What's everybody reading this summer?

[J&N]

Thought I's start a "good book" thread. So, what's everyone reading this summer? On the plane, on the beach, or just at the house. Give us a thumbs up or a thumbs down, it just might give some of us some ideas.

Me, personally, I plan on purchasing the Ted Kennedy memoir when it comes out on the 14th.

Let them book reviews flow!!!!

John

[local2464]

The last Song, Nicholas Sparks

[Bkhiattky]

Just got done reading "The Shack" WONDERFUL BOOK!!!

Read, Swimsuit, 8th Confession, those are the most recent ones....I LOVE TO READ!!!!!!!!!

[caviargal]

I love to read but get to do much except on plane rides and vacation. I pack a book for each day of the trip and generally finish them all.

We went away for Labor Day weekend and I read Lisa Scottoline's "Killer Smile", Patricia Cornwell's "Blowfly", "Compulsion" by Jonathan Kellerman and a new Mary Higgins Clark that I cannot recall the title of which I borrowed from the lending library.

I have a pile of Daniel Silva's novels waiting for my next trip, along with a new Greg Iles.

Bliss is reading a book on a lounger at the beach at CSA.

[AAS]

Just got together my beach read pile for our upcoming trip.

Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
Something Blue by Emily Giffin
Playing for Pizza by John Grisham
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith (saw it this weekend and had to pick it up looks hilarious)
Anges and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

Just finished Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides very compelling and Possession by AS Byatt which is truly a work of art. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen surprised me I read it for book club and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I am also excited about the new Phillipa Gregory novel The White Queen (loved all the Tudor series books) but I never bring hard backs to the beach so it will have to wait until I get back.

[heather_and_tim]

I had pre-ordered Dan Brown's latest book "The Lost Symbol" and am currently waiting for it to arrive...but I think I'm going to wait to read it until I get to Couples at the end of October. Also, the "Twilight" series is a must, if you haven't read those already. They would make a GREAT beach read! I also enjoy the Charlaine Harris series of "Sookie Stackhouse" novels that the HBO show "True Blood" is based on. I'm currently up to Book #5 (out of 9) in that series.

[No1conner]

AAS - there is another Emily Giffin book that goes along with those 2. I cannot remember the name - something Baby... Read all three this summer. All were good.

[Cindi]

Dan Brown's (The DaVinci Code) new book comes out tomorrow. I have it preordered and will pick it up tomorrow so I can save it and read it at CSA in November

[JumpinJen]

Some of my favorites:
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Cloud Atlas by Davis Mitchell
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore (anything by him)
A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz

My very favorite this summer was my PADI training book I read and studied at CSA in June to earn my scuba diving certification.

[Mestralle]

I haven't been able to do much reading lately, but I have compiled a list of books for our upcoming trip in October. Most of them are "thriller"-type novels (Scottoline, Baldacci, etc.), but there are three others that I'm looking into:

"A Mighty Long Way" by Corlotta LaNier - a memoir of the youngest of the Little Rock Nine. Heard the review on NPR, and it sounds very interesting.

"A Slobbering Love Affair..." by Bernard Goldberg - political book by the former CBS journalist (and Democrat) who was ostracized when he published an article on media bias in the Wall Street Journal a number of years back.

"A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin - I don't have high hopes of this being released before our trip, but it's the latest in his series of fantasy novels "A Song of Fire and Ice."

If you have any interest at all in fantasy (or for that matter just in incredible character stories), I highly, highly recommend Martin. His first book is "A Game of Thrones," and the plot deliberately parallels (at least initially) the Wars of the Roses. It's NOT your child's fantasy. It's very brutal, quite graphic but incredibly rich and detailed. Everyone I've managed to talk into giving him a try (the first book is about 1,200 pages), ends up completely hooked.

[Jimnmariann]

Eat,Pray,Love is a great vacation read.

[jamaicaplayground]

The Associate. John Grisham. a must read!

[bowlcoach]

We're newbies, looking forward to May, 2010 at CSS. Would you believe our reading this summer has been the COUPLES brochure. It is dogearred, bent, crumpled and well-read from cover to cover. Looking foward to 8 months from now.

[ElainePoole]

Is The Last Song a new Nicholas Sparks book? I love his books but we probably get them after you here in England.

[janeyb]

Thoroughly enjoyed an old bestseller, "Eden Burning", an historical novel (of sorts) by Belva Plain. The story unfolds on a Caribean Island. (paperback-448pgs., but an easy read)

[izzyandbella]

Reading the "Sookie Stackhouse" books by Catherine Harris. So good. They are what the series "True Blood" is based on.

[Smithl1028]

I started the series of Janet Evanovich's (Stephanie Plum Bounty Hunter) books there are 15 so far, I am on number 4 They are funny and light. Grandma is a riot...

One for the Money
Two for the Dough
Three to Get Deadly
Four to Score
High Five
Hot Six
Seven Up
Hard Eight
Visions of Sugar Plums
To the Nines
Ten Big Ones
Eleven on Top
Twelve Sharp
Plum Lovin'
Lean Mean Thirteen
Plum Lucky
Fearless Fourteen
Plum Spooky
Finger Lickin' Fifteen

[DFWOKCWS]

I just finished The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb. Good book, but it made me cry, so I probably wouldn't read it on the plane...now on the beach behind sunglasses might work just fine!

I also recently read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society...it was a light easy read, written entirely in letters, telegrams, etc.

My book club is reading a book called The Time it Snowed in Puerto Rico by Sarah McCoy. I haven't started it yet, but it is a coming of age type story about a Puerto Rican girl.

[brittneyaaron]

Everyone must read. The glass castle. A true story, you will NOT put it down. Also just finished The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Also the 19th wife was good as well. Just opened Pillars of the Earth.

[AAS]

Thanks No1conner - now I have to find the other Emily Griffin book - we leave Sunday - hope B&N has it!

[we2texans]

At our trip to CN in May, my husband and I enjoyed our books in different ways. He loaded up his Kindle with books of his choosing which included the new John Lennon biography and James Patterson novels. I, on the other hand, loaded a couple of audiobooks on my iPhone and spent my time on the beach having The Shack and Gang Leader for a Day "read to me".

Both of these options gave us the opportunity to read multiple books without having to take up precious luggage space (and weight).

Pure heaven!

June

[StarrandBrianinWI]

big fan of John Grisham read most of them...just finished re reading the entire twilight series can't wait for the 5th book to come out heard it was going to be called midnight sun

[Papa_Smoke]

This Message Board is all I can muster after hours of reading student papers.

[IsagenixFreak]

heroin diaries- Nikki Sixx

[greenpickle]

There are couple of very good books: In Canada Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill ( a different name in the Unites States) Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden