Summer Reading List

OK, so am biggest nerd ever. But I'm OK with that because reading is fun!

This summer one of my goals was to get through part of the big stack o' books sitting in my room. And I think I did a pretty decent job! So now I'm going to show off and tell you all about them. Be jealous. Or not.

1. The Pact: A Love Story by Jodi Picoult

I'd heard good things, and this book did not disapoint. I started it over Beach Week, and I was pretty much entranced until I finished it. Twist ending, if you're into that sort of thing. I also learned some things about law trials, which was kind of cool.

2. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffengger

So this book gained a lot of popularity because of the somewhat recent movie (which I haven't seen), and I know a lot of girls who had read it and enjoyed it (and one who did not but oh well). So I decided to give it a shot! I remember really liking it at the start, and then I felt like it was starting to get old, and I just wanted to hurry up and finish it. But I'm glad that I did, because in the end it was a good read! Not sure if I would want to watch the movie but maybe. Also - time travel is pretty fascinating, albeit confusing!

3. Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner

I've read one other book by her (Good in Bed), which I really liked, so I picked this one up figuring I'd like it. Plus it's been on a bunch of bestseller lists recently, so how could it not be good? I hate the title, but really it was not as cheesy as you would think with a title like that. Also more dramatic than I was counting on, but again it worked.

4. Some Like it Hot (A-List series) by Zoey Dean.

This is a relic from my high school days when I read a lot of Gossip Girl-esque books. You know, very simple, lots of high fashion name-dropping, rich kids, etc. I guess I never got around to reading it because it was in the stack. And you know what? I enjoyed it. Thoroughly. Guess that makes me a simple high schooler but I don't care. It had more heart than I previously remembered from the series. Plus what beats a book you can breeze through and enjoy? Not much.

5. American Beauty (A-List series) by Zoey Dean

See above.

6. Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews

This is an example of Southern chick lit (honestly, so many sub-genres, who would have thought!) And at first I was like bahhh I cannot take so many southern stereotypes. But then I realized that hello I like southern things so I got really into this very long book with the bright yellow and pink cover and I'm glad I did. It was fun. Not very thought-provoking, but fun!

7. Baby Proof by Emily Giffen

LOVED this book. I really, really like this author and I liked this one even more than other things I've read by her. Also totally not as cutesy as the cutesy cover made it out to be, but I read this one relatively quickly. Because I loved it so much. One of those books that you just want to laze around and read until it's over, and then you get upset because the last chapter is quickly coming to a close.

8. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

This has been sitting around forever, and it's a "classic" or so I believe so I felt compelled to read it. Save yourself the trouble. It's very short but somehow took me awhile to read sadly. I guess I only finished it because I was dying to know who betrayed Miss Brodie, as the back cover hints at. Eh. Not that exciting.

9. Eat, Pray, Love by Liz Gilbert

I feel like such a poser, reading this just because a movie was coming out. I mean, I'd been interested for awhile, but just never got around to it and it was now or never right? And it was just OK. Toward the end some juicy stuff happened. I didn't hate it, far from it, but it wasn't the life-changing book it was made out to be. Will I see the movie? Probably, and I say probably only because I'm at school and rarely make it out to the theater. If I was at home, it would be a definite.

10. One For the Money by Janet Evancovich

First in a long series of books about Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter! Which has intrigued me a lot I admit, so when I saw the first four books at the Tennis Club's "library" I snatched them up. I guess just to show how much I enjoyed it, I started it before Eat, Pray, Love but EPL got finished first. Also, I borrowed that one so had to return it ... but anyway, Stephanie Plum, you weren't as compelling as I hoped! That is, until the very end when things got good. So now the dilemma : do I spend any more time reading these books? I guess I can give the second one a chance. How sad, that I consider this a dilemma.

And the final one (which is still a work in progress so shouldn't technically be on this list but who cares?):
11. I Did (But I Wouldn't Now) by Cara Lockwood

Agreed. Stupid title. But I can't pass up a stupid chick lit book!!! And actually I like the story, stupid as it is (divorced wife of rock star goes to London, craziness ensues ...). My only gripe - how did this book get published?? What is with the grammatical errors? I don't entirely get it. But can't wait to see if she ends up with her best guy friend!

And there you have it, my summer reading list. Can't wait til winter break when I can read more for fun! For now, it'll just be a lot of texting reading ... thrills.