I’ve given you a good resource to find books for your KIDS to read by sharing all the local school summer reading lists. Then…Cindy H. asked me yesterday “Where is the adult summer reading list?!”
She’s right….where is it??? Let’s create one!
What are you reading now? What book(s) have you read lately that you couldn’t put down? Do you have a great suggestion for someone to choose for book club? Do you know the absolute best “beach read” to share with us? What’s a great book to read and discuss with your teen for your own family book club?
Please comment on this post….or send me an email if you can’t figure out how to comment. I’ll compile the list and send it out so that all the Aha! Connections Moms and Dads will have our very own “Summer Reading” list!
I just finished the Bronze Horseman (and the next 2 books in the series) by Paullina Simons. It had a slow start, but once I got involved in the story, I couldn’t put it down. It’s a love story that takes place during WWII in Leningrad.
http://www.amazon.com/Bronze-Horseman-Paullina-Simons/dp/006185414X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368807592&sr=1-1&keywords=the+bronze+horseman
I just read DUCK COMMANDER: The Robertson Family Story by Willie Robertson. It was very good and would be entertaining to most. I grew up in S. GA on a farm hunting and fishing so it touched base with me especially.
“Mr Vertigo” by Paul Auster is funny, interesting, magical and a little deep.
“Paul Auster, the New York Times-bestselling author of The New York Trilogy presents a dazzling, picaresque novel set in the late 1920s – the era of Babe Ruth, Charles Lindbergh, and Al Capone. Walter Claireborne Rawley, renowned nationwide as “Walt the Wonder Boy,” is a Saint Louis orphan rescued from the streets by a mysterious Hungarian Jew, Master Yehudi, who teaches Walt to walk on air. Master Yehudi brings Walt into a Kansas circus troupe consisting of Mother Sioux and Aesop, a young black genius. The vaudeville act takes them across a vast and vibrant country, through mythic Americana where they meet and fall prey to sinners, thieves, and villains, from the Kansas Ku Klux Klan to the Chicago mob. Walt’s rise to fame and fortune mirrors America’s own coming of age, and his resilience, like that of the nation, is challenged over and over and over again.”
http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Vertigo-Paul-Auster/dp/0140231900
I’m currently reading The Broken Places by Ace Atkins. This is his third novel in the Quinn Colson series and it’s probably my favorite so far. He has an uncanny ability to paint a picture with words. But, then I might be a little biased…he’s my younger brother 🙂
http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Places-Quinn-Colson-Novel/dp/0399161783/ref=pd_sim_b_3
Just read Night Road by Kristen Hannah.
Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella (of the Shopaholic series) – madcap & fun!
A Step of Faith by Richard Paul Evans – #4 in The Walk series. Chronicles the main character’s journey on foot from Seattle to the Florida Keys. This one picks up the story in St. Louis and takes him to Floriday – so close and yet so far!
Best Kept Secret – Jeffrey Archer. Continues the Clifton Chronicles saga. Family intrigue with lots of twists & turns and a heart-stopping conclusion!
The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman – tells the story of a midwife during the Depression, living in a West Virginia mining town and carrying a few secrets.
The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck – the owner of a bridal shop in a small town finds a vintage dress with lots of story behind it. Who will be the next bride to wear it?
Two I’m very much looking forward to when they’re published:
Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisburger – she’s baaaaaaack!! and
Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky. Barbara Delinsky’s always a good anytime anywhere read!
Unbroken – non-fiction – You will remember this book long after you have read it. World War II story of a man’s will to live.
I have loved Kate Morton’s books -just finished The Forgotten Garden and The Secret Keeper. The House at Riverton is perfect for anyone who loves Downton Abbey -it is like you are reading the show! All her books have great historical context, but jump back and forth across generations beautifully. Also good to share with teens.
The Neighbor, by Lisa Gardner. Reminded me of Gone Girl. Mystery/thriller about a wife gone missing. Very quick read. I couldn’t put it down.
I’m also reading The Witness, by Nora Roberts, now. It is also really good. But haven’t finished it yet.
THE AVIATOR’S WIFE by Melanie Benjamin. Loved the book and it’s an easy read.
“Acclaimed novelist Melanie Benjamin pulls back the curtain on the marriage of one of America’s most extraordinary couples: Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh”.
I read so much that I frequently forget the names of the books I’ve read. But three recent books that I’ve really enjoyed are:
1) Life After Life: A Novel, by Kate Atkinson. This is a strange book, but I couldn’t put it down!
2) The Round House, by Louse Erdrich. This is a heart-breaking story about life on the Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota. To quote the book publisher’s description: “It is an exquisitely told story of a boy on the cusp of manhood who seeks justice and understanding in the wake of a terrible crime that upends and forever transforms his family.”
