Summer's here and the readin' is easy...
Doesn't this hanging porch swing look so inviting? I mean I could so easily lay back with all those pillows and bolsters and blankets... a nice, tall glass filled with iced tea and lemonade (an Arnold Palmer if you are in the south) and a good book to sink my teeth into. I have everything I need except for this lovely swing... and no place to put it either. Oh well, that's just a minor problem. We can set the hammock up sometime soon! I have sunglasses, iced tea, lemonade and sunscreen (we use Neutrogena because it is great on sensitive skin and this way I do not have to go out and buy a bazillion different brands. It's not cheap, so we stock up when we find a good sale!) I also have a growing pile of book that I can't wait to dip my teeth into. (For more information on the following books just click on them!)
I am currently reading Beth Dunn's Social Climbers. (She even autographed it for me!) It's a light and fun read about social climbing and social status -- Social Register meets Preppy Handbook meets Shopaholic... More, it's a book about fitting in and no matter what your "In" Crowd happens to be you will recognize many of her characters as those you see on a daily basis. There's still time to enter my Giveaway so enter now!
Piled high on my bedside table, waiting their turn are:
Pretty in Plaid, by Jennifer Lancaster. You may have seen this book around as it seems to be a popular one in the blog world. The book, based on the author's own experiences, is about her life chronicled in fashion. I started it (to put it down when my copy of Social Climbers arrived in the mail) and it is rip-roaring hilarious!
I also have Elin Hilderbrand's Nantucket Nights. I love this author. I adore her. Last summer I picked up Barefoot and I could not put it down. Could not. Could not. Could not. She writes so beautifully and realistically. Her books are all set in Nantucket. And reading them just brings me back! I am positive that you will love her books too!
Jane Green's The Beach House is also set in Nantucket. Admittedly I was more of a fan of the author's earlier books, though have read them all since she is a local author. I found her more recent ones to rather be self-aggrandizement... but saw promise in this book about an older, more mature woman who takes on boarders to help keep and maintain her beloved beach house. This book seems to have promise!
These four books should keep me busy for a little while!
If you've read these already you may also want to check out Curtis Sittenfield. I first read Prep with my book club a few years back and really enjoyed it. It's a Midwesterner's (and outsider's) view in to the elite world of the East Coast prep school. Made me want to pick up and reread my copies of The Catcher in the Rye, and A Separate Peace. Both two of my all-time favorite reads. Ms. Sittenfeld also wrote An American Wife. I loved this one. Loosely based on the life of Laura Bush, you cannot help but wonder what is fact and what is fiction. There is scandal, intrigue, sex (lots of it!) and a good story line.
I'm really hoping that the kiddos are now old enough to let me sit back and partake in my favorite summer past time... next to entertaining and enjoying a nice cocktail!
Cheers!
What's on your list this summer?