sometimes. I have renamed it Etiquette That Your Mother Would Have Taught You If She Hadn't Been Crazy.

:rofl:

My favorite "fluff" writers are Mary Kay Andrews or Jennifer Crusie - both are laugh out loud funny and full of sass!

 

[Deli Love]

I love Mary Kay Andrews! Sis and I share her books.
Joshilyn Jackson's Between Georgia was a very good book. I went to Sun Dog Books after work on impulse last week and I ended up with that instead of Saved at the Dairy Queen.
Anyway, I laughed so hard my hubby thought I was on the phone with Lisa! I also cried so hard I fell asleep before I got to the next funny part. I will read more of her books.
As far as fluff Vs serious, I live a life that has been pretty serious. I couldn't read during the worst of the stuff happening with Nevaeh and as decisions are having to be made about my parents and everything else going on in the real world, I love the distraction of good fluff. My serious reading time each week revolves around Bible study, both my own and prep for a pretty smart preteen class.
My most serious reading is Sowal, I can't go a day without at least a few threads.

 

[shakennotstirred]

I recently finished The Help and loved it.

Thanks very much for this recommendation. I was on a long waiting list at the library for this book but finally got it & it was well worth the wait. A great story with interesting characters - I really liked Minnie & her sassy personality.

 

[BeachbumAggie]

any new recommendations to add, I need to start finding some beach books to bring with me!

 

[scooterbug44]

Thought I'd repost this for summer readers

"The Worst Hard Time" by Timothy Egan is an amazing story about the Dust Bowl - the events that caused the Dust Bowl and the firsthand stories of the people who lived through it (the 2/3 of the population who stayed, not the people who left the area ala Steinbeck).

It is a fast and easy read because it is so interesting and entertaining - it is full of amazing statistics, great characters, and history I hadn't heard anything about before (and that takes some doing).

Obviously I knew about the Dust Bowl, but I didn't realize just how major the dust storms were or how far the dust went - the biggest storm moved 2x the amount of soil excavated to dig the Panama Canal (7 year project) in a day and dust was affecting ships 200+ miles off the east coast.

Some rather scary parallels to today's news (it was published in 2006), international syndicates influencing policy to make $, people refusing to believe that their actions impact nature, the government artificially propping up prices of commodities and then reluctant to interfere in the "free market", banks using their depositors assets to make interest free loans to bank officers and other insiders, politicians blatantly disregarding the laws they authored, people getting loans to buy things they can't afford when the bubble pops............

Lots of WOW statistics and interesting connections to other world events that helped cause it - even Catherine the Great and the Volga Germans factored in.

 

[Cil]

any new recommendations to add, I need to start finding some beach books to bring with me!

It is still in hardcover so you may not want to buy it, but I was enthralled with The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer.
Book Review - The Invisible Bridge - By Julie Orringer - NYTimes.com
It takes place in both Paris as well as Hungary before and during WWII, and is based on family history. A young architecture student travels to Paris to attend school, falls in love with an older woman, and the war interferes with their already uncertain plans. Sometimes the author's prose is a bit purple, but she paints a vivid picture of Europe, and I enjoyed the array of characters.
Quite a page turner, which is admirable for a book that's around 600 pages.

I also want to second the Olive Kitteridge rec. That short story collection managed to be simultaneously colorful and introspective.

 

[GoodWitch58]

It is still in hardcover so you may not want to buy it, but I was enthralled with The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer.
Book Review - The Invisible Bridge - By Julie Orringer - NYTimes.com
It takes place in both Paris as well as Hungary before and during WWII, and is based on family history. A young architecture student travels to Paris to attend school, falls in love with an older woman, and the war interferes with their already uncertain plans. Sometimes the author's prose is a bit purple, but she paints a vivid picture of Europe, and I enjoyed the array of characters.
Quite a page turner, which is admirable for a book that's around 600 pages.

I also want to second the Olive Kitteridge rec. That short story collection managed to be simultaneously colorful and introspective.

Invisible Bridge sounds great..I will have to find it.
good to see you posting again. I am planning a trip over your way: any recommendations for a good bed and breakfast?

 

[Beach Boy]

Slow Love - a good read for anyone who is or ever has been out of work and starting over.

The Story of My Life - I am reading this book now, by Helen Keller (love biographies!)

Same Kind of Different as Me - good book, sweet ending