Reflecting on Summer Reading, and Looking to the Future

Sand may have given way to snow, but don't let that stop you from thinking about your 2013 summer reading list! 

Did you get to all of the titles on your list, or did you take advantage of the sun and fun and — what am I thinking? Reading in the sun is fun!

Anyway, two fellow readers chimed in with their reading lists, and they were impressive! Karen and Stephanie were up to the challenge of Summer Reading and, between them, read 22 books. 

Karen and I were supposed to read Under the Dome together, but it was too gritty for me. Karen, on the other hand, sailed through and added a few other amazing titles to her list, including:

1. Next 
2. Sepulchre
3. The Dead Zone
4. Heart of the Sea
5. Wuthering Heights
6. Rose Madder
7. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
8. The Lost World
9. Midnight Bayou
10. Under the Dome
11. Pirate Latitudes

She powered through a couple of powerhouse authors — Stephen King and Michael Crichton — and added a few other interesting writers to her list. A couple on her read-list are on my to-read list. Maybe I should power through them, too.

Stephanie, a novelist herself, read a couple of my faves, a few of which I've heard amazing reviews and at least one classic:

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
2. Late Rapturous
3. Blue Moon
4. Catching Fire
5. The Orphan Master’s Son
6. The Green Metropolis
7. The Light Between Oceans
8. The Round House
9. War Brides
10. The World According to Monsanto  
11. The Great Gatsby

She has inspired me to try, try again with The Light Between the Oceans, which just got too tense for me to finish. She also gave me the courage to try The Orphan Master's Son, which I heard from multiple readers was gorgeous but "hard to read."

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

I read a few during summer 2013; if you're really curious, you can find out which ones in the blog entry Summer Reading: A Lovely Memory of Warm Days and Good Books. Personally, I'd wait to see what intrigues me enough this coming summer... but re-reads are cool, too.

So, plunk on your thinking cap and get ready. Summer Reading Club is for all books read between Memorial Day and the autumnal equinox. This year, let's make it Friday, May 23 through Tuesday, September 23. 

Don't worry, I will remind you. I'll even give you a sneak peek at my list when I finalize it. I hope you do the same for me: e-mail it to me in May and I'll share with the rest of the class.

So, settle in with a good cuppa and a bright light. Stay warm, my friends and fellow readers, until summer arrives. Until then, tell me: what are you reading?