My Summer Reading List

Now that I'm all done with The Great Gatsby...

One of the most thrilling things for me about finishing a new book is the excitement of getting to chose what to read next. I've been collecting new book ideas in my Good Reads list of To-Read books for a few months now and I'm so excited to read all of these soon. I know I would be lucky if I finished even three on these this summer, much less all eight of them, and I don't have a plan for what order I'm going to read them in. I like to pick my next books based on what I'm in the mood for, and I'll never know what that'll be. 

The Happiness Project - I have heard great things about this book from so many people and I actually won a copy of it on another blog. I usually read on my Kindle, so it will be kind of fun to read the old fashioned way with a real book in my hands.

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey - I really enjoy the show Downton Abbey, so I think this would be a really fun read for me. I like period pieces, and hearing about how things were way back when. And I first spotted it at Costco, which usually means it's good or popular.

Sparkly Green Earrings - Written by blogger Melanie Shankle aka Big Mama. The book is coined a "quirky memoir of motherhood", and I actually read a few pages before some friends and I decided to start The Great Gatsby, and it is really good! I can't wait to read more.

Bringing Up Bébé - Again, I have heard about this book from a lot of people. It seems like I might be the last person to read it. A complete stranger at Barnes & Noble saw me holding it in my stack of books while we both watched out kids play with the train table and she gave it a very very high recommendation. 

The Kitchen House - You know what I love about Good Reads? I can see what books other people have read / are reading / want to read and let it influence my "what's next" dilemma. Like this book I saw on my mom's cousin Wendy's profile (if you're reading this: Hi, Wendy!). I would have never picked it up in a book store because it doesn't look like a book I would usually pick, and there is really nothing interesting about the title, but because it was on her profile I clicked through to read the description.  

Relish: An Adventure in Food, Style, and Everyday Fun - Do you watch The Chew on ABC? I watched it daily when Owen was first born and nursing kept me confined to one seat for at least 30 minutes at a time. Now if it's on when I turn on the television I'll listen while I get other things done. I enjoy a good cooking show and came to really like Daphne Oz. I've flipped through some of the recipes and I can't wait to give them a try and read the rest of the book. 

The Storyteller - I've read a few of Jodi Picoult's other books and they never disappoint. They always keep me wanting to read, read, read until I'm done.

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald - I started this book after reading The Paris Wife, but then moved on to Gatsby instead. (You can tell I was indecisive about what to read, huh?) I know that I definitely want to know more about this Zelda-- she is so eccentric! 

So I'm not even going to say that I'll stick to this list. I might even read something else that's not on the list. What are you reading right now? What have you been reading lately? Any recommendations?