Summer Reading Program: A Few Reading Lists from a Few Readers

How was your summer? Did you get a lot of reading done?

I did. Kind of. I didn't quite reach my goal of 20 books, nor did I read some of the books I had intended, but I came close.

Two other readers played along from home: Karen and Stacy. Both had impressive lists, and both completed a tremendous number of excellent books.

Here were the rules, such as they were, for the  Adult Summer Reading Club: read as many books as humanly possible between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox. Keep count (and, preferably, a list of titles). At the end of the summer, whip out your list, brag boisterously — and be in the running to receive a free book.

Karen read the following books:

1. The Nature of Monsters
2. The Shell Game
3. Water for Elephants
4. To Kill a Mockingbird
5. The Hobbit
6. Royal Pains
7. A Rogue's Gallery of Brats, Brutes, and Bad Seeds
8. The Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance
9. Mother Earth, Father Sky
10. The Great Stink
11. Meg: Primal Waters
12. Myths and Mysteries of New Mexico
13. Famous Gunfighters of the Western Frontier
14. The 100 Best Poems of All Time
15. The Treasure
16. The Woman in Black
17. The Plantation Mistress

Karen (and Logan) donated a giant stack of books to their local library for its book sales. Additionally, they donated food to their community's food pantry as our charity of choice — and will continue to donate food on a monthly basis. This is in addition to the pledge to "continue reading and reading and reading!"

Stacy read the following books:

1. A Discovery of Witches
2. The Iron Duke 
3. Heart of Steel
4. Into the Dreaming
5. Lover Reborn
6. The Elenium: The Diamond Throne
7. The Elenium: The Ruby Knight
8. The Elenium: The Sapphire Rose
9. The Tamuli: Domes of Fire
10. The Tamuli: The Shining Ones 
11.  The Tamuli: Hidden City
12. The Belgariad: Pawn of Prophecy
13. The Belgariad: Queen of Sorcery
14. The Belgariad: Castle of Wizardry
15. The Belgariad: Magician Gambit 
16. The Belgariad: Enchanter’s Endgame
17. The Mallorean: Gaurdians of the West
18. The Mallorean: King of the Murgos
19. The Mallorean: Demon Lord of Karanda
20. The Mallorean: Sorceress of Darshiva 
21. The Mallorean: The Seeress of Kell
22. Blood Lite III: Aftertaste
23. Angel's Blood
24. Angel's Kiss
25. Angel's Consort
26. Archangel's Blade 
27. Archangel’s Storm
28. Paul Cezanne
29. Night Games 
30. Dark Fire 
31. Furies of Calderon
32. For the Love of Physics
33. Sargent Abroad Figures and Landscapes 
34. Treachery in Death 
35. New York to Dallas 
36. Hidden World of the Aztec 
37. War Cry
38. Born in Silence 
39. Time Untime 
40. Beast Master
41. Lord of Thunder 
42. Witch World
43. Magic Bites
44. Magic Strikes
45. Magic Burns
46. Magic Bleeds
47. Magic Slays  
48. Gunmetal Magic
49. Under a Vampire Moon
50. The Mammoth book of Vampire Romance
51. A Thousand Years of Stained Glass

(Whew! I know, right? And I think I found a few books to add to my growing reading list...) Stacy  donated to the Brevard County Friends of the Library two used books for each summer read book for the group's fall book sale.

Both readers will receive a book they select for themselves (because, obviously, they didn't get enough...)

Here's my own "consumed" list from the summer (with my book reviews marked with an asterisk):

1. The Submission
2. The Age of Miracles
3. Johannes Cabal: The Fear Institute
4. The Great Stink
5. How To Be a Woman*
6. Mockingjay
7. Catching Fire
8. Beyond Hades: The Promethius Wars
9. The Night Circus*
10. Fifty Shades Freed *
11. Fifty Shades Darker*
12. A Princess of Mars
13. Fifty Shades of Grey*
14. We Have Always Lived in the Castle
15. Explosive Eighteen
16. The Hunger Games
17. Faefever

(Full disclosure: two books in my list were at least three-quarters finished by September 22, so they were included in the total.) I am sorry I did not include a photo of the books — alas, a third of them were loaned out immediately.

Both Main Street Child Development Center (MSCDC) and The Fairfax County Public Library will benefit from my reading. MSCDC receives $5 per book consumed for a whopping total of $85. The FCPL Foundation Bookdrive will receive three books from its Amazon wish list:

• American Gods
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower*
• The Martian Chronicles 

Thanks to all who played along this summer, and I look forward to next summer.

So, what did you read this summer?