Summer Reading List

I have two big trips coming up and I always like to have a couple of new books on hand before heading to the airport (which is exactly how you get an unruly book collection that looks like this). I will always end up buying my favorites, but I've started e-reading lately and I'm so happy with how convenient it is!

Have you heard of Oyster? It's like Netflix for eBooks! For $9.95 a month you have access to unlimited books from their library of over 500,000 titles! Which means you can give up or put aside a book that's not quite right for you or for your mood and easily move on to another book. You can read on your iPad, iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire, Nook HD and computer.

They are offering a free 30-day trial subscription here and I started mine last week. I LOVE it. I'm totally hooked!

Also, it's so silly how much I care about this sort of thing, but I really love that they give you a ton of different page and font options. I like the Penguin-style page above for day reading and the black background for easy-on-the-eyes night reading.

One of my upcoming trips is to New York for work. I'll be staying in Brooklyn for most of the trip, which means some long subway rides. The great thing about Oyster is they let me keep TEN FULL BOOKS in my reader library at once - so no wifi, no problem! Can you tell I'm geeking out? 

We're all a bunch of book nerds over here, so I asked Kate and Heather to give me their summer reading lists to share too. Most of these are books we haven't read yet and we'd love your feedback if you have! 

Here's my list:

Beautiful Ruins - This one looks like a fun, light read. One complaint I've heard is there are too many characters and setting shifts, but I think that might make it an easy book to pop in and out of, in between sessions with my historical floor plans and Eggers (see below).

The Alchemist - Supposedly a very quick, sweet and simple read that leaves you thinking and inspired. I can get behind a book like that.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - I read, and loved, Dave Eggers' What is the What, but held off on this one because I've heard mixed reviews from friends - they either loved it or hated it. I think I'm ready to tackle it now though. Have you read this book?

Paris Mansions and Apartments, 1893 - I had heard this book was a good one and I flipped through it once in a book store and it looked amazing. Seems like a must for any one who gets a kick out of architecture, history and Paris. 

The Midwife of Venice - I was sick last winter and watched an episode of Call the Midwife on Netflix, desperate for distraction. I ended up watching two season's worth of episodes! Ha! I have no idea what this book is about, but it has good reviews and it's a period piece about a midwife, so I think my chances are good.

Once A Runner - I've heard this one described as the Bible of serious running. I am not a hardcore runner now, but I once was, and I truly loved it. Sometimes I read Marathon training books just for fun, so I think this one could be a winner for me.

Heather's List:

The Cost of Lunch, Etc. - I have a weakness for short stories, and I find myself being pulled to stories about women who are trying to wrestle with their inner demons. These stories look like they're going to deliver.

The Sisters Brothers - Confession, while I have been seeing this book in several bookstores and the reviews seem very positive, the thing that makes me most curious to read it is that the author's last name is DeWitt. We're almost certainly not related, but I'm excited to see if it lives up to the family name ;) 

Telegraph Avenue - Michael Chabon is, without a doubt, in the top tier of my favorite authors. I've read a few of his other books, so I've excited to read this one. I'm pretty confident that I'll like it. 

It Chooses You - Miranda July is one of the most brilliant artists of today! I love her movies, and I've read one or two of her short stories before, so I'm very excited to get more of her.

The Girl with the Golden Eyes - I've heard many great things about Balzac. I'm really looking forward to reading this book! 

Kate's List:

Little Bee - A few years ago it seemed like every book club was reading this, yet somehow I missed it. I started to read reviews and they are surprisingly vague because of a supposed pivotal plot twist and the reviewers "don't want to give too much away". I'm interested!

The Light Between Oceans - I cannot wait to read this book (it's next on my list!) I read a quick excerpt before putting it on my read list and it was so beautifully written that I'm finding myself rushing through my current book so I can start this one! 

The Collected Stories of Heinrich Boll - "These diverse, psychologically rich, and morally profound stories explore the consequences of war on individuals and on an entire culture." This book jumped out at me and immediately went to my reading list, I'm a sucker for powerful short stories. 

The Geography of Thought - I read this book back in a college psych class and it's interesting revelations have stayed with me for years so when I saw it on the list I knew I wanted to read it again. It's essentially a look into the differences between eastern and western culture- perception of time, healing, social interactions, medicine, and relationships.

The House of Mirth - My sister has been telling me to read this book for years, turn of the century in New York and high society life, I'm wondering what took me so long. 

My Antonia - This is the first book I recommend to people. It will forever remain a favorite of mine. Willa Cather writes so beautifully about the simplicity of friendship, and so strikingly about the potential of life. 

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - I read this book a few years ago and it's still one I think about often. Set around the heartbreak of 9/11, the narrator, a 9 year old, self-proclaimed pacifist, is a quirky, tambourine playing wise guy. This book is powerful, poignant, and emotional. 

The Man Who Would Be King - A collection on my reading list, short stories written by the winner of the Nobel Prize for literature. So I mean, it's gotta be good.