Summer Reading List

In school I would always look forward to my summer reading list.  While some less enthusiastic students would wait until the week before to scramble for the CliffsNotes, I would anxiously await the published list and scoot straight to Barnes & Noble to pile up on required reading.  I would then fill my LL Bean back pack to the brim and head home (30 lb backpack only on one shoulder, of course) and start poolside reading.  Now, I am in a book club and find that ladies all over Manhattan are yearning for a summer reading list.  So I started one up at work that is a mix of old and new and has since gained momentum with friends.  See below for summer 2011 required reading (without the quiz come September).

The Hunger Games Trilogy: I read the series in five days.  Yes, it was a little awkward shopping in the teen drama section of the book store, but so worth it.  Similar to the Twilight saga this sci-fi trilogy is so good you won't be able to put it down.
A Visit from the Goon Squad: Pulitzer winner of 2010, this book was my favorite of the year and is so creative and well written I cannot say enough about it.  Jennifer Egan even included a PowerPoint presentation as one of the final chapters, and got away with it.
This Boy's Life: I know memoirs are not for everyone, but this one reads like a fictional coming of age story and is truly a tale of re-invention and the American Dream.
Room: We just read this for book club and I would not have picked it up on my own because the subject matter is so serious, but it is less a story of kidnapping and captivity and more about the love between a mother and her son.
The Blind Assassin: I put this book on every reading list because it is a complicated and compelling story of two sisters from a family dynasty and one of my all time faves.
The Lotus Eaters: Not well known but a great story about the Vietnam War from a female photo-journalists perspective.  Great beach read: love, war, and a mini History refresher as well.
Freedom: This book was pitted against Goon Squad for the Pulitzer and in my opinion is just as good.  It traces the story of a modern family navigating the Bush years and is just as culturally applicable as it is politically slanted.
Middlesex: Clearly there is a theme here, I love sweeping multi-generational family stories.  If you missed this Pulitzer winner from 2002 you missed out. 
In the Garden of Beasts: I just bought this book today, but I am adding it to the list because I just know its going to be great.  Its a story about Berlin the first year Hitler came into power through the eyes of an American diplomat and his daughter. 

Rooftop Report

Summer in the city always hums with extra energy, all restaurants and bars are crowded even on a Monday night, and Thursdays become the new Fridays.  While the subway commute is hot and sticky in the morning, after 5:00PM the weather is just right for a cocktail, and if you're lucky, that cocktail is being sipped on a rooftop.  I am not sure why outdoor drinking and dining is so hard to come by in NYC, but its scarcity makes it a true gem and I am a self-proclaimed rooftop chaser come summertime. This is why I will be issuing a summer special rooftop report just for you.

Bobo, a restaurant tucked inside a brownstone in the West Village, has a basement entrance concealed by vines and is just the gem I like to go searching for.  You walk downstairs to a quaintly decorated bistro and bar, and if you do not specifically ask, you would never know there is a mini roof deck upstairs for diners and drinkers alike.  The deck is adorned with trellises draped with greenery and feels like you've stepped into an intimate outdoor dinner party.  The menu is french and simple so there are not many options, but the classics are covered.  I always get the Bobo salad with Bibb lettuce, beets, pecans, and chevre.  Its a perfect lunch.  Cheers!