Do you remember, as a kid, those summer reading programs at your local library? There’d be some sort of contest and a cool, colorful list where you could pencil in all the books you read – well, I LOVED those. I lived for them. I wanted to do nothing more than fill that list up and then some. That’s just how nerdy I am on the inside. (Cause clearly I’m fabulously unnerdy on the outside. Like doi). Anyway, I’m bringing back the summer reading list this summer. I mentioned last week that I was super excited to have a little more time to read the looong list of books waiting in my reading queue… I seem to have good books coming out of my ears these days. Here’s what’s on the agenda for this summer; let’s see how many pages I can check off.

Waiting on my bookshelf already:

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
My former coworker highly recommended this one. She said it was a story of friendship, but not overly girly and cheesy. I’m a sucker for novels about best friends since it always makes me feel warm and fuzzy about the girl friends I have. It also takes place in Seattle, so that’s kinda fun!

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Winner of the Man Booker Prize, this book was sold out of the last two books stores I went to. I figured it must be good. The book follows a taxi driver’s story in modern India and was recommended if you’re a fan of Slumdog Millionaire, which um, DUH, I am.

Seven Types of Ambiguity by Elliot Perlman
I was sent this book by the lovely Vanessa, who was my partner for a book swap on Just a Small Town Girl. We had to do some emailing back and forth about possible books to send since I was paranoid I was going to get something I already had. The book she chose follows seven perspectives of characters affected by the abduction of a 6 year old and was rated 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com!

Bought by Anna David
Harper Collins contacted me again, similar to when I received the copies of Thanks for Coming, and sent a copy of Bought to me a couple weeks ago. It’s a little more chic lit than I’m into these days, but I thought I’d give it a try. Apparently it delvs into women as escorts and the price you pay to get what you want. I sell my body regularly for diamond earrings and Cristal, so I thought, at the very least I could relate.

Waiting on my Amazon.com WishList:

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
I found this book on a reading list from NPR radio. This one sounds a bit creepy, but super fascinating – “The only survivor of the ‘Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas’ massacre that wiped out her family is forced to confront the lies she told that convicted her brother of the killings.”

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
This book keeps popping up on recommended reading lists and in bookstores everywhere I am, so even though I’ve read the back of the book at least twice – Oscar is a 300-pound-plus ‘lovesick ghetto nerd’ with zero game (except for Dungeons & Dragons) who cranks out pages of fantasy fiction with the hopes of becoming a Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien. – and it didn’t immediately grab me, I’m going to give it a try.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
The most recent, 2009 Pulitzer winner, this book is a series of short linked stories about a gruff, 60-something school teacher in a coastal town in Maine. I’m not usually a fan of short stories, but much like Oscar Wao, the whole Pulitzer thing sucks me in. Slap an award on the cover of a book, and I’ll probably purchase it.

(That’s all I’m going to highlight for sake of length, but just so you know, I also have My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler, Getting Stoned with Savages by J. Maarten Troost – the follow up to The Sex Lives of Cannibals, which I just finished – and I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley on my list. Who freakin’ knows if I’ll be able to get through all of these).

Currently Feeling: Tan and relaxed after my week of beaching and sleeping in. Next week – time to crack down on resumes.
Currently Anticipating: Camping this weekend – it’s our first camping trip of the summer with The Mini.
Currently Needing: To desperately clean my room. I have zero excuse for not having the time – I just don’t wanna! *Clenches fists and beats them on the ground*