Summer Reading List

My husband, daughter and I love to read and we are finding some wonderful picks this summer.  We read a lot in this family:  my husband is a college professor and my daughter runs the book blog Hasty Book List.  I just like to read!  Here are some of our favorite summer picks.

1.  The Forgotten Cottage by Courtney Ellis was a great read!  Set in current-day England, a recovering alcoholic is visiting the site of her grandmother's childhood home.  In the book Audrey, the main character, struggles with her daily desire to drink while searching for purpose, love and a place to call home.  The book jumps between her great-grandmother's life and Audrey's, creating a connection between the two women of courage and strong women.

2.  From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks provides a "roadmap" for those leaving a career that has defined them for decades, to find fulfillment in a different way post retirement.  He helps the reader explore how addiction to work and alcolades leads to ultimate disappointment and that relationships are what matters.  He gives surprisingly different advice about marriage and friendships and asks you to ponder, "How many Thanksgivings do you have left?"

3.  The Chicken Sisters by KJ Dell'Antonia was my fun beach read this summer.  Our book club read it and I thought it was going to be nothing but fluff.  However, this cute story with an adorable plot line was so much more.  A charming story that explores family bonds and makes you want to eat really good fried chicken!

4.  The Wonderful World of Marceline by Diane Manley.  This is a highly personal choice, but I grew up in the town where this book is set.  I was more curious to read about the things the author chose to highlight more than the story itself, but I found that I was very interested in the plotline and how it would end up.  My second story based on the idea of a reality show, so that turned out to be a theme this summer!

5.  Booth by Karen Joy Fowler.  Another book club book, this novel focused on the lives of the infamous Booth family.  I was worried this would be a glorified novel on John Booth, the man who assinated Abraham Lincoln, but instead it focused mostly on what an odd family this was.  Truly interesting, at times deeply disturbing, and yet other times completely eye-opening, this book is eerily similar to the times we are living in.

These are the books that I loved for very different reasons.  I would also recomment the following:

Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedic

For Butter or Worse by Erin La Rosa (another reality show book!)

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

The Umbrian Thursday Night Supper Club by Marlena de Blasi

Check back on September 21 for my Autumn Reading List!