I read, on average, 80 books a year. So far for 2010 I'm at 31--slightly behind due to grad school. I thought it would be fun to share some of the books I plan to read this summer. What's on your summer reading list?
1. The Girls by Lori Lansens --I'm cheating with this one because I just finished it. It was a little long in a few places but I found this fictional autobiography of two twin sisters attached at the head to be fascinating, heartbreaking and hopeful, all at the same time.
2. The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch--Just downloaded this to my Kindle. I read her previous one and while it was definitely chick lit-ish, that's exactly what I need in my post-grad school brain melt.
3. After You by Julie Buxbaum--Same as above!
4. I Thought It Was Just Me, But It Isn't: Telling the Truth about Perfectionism, Inadequacy and Power by Brene Brown--I've heard so many people rave about this book! From Kelly Rae Roberts to Stephanie's Heart Piercing Life, they all seem to like it! Brene studies authenticity, belonging, shame, compassion, courage and connection. You can check out Brene Brown's blog here, as well as a video from a recent talk here.
5. The Not So Big Life: Making Room for What Really Matters by Sarah Susanka--I first heard about her when she appeared on a Tranquility Du Jour podcast. Her message seems to dovetail nicely with what I am seeking for myself. Can't wait to read this book!
6. Women, Food and God by Geenen Roth--I read one of her first books and loved it. Then a part of her latest book appeared in the Oprah magazine and now it seems that everyone is reading Geneen! I feel like this book could really help me in my relationship to food and my body.
7. Columbine by David Cullen--What happened at Columbine was one of the defining moments of my generation. While I know this will be a difficult book to read, I think it's important for me to understand what happened and why and to try to make sense of it all.
8. A Thousand Sisters: My Journey into the Worst Place on Earth to Be a Woman by Lisa Shannon--This was recommended to me on Amazon since I read (and LOVED!) Half the Sky, so I thought I would check it out.
9. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker--I saw this once upon a time in the Oprah magazine, which always has great book recommendations, so I picked it up in anticipation of post-graduation free time.
10. God Sleeps in Rwanda: A Journey of Transformation by Joseph Sebarenzi--Something that you may or may not know about me is that I am obsessed with stories of memory, truth and reconciliation from post-conflict or post-tragedy, particularly state-sponsored, moments in history. Learning about the Holocaust sparked my interest in learning more about the dirty wars in South America, which led to the civil wars in Central America and then to what happened in Rwanda. If you want to learn more, I highly recommend starting with We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families by Phillip Gourevitch.
11. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin--I can't remember how this book came recommended to me, but it is about Pakistan and I love books about other countries and cultures, so I picked it up.
12. Too Much Happiness: Stories by Alice Munro--I also love short stories (thank you, English major background!). I love their form, their brevity, how much they convey in such few pages, they way that they are often only a snapshot of a longer story.
13. Out of Mao's Shadow: The Struggle for the Soul of a New China by Philip P. Pan--I have a graduate degree in International Affairs and know very little about one of the world's great powers. This is my attempt to start to rectify that.
14. Worse than War: Genocide, Eliminationism, and the Ongoing Assault on Humanity by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen--See above. Strangely obsessed with this sort of thing.
15. The Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin--I loved her earlier chick lit books, so I thought this would be a good one for pool or beach reading.
2 comments:
I read the Columbine one. It's really well-written but of course difficult to read. Makes you think about the origin of evil and nature vs nurture quite a bit.
I really liked Anna Quindlen's new book, although I think it gives away too much on the back cover. I came away from it emotionally exhausted, but every once in a while that's exactly what I need.
This is a nice list, and I added a few of your selections to my book list.
My reading list overlaps a little. I just found out about Brene Brown's book and moved it to the top of my list. The video sold me on the book. I also have the Not So Big Life, Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbery, the E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber, and some lite romances by Georgette Heyer on my list.
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