Sunday, August 15, 2010

Summer Reading

Flashback 20 years and let me describe myself.

Tall for my age, super skinny, purple circle glasses, and poofy bangs. I didn't have tons of friends, but I didn't realize it. I loved to write, play school, the piano, and read. I LOVED to read. That's all I ever did.

Now, flash forward. I'm now average height and weight (well, if I weren't pregnant), the glasses were replaced with contacts, my bangs are grown out. I try to compensate for years of having no friends by always wanting to be around people. I still like to write, but not as much, as school kind of stifled the creative factor out of writing for me. I still love school and also teach piano (very passionate about both). And as for my love of books as a little girl, it's never gone away. I am still always reading.

I thought it would be fun to list some of the books I read this summer, along with recommendations. I would also like to put a huge plug in for my favorite site, GOODREADS.COM. If you are not on goodreads and like to read, you need to join. It's a site that helps you find new books to read, allows you to record and review books that you do read, and see what your friends are reading and recommending. I use it all the time, especially on the days I go to the library. If you ARE on goodreads- let me encourage you to use it! I love to see the books that my friends are recommending.

Anyways, here is my list:

The Short 2nd Life of Bree Tanner (Stephanie Meyer)
The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Committment to Your Mate (Gary Chapman)
The Uglies (Scott Westerfield)
My Sister's Keeper (Jodi Picoult)
The Giver (Lois Lowry)
The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
Catching Fire (Suzanne Collins)
The Pilots Wife (Anita Shreve)
The Christmas Train (David Baldacci)
The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)

almost finished with: Born to Run (Christopher McDougall)
Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (Jacobs)
Emma (Jane Austen)

If you want to read any of my reviews on that list, join goodreads! :) I recommend almost the whole list with the exception of: The Christmas Train (too slow) and The Pilots Wife (also slow, and anti-climatic). Uglies was also hard for me to get through, but not because the story wasn't good. The author just focused on things I wasn't interested in half the time.

Anyways, if you have any recommendations for me of MUST reads, please tell me! I am going to have LOTS of reading time coming up when little Suzy is born and I want some good books.

5 comments:

Rachel said...

I read Born to Run earlier this summer. Loved it. It made me think that I too could become a super runner. I still hate running. Ah well.

thepetersens said...

check out ANYTHING Jodi Picoult! (I see you already read My Sisters Keeper) I LOVE LOVE LOVE her books!

KT said...

I didn't know you were on goodreads - we should be friends. It's too bad that school killed the creative writer in you - I remember some clever things :)

I recently read "Nurture Shock" and loved it. It's nonfiction, but very readable. Another nonfiction that I enjoyed is "Outliers"

A fiction series I currently love is the Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. Oh my, I love those books - there are four out. The first is called "The Thief"

Mekell and Jake said...

I LOVE The Hunger Games series! And The Secret Life of Bees, too! You should read The Help. I'm reading it, and it is sooo good!!!

Briawna said...

Courtney, it's Briawna, the new girl in the ward. Okay, I love your book picks. I think rather than give you my favorites, I'll just refer you to the goodreads page. P.S. Janessa Cloward was in the MBA program with Ronell. Small Mormon world. :-)