Summer Reading List

In no particular order and more than likely a little ambitious I present my summer reading list:

Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton.  I just started this chef's memoir the other day.  Not only can she cook, she can also write.  I think this will be a quick and yummy read.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed.  I love a good memoir and have been on a serious kick for the past year.  This one has recieved rave reviews from readers I trust.  I cannot fathom taking an 1100 mile solo sojourn, but something tells me it's life changing.  The right book can be too.

Cherry by Mary Karr.  Another memoir and another Karr work.  I read and very much enjoyed Liar's Club earlier this year.  I read it with mouth agape much of the time.  I'm hoping that this story is as much of a page turner delivering raw grit and humble heart in ample measure.

The Underside of Joy by Sere' Prince Halverson.  I'm looking forward to her heartfelt debut novel.  It's waiting at the library for me right now.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  I read this Jazz Age classic in college, but I want to visit it again before the movie comes out this summer.  I think Leo and Tobey are perfectly cast as Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway.  I may try and get this on MP3.

I will finally finish Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese.  I keep getting pulled away from this book despite the fact that I have found the story most compelling and well written.

I also pledge to make my way through The Red Tent by Anita Diamant.  It's another good read that I've been unable to finish despite the fact that I love that it is centered around ancient womanhood: mothers, daughters, sisters, wives.

Last summer I really enjoyed Stegner's Crossing to Safety so this year I will read Angle of Repose.

Disobedience by Jane Hamilton.  I was a big fan of Book of Ruth and A Map of the World so I have high expectations for this novel.  I love the gifted way Hamilton makes her characters come alive on the page.

The Writing Life by Ellen Gilchrist...a collection of vignettes on literature.

Virgin Time by Patricia Hampl.  This memoir/travelog grapples with what exactly it means to seek.  So do I.

Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro.  Sometimes short stories just fit my mood.  I'd actually like to listen to this one while I walk.

Home by Toni Morrison, which I suspect will be no light read.

Nightwoods by Charles Frazier.  Cold Mountain resonated with me so I'm hoping this novel will too.  I love a good folktale...this has been described as a modern day Hansel and Gretel.  That was always my favorite story as a kid.  What can I say I have a dark side.

A Moveable Feast by Hemmingway preferably on MP3.  If only Hem were alive to read it.  I read this eons ago.  Then I read The Paris Wife in the past year.  I want to reread this through the lens of McCain's perspective.

Pat Conroy's South of Broad.  Yes, I will finally pluck this off my bookshelf, dust it off and enjoy.  I heart Conroy as well as a sordid salvation story.