3)Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed.
oh – and one more… as a fairly conservative girl from the south, this pretty much sums up what I think life must be like in Seattle. This book is laugh out loud funny!
4) Where’d You Go, Bernadette: A Novel, by Maria Semple
Searching for and Maintaining Peace
http://www.amazon.com/Searching-Maintaining-Peace-Small-Treatise/dp/0818909064/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369065795&sr=1-1&keywords=searching+for+and+maintaining+peace
The New American Bible
http://www.amazon.com/American-Bible-Revised-Psalms-Testament/dp/0529064847/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369065773&sr=1-2&keywords=new+american+bible
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
http://www.amazon.com/Catechism-Catholic-Church-U-S/dp/0385479670/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369065753&sr=1-2&keywords=catechism+of+the+catholic+church
Jesus Calling
http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Calling-Enjoying-Peace-Presence/dp/1591451884/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369065617&sr=1-1&keywords=jesus+calling
The Handbook for Catholic Moms
http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Catholic-Moms-Nurturing-Heart/dp/159471228X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369065638&sr=1-1&keywords=catholic+moms
A Catholic Woman’s Book of Days
http://www.amazon.com/Catholic-Womans-Book-Days/dp/0829420576/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369065654&sr=1-1&keywords=catholic+woman%27s+book+of+days
Men, Women, and the Mystery of Love
http://www.amazon.com/Men-Women-Mystery-Love-Responsibility/dp/0867168404/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369065676&sr=1-1&keywords=men%2C+women%2C+and+the+mystery
Jesus of Nazareth series
http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Nazareth-Pope-Benedict-XVI/dp/0385346409/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369065690&sr=1-1&keywords=jesus+of+nazareth
Essentials of the Faith
http://www.amazon.com/Essentials-Faith-Catechism-Catholic-Church/dp/193170953X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369065593&sr=1-1&keywords=essentials+of+the+faith
The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Gifts-Holy-Spirit/dp/0764807196/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369065506&sr=1-1&keywords=seven+gifts+of+the+holy+spirit
Eucharist
http://www.amazon.com/Eucharist-Catholic-Spirituality-Adults-Robert/dp/1570757224/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369065460&sr=8-1&keywords=eucharist
Jesus Shock!
http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Shock-Peter-Kreeft/dp/1937509176/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369065709&sr=1-1&keywords=jesus+shock
A Handbook for Today’s Catholic
http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Todays-Catholic-Redemptorist-Publication/dp/0764812203/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369065734&sr=1-1&keywords=handbook+for+todays+catholic
Beautiful Ruinsby Jess Walter… Clever weaving of multiple characters. Loved it!
Reconstructing Amelia–Kimberly McCreight
The Fault in Our Stars–John Green
Indiscretion–Charles Dubow
All very good!
Buck’s Junction by Jill Smith Entrekin. Buck’s Junction isn’t out yet, but will be available in June on Amazon.com. I was lucky enough to read an advance copy and it’s a wonderful coming-of-age story about two cousins growing up together in a small Georgia town. The picture Entrekin paints about life in a small town is vivid and full of wonderful details. And the story is funny, touching and sometimes heartbreaking. I highly recommend it!
I just read a book called Sister of My Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Best book I have read in a long time– great characters, interesting story spanning several continents.
Also, my book club read The Faith Club this year– this is about three women– all moms, a Christian, a Muslim and a Jew who get together after 911 to form a Faith Club to better understand each others’ faiths. It gave me a better understanding of Judiasm and Islam, and also helped me examine my faith in a new way. It also created some very interesting dialogue in our book club.
I also love all of Marisa de los Santos’s novels. The first one is called Love Walked In, the second is Belong to Me, and the third is Falling together. This is not a trilogy, but they have a few characters in common.
Adding one more to my list above: Forgotten by Catherine McKenzie. Just began reading it a couple of days ago and it’s unforgettable! Imagine taking a trip to a faraway place, getting sick and then being caught in a catastrophe in which all means of communication with the “outside world” is cut off for several months. Then you come home, ready to resume your life – only you can’t. You’ve been presumed dead and everyone’s moved on. Your belongings have been disposed of, your bank account’s frozen, your job isn’t yours anymore, and someone else is living in YOUR apartment! Do you try to re-establish the life you left behind? Or do you change your life? Can’t wait to see what the heroine’s ultimate decision is!
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
The Light between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
The Round House by Louise Erdich
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harry Fry by Rachel Joyce
In the Shadow of the Banyon by Vaddey Ratner
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
The Aviators Wife by Melanie Benjamin
The House Girl by Tara Conklin
One More River by Mary Glickman
Not Me by Michael Lavigne
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Lots of twist in the plot.
The Orphan Masters Son by Adam Johnson.
Live by Night by Dennis Lehane.
A great summer book is called Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore.