Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Summer Reading List Update: It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times...

At the beginning of June I posted a list of books I planned to read for the month. Some I read and thoroughly enjoyed, others didn't quite make it in from the library in time for me to read them. And then there were those that I started but realized they were too heavy for summer reading. I'll get to the heavy books later, but I'm trying to keep my summer reads light. So let's talk about what I read, what's moving to the July list and what you read in the month of June.

June's Reading List
(bold = read; m = moved to July list)

Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of An American People by Helen Zia (x)
32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter (m)
Sima's Undergarments for Women by Ilana Stanger-Ross
The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama
The Sport of the Gods by Paul Laurence Dunbar
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin (m)
Colorblind by Precious Williams
Black Men Built the Capitol: Discovering African-American History In and Around Washington, DC by Jesse J. Holland (x)
A Taste of Honey: Stories by Jabari Asim (m)
Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black by Gregory Howard Williams
Persian Girls: A Memoir by Nahid Rachlin (x)
Under the Dome by Stephen King (m)
The King of Colored Town by Darryl Wimberley
The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith
Jenniemae & James by Brooke Newman
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler
From Cape Town with Love by Blair Underwood, Tananarive Due & Steven Barnes

July Reading List
32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter (Attending book signing on the 8th)
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin
A Taste of Honey: Stories by Jabari Asim
Under the Dome by Stephen King
The Sacred Place by Daniel Black
The Gettin Place by Susan Straight
Blacker Than A Thousand Midnights by Susan Straight
Red Hats by Damon Wayans
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
Eddie Signwriter by Adam Schwartzman
Confessions of A Prep School Mommy Handler by Wade Rouse

I'm making the July list fairly short because Under the Dome is a little over a thousand pages and will probably take up a week of reading.

So what about you? Did you read anything good in June? Are there any books that I must add to my list?

9 comments :

  1. I read Under the Dome a couple of months ago and wanted to throw it out the window because it was so not worth the time I took to read the 1,000 pages. Just a warning...the story's interesting, but I don't think anyone took any red ink to King's work this time, because he easily could have told the same story in 600 pages (or less).

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  2. @ronnica

    I notice that a lot more recently with high profile authors and I wonder why that is. J.K. Rowling's last book could have been trimmed as well.

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  3. OMG, yes! That book reminded me of Lord of the Rings Return of the King. Every time I thought it was over, it just kept going.

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  4. Thanks for the heads up. Maybe I'll save it for later in the year or put it at the bottom of my "not to be read until you have absolutely nothing else to read" stack.

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  5. Did you enjoy "Color Blind?"

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  6. The summer months are a great time to pay extra attention to your partner and your marriage. With longer, slower days and time without the kids, pick up a motivating little read to stimulate some better connecting: "A Short Guide to a Happy Marriage"
    www.ashortguidetoahappymarriage.com
    blog.ashortguidetoahappymarriage.com

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  7. Yes ma'am. Look for the review and giveaway on July 13th!

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  8. I want to read Red Hats. I've heard good things about it. Just not too sure I'm willing to pay for it though, ha! I need to get a library card for my new city of residence.

    In July I plan on reading:
    Oprah: A Biography - Kitty Kelley
    Platinum - Aliya S. King
    The Boy Next Door - Irene Sabatini
    The Wedding - Dorothy West
    100 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
    The Inheritance - Louisa May Alcott
    Striver's Row - Kevin Baker
    Cane River - Lalita Tademy

    & whatever else I happen to buy randomly. You know about my slight addiction to buying books, haha!

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  9. It's all about the library for me. Very rarely do I purchase a book, my budget can't handle it. Be sure to let me know when you post reviews for Oprah's bio and Platinum. I'm also interested in hearing about The Inheritance. Cane River got a thumbs down for me and I wasn't a fan of Red River either.

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