a few in the queue

I always have a few lists going of books I want to read. My family and many of my friends are prolific readers, and I try to jot down the titles of suggested reads as they appear on email, facebook, conversations, etc.  Lately my go-to list has been on a big sheet of legal paper under my desk calendar where I jot entries. Every once in a while I spend a couple minutes on the library website (love) to update my holds, see what’s new, and add/delete tiles from my big list. Here’s how it looks right now

Confusing! Perplexing! Messy! Awesome.

I’ve been meaning to clean it up and have finally reached the point where all of my borrowed books have been read. I posted a “what are you reading” update on facebook last week in the hopes of getting some new recommendations, and promised to share the mac-daddy updated recommended reading list for whomever expressed interest. By reading this blog post, you are hereby considered interested  by default.

 Before I submit my summer lifelong reading list , I need to get a few things off my chest. First, Defending Jacob.  I think there will not be a spoiler alert, but I make no promises. I had this book on my list a long time ago, and once when I had the occasion to drive back and forth to LaLa land in a day, I looked for titles from my list that were available as audiobooks.  I was pleased to find Defending Jacob, and listened to it going back and forth that day, and then for a few additional hours one other day when I was doing a project in my son’s room.  It was good, I was intrigued. I don’t know if I put the book on hold right away, but for some reason it took ages until it become available for my kindle.  When I finally received the notification that I could have it, of course I had no less than 3 other books going including one other ebook loan. There’s only one thing to do at a time like this. Download all of the books then turn off your wifi so they can’t be taken back before you’re done. I’m sorry. Sorry I’m not sorry.

I read “Buddha in the Attic” first, which I wanted to hate because it was so oddly composed, but could not. Lovely, strange, poignant. Recommend.

Then it was on to Jacob. I started over, having no earthly idea where I’d left off and getting the story confused with “The Good Father” in my tiny, addled mind.  I just finished it last night, and although I highly recommend that you read this, I’m so annoyed that my theory about what really happened was not correct. It was a good theory, it would have made for a really interesting twist. Did you read it? Did you share my theory? I can’t stop thinking about it, which is my highest praise for recommending a book. I don’t always have to love the characters or even the writing, for me it’s the story. If it gets me, if I’m immersed, I count it as a good book.  I am not a book snob. I like what I like and yes I CAN give 5 stars to both Twilight and 11/22/63.

Anyway.

Without further ado, here’s the current list. I even looked up all the authors to be all legit and stuff. Current holds are noted:

A Good, Hard Look, Ann Napolitano

Arcadia, Lauren Groff

Bad Monkey, Carl Hiaasen

Bit Literacy I went to look up the author and realized that I so do not want to read this. sorry to whoever recommended it. 

Blood of Flowers, Anita Amrrezvani (#1 in queue for book)

Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese

Divergent, Veronica Roth

Freud's Mistress, Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman

Ghana Must Go, Taiye Selasi

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet, Ford

Joyland, Stephen King

Left Neglected, Lisa Genova

Life After Life, Kate Atkinson (#85in queue  for book)

Lost Memory of Skin, Russel Banks

May We Be Forgiven, A.M.Homes

Me before You, Jojo Moyes

Remember Ben Clayton, Stephen Harrigan

Salvage the Bones, Jesmyn Ward

Still Alice, Lisa Genova

Still Anthony, Lisa Genova

Swamplandia!, Kevin Russell

Tell the Wolves I’m Home, Carol Rifka Brunt (#39 in queue for book, #44 for ebook)

The 13^th Tale, Setterfield

The Accused, Mark Gimenez

The Burgess Boys, Elizabeth Strout

The Burning Air, Erin Kelly (#2 in queue for book)

The Color of Law, Mark Giminez

The Dinner, Herman Koch

The Family Fang, Kevin Wilson

The Fault in our Stars, John Green

The Forgotten Garden, Kate Morton

The Great Night, Chris Adrian

The Invisible Bridge, Julie Orringer (#2 in queue for ebook)

The Irresistable Henry House, Lisa Grenwald

The Island, Vidtoria Hislop

The Light in the Ruins, Chris Bohjalian

The Lonely Polygamist, Brady Udall

The Pale King, David Foster Wallace

The Paris Wife, Paula Mclain (#33in queue for ebook)

The Round House, Louise Eldich (#3 in queue for book)

The Silver Star, Jeannette Walls

The Summer Kitchen, Karen Weinreb

The Tao of Martha, by Jen Lancaster

The Wednesday Sisters, Meg Waite Clayton

The Weird Sisters, Eleanor Brown

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls,  Anton DiSclafani

To be Sung Underwater, Tom McNeal

Train Dreams, Denis