Review of Summer Reading List, 2012

Want to see what I thought of the books on my 2012 Summer Reading List? Since Summer is officially over in my head, I wanted to give you guys the dirt. I tend to read quite a bit more over the summer than I do during the rest of the year. Sunny afternoons on the beach and at the pool allow for page turning, and we seem to be in less of a hurry to go and do.

And, if I'm being completely honest, there is absolutely nothing to watch on TV. No Downton Abbey, no Modern Family, no Grey's Anatomy. I've been reduced to watching a bunch of skanky adults with 3 collective brain cells battle it out for money on Bachelor Pad. And you wonder why I've read 347 books this summer?

These are some of the books I read over the summer months:

1. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? Mindy Kaling

Though it didn't strike my funny bone the way Tina Fey's Bossypants did, Kaling is witty and engaging. She drew me right in and made me feel like she was just telling me her story over a mocha at the local coffee shop.

2. Spring Fever Mary Kay Andrews

Bravo! Mary Kay Andrews is one of my very favorite authors. I liked this one more than Summer Rental, though I spent most of the book with mixed feelings about Mason (as I suspect the writer wanted me to). As always, she writes fun, likeable characters...and at least one villain you love to hate!

3. Game of Thrones George R.R. Martin

This came as a complete surprise to me, but I loved this novel so much I read all four of the other books in the series (to date) in a few weeks. And that's saying a lot, because although I am a fast reader, the novels seemed to average between 700 to 900 pages each. But Martin's storytelling drew me in so quickly, I found myself staying up until 1 in the morning to read more.

I mentioned before that I tend to stick pretty much with chick lit. I like books with pink covers about girls who buy cute shoes and marry hot guys with lots of money. This series was the complete opposite of that. Think of it as HBO's The Sopranos, but in a setting like The Hobbit. I'm not into wizards and dirty people and magic and all that jazz. I heard a lot of hype about the HBO series based on these books, so I wanted to check them out. It was an excellent reminder of what good storytelling should be.

4. Hot Six Janet Evanovich

Thanks to our library, I managed to read books six through twelve, but I couldn't tell you any of the plots at this point. I like Evanovich's sense of humor, and they're fun fluffy reads for an afternoon at the pool, but the stories all run together. Very predictable. I keep reading to see if Stephanie ever decides to marry Joe Morelli. (please no spoilers)

5. Blue Bistro Elin Hildebrand

Pretty vanilla for me. At most, it made me hungry because Hildebrand mentions a lot of the dishes served at the Blue Bistro. The main character really just made me cranky because of her poor choices.

6. Mennonite in a Little Black Dress Rhoda Janzen

Not life-changing, but a decent read. I'm not normally a fan of memoir, but Janzen gives us a humorous peek at Mennonite life (and food). Bummed that I'll have to miss discussion for this in the next book club.

7. God, Girlfriends, and Getaways Mary R. Snyder

Some ladies from my MOPS group read this as a summer book/Bible study. We learned and shared some interesting things about friendships with this one.

8. Firefly Lane Kristin Hannah

This was the first pick for my book club, and I really enjoyed it until the last 100 pages, which were a real Debbie Downer.

As in, your husband comes home from work and finds you clutching the book in tears.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

You babble something incoherently about someone dying.

He takes the book and skims the back cover. "Was it the hot chick or the ugly chick who dies?" he demands.

"Theeeee..uuuuugly....oooone!" you wail.

He rolls his eyes and heads to the kitchen to eat a sandwich and plug his ears so he can't hear you sobbing.

The end.

9. Books the girls and I listened to on tape:

Henry and Beezus Beverly Clearly
Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, On the Banks of Plum Creek, By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter Laura Ingalls Wilder
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Roald Dahl
Matilda Roald Dahl


I try to stick with classics for books on tape with the kids. They loved each and every one. Even Michaela Byrd, the 4 year old, paid attention for 98% of the time and could answer questions about the story if I asked.


So, a nice Summer for us as far as "literature" was concerned. With the exception of Mary Kay Andrews' book, everything else was from the library. With money tight, I don't spend much on books for myself anymore, unless it is something I am dying to read right away. And the girls love hopping through the kids' section of the library, choosing storybooks to bring home.

I'm working on a Fall Reading List right now!

What did you enjoy reading this Summer? What's on your Fall reading list?

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