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.
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.
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