Summer Reading Is Upon Us

I’m not sure how this happened, but suddenly it’s Memorial Day and we’re (officially) allowed to wear white shoes again, exams are getting graded, and summer reading is upon us. While my own to-read pile is always towering and tottering at my bedside (and under my desk, and next to my bookshelf in the den, and on top of the filing cabinet), here’s what I think should be near the top of your own summer reading pile:

Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle. This is not just another terrific teen book from a bestselling author of greatness, but is also a terrific sister book, and one that will make you think about the whys and hows of your own decision making, and the consequences both bad and good.

The Mix (the all-high-school-girls book group I lead at Little Shop of Stories) is also delving into some not-quite-required summer

reading with the infamous Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which is an exercise in literary and, well, zombie genius that I wasn’t convinced could really be pulled off or sustained. (Hooray hooray that I was wrong-all-wrong. I was still chuckling deep into the novel when Darcy’s angry aunt shows up and challenges Elizabeth.)

There are a lot of other great books coming out later this summer (stay tuned for reviews and author interviews), so while you’re waiting there’s an interesting grownup read I’d like to recommend, for those of you looking for something with a little more heft. I read Andre Dubus III’s Garden of Last Days as an advance copy ages ago, and it was one of those books I got completely sucked into and wanted to never end. Each section from each different character could have been pages and pages longer, and I would have been engrossed with every sentence. Will make you think about the strange intersection of all our lives, and will definitely give you a perspective you never thought you’d even want about the days leading up to 9/11. (Which is why I’m mentioning it on Memorial Day weekend, even though we’re not technically remembering that anniversary today.)

But the real question is, what’s on your reading list, and why??

While we’re talking about reading though I also want to give a quick shout of thanks to Cynthia Leitich Smith (her books, Tantalize and Eternal, should definitely be on your summer list if you are a fan of sharp, smart, thrilling gothy vampire romances) for featuring me on her blog last week, and to Uncreated Conscience, whose review of Pure totally knocked me sideways with delight!