Summer Reading Fun

As I look at the long summer stretching ahead of me (I know, all of you started summer weeks ago, but M just finished school on Friday, so technically my summer just started) I'm starting a list of books I'd like to read. I might post that list later, but for this blog I wanted to list some of my favorites.
I LOVE to read, but I don't have really great retention, so my reviews aren't going to be very verbose. If you want to read some great (and entertaining) reviews on a wide variety of books, I recommend my friend's blog: RedHotEyebrows.
I've read a lot of books in the past few years, thanks to the book clubs at my church, but in order to get on my favorites list the book had to fit 2 criteria: 1) I could remember the title and at least part of the author's name (that's a sign that the book had an impact on me) and 2) It is one I would read again.
So, here they are, in no particular order:



Life of Pi - Yann Martel - Story of a teenager from India who finds himself shipwrecked and adrift on a life boat with an interesting and dangerous companion. One reviewer described it as "fable-like". I loved this book. I don't want to give anything away because, for me at least, it was the unknown part of this book that really got me. If anyone reads it, I'd love to hear what you think of it.




The Ladies Auxiliary -Tova Mirvis - Although this is a story of a group of Jewish women in Tennessee, I really related to their society. I found myself analyzing friends and acquaintances in my LDS society and was amazed to see so many similarities in personalities and in culture. I also learned a lot about Jewish customs, though I had to do some Wikipedia searches to clarify some of the references that weren't explained in the book.




Elantris - Brandon Sanderson - I just finished reading this. It has been a little while since I've read any science fiction/fantasy and I was sucked in by this story about a world of magical powers. Elantris, a city whose powerful, almost god-like, inhabitants lost their power 10 years previously, is in the clutches of immoral and greedy men and on the brink of war. I loved the main female character, Serene, and how she takes control and inspires those around her. I also found the battle between good and evil, on both sides of religion, very thought-provoking.




The Goose Girl - Shannon Hale - A fairy tale about a princess who loses her identity and must learn to know herself before she can reclaim herself. I loved the magic and fantasy in this book, as well as the moral.










Book of a Thousand Days - Shannon Hale - This is the only author with two books on my list. After reading The Goose Girl, I fell in love with Shannon Hale's writing and tried to grab up everything I could find by her. I thought the other two in the Goose Girl series and The Princess Academy were ok but too predictable. I was very disappointed in Austenland. I decided to try once more with Book of a Thousand Days... Ms. Hale was redeemed in my eyes. This one brought back the surprise that was missing in the rest of the Goose Girl series. It is told from the point of view of a servant locked in a tower with her princess mistress. I was intrigued with how the servant "grew up" over the course of the book and the moral that you don't have to be "royal" to be important.


I Capture the Castle -Dodie Smith - I discovered this one on an LDS book club website. It was written in 1948, I think. I learned later that this is the author of 101 Dalmations. One of my favorite parts of the book was the foreword by the author. I don't really like this picture, because although there is romance in this book, it seemed to me more a coming-of-age story and learning what life is really about. The tone of the book reminded me of Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey", kind of sarcastic and mocking of those silly romantic girls. Oh, I should put that one on this list, as well....





Hmm, I think rather than make individual entries for each book, I'll just put a general paragraph about Ms. Austen. If you haven't read her works, or nothing beyond Pride and Prejudice, you MUST get out more. :) When you are in a classical mood, here's a list for you to give to your local librarian:
Northanger Abbey
Sense and Sensibility
P&P (of course)
Emma
Persuasion
Mansfield Park
Lady Susan: this is a very short book, and you may not be able to find it in a book by itself. You may have to search for a volume of her complete novels.


Island of the Blue Dolphins - Scott O'Dell - I had never read this one as a child, so my friend recommended it to me. A simple, yet touching, story of a teenage girl stranded alone on an island. I loved that it was based on a real person and I was impressed how Mr. O'Dell put so much imagination into telling her story.






The Agony and the Ecstasy - Irving Stone - This was a pregnancy book. With each pregnancy, I find myself picking up a large novel to read on those sleepless nights when the baby is doing her exercises, I have heartburn, or just plain insomnia. With M, I read Les Miserable (the unabridged version), I can't remember what I read with K, but with B, I read this one. I liked this oh so much more than Les Mis. It is the story of Michaelangelo. After reading it, I wondered how accurate it truly was, but the extensive bibliography led me to believe that it was pretty true to his life. I fell in love with Florence and immediately made a promise to myself that I will go there some day. I liked how it described the interaction between the artists of the period. A very descriptive book, but you can skip through the details if you get bored. I admit I had to skip the whole chapter when Michaelangelo dissected a cadaver. A little too much detail there for my already pregnancy-induced queezy stomach. But, the detail was very effective in the rest of the book, particularly in describing Michaelangelo's labor on his more famous sculptures. I truly felt the agony and the ecstasy of his art.



A couple of non-fiction:

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat - Oliver Sacks - This was a book club selection that I probably wouldn't have bothered with, except I have this really intellectual friend (yes, Anita, I'm talking about you) that sounded excited about it, so I thought I'd give it a try. Most of it was way over my head, but the parts that I did understand were so worth reading the whole book. This is the same author who wrote "Awakenings" (you may have seen the movie with Robin Williams). He is a neuropsychologist who shares several case studies about abnormalities of the brain. With my hypochondriac leanings, I admit this did give me a few more diseases to worry about, but it was just so darn interesting, I couldn't put it down. I particularly liked the section on mental retardation.


When You Look Like Your Passport Photo, It's Time to Go Home - Erma Bombeck - I couldn't find a picture for this one, sorry. I had heard of Erma Bombeck before, but I had never read any of her books. The title really says it all, but let me just add that I laughed so hard reading this book that I was crying, sobbing, inconsolable. Of course, I was pregnant at the time, so that probably contributed a little.