Summer Reading

It's the day after Memorial Day--June 1, 2010--and the unofficial start of summer.

Do you have a pile of books stockpiled for your summer reading?

I'm making my way through Gail Collins' When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present. The book is a little over 400 pages long, but reads quickly because it's broken out into short topical sections. Since I was born in 1961, this book documents the society and its changes that have helped to shape me and my life. In some ways, it's like a walk down the pop culture memory lane as I remember commercials mentioned in the book. Since this book was borrowed from a co-worker, I need to finish it and return it--before the summer is over!

I also have a collection of fiction sitting there, waiting for me to dig in. These include but are not limited to Julie Powell's Julie & Julia (saw the movie and LOVED Meryl Streep's performance as Julie Child) and Lisa See's Peony in Love. I listened to See's Shanghai Girls as an audio book and was captivated by her writing and descriptions of the lives of two Chinese sisters in Shanghai and the United States between 1937 and 1957.

If you are looking for a light romance to breeze through, pick up anything by Kaye Dacus, a classmate from Seton Hill University's writing popular fiction program. Dacus is a Christian writer with a light touch and a sense of humor. She has three series out, including the Brides of Bonneterre series, Ransom's Triology, and Matchmaker. You can see what Dacus would like to read this summer at http://kayedacus.com.

Remember, there is more daylight during the summer, so make sure to make time to read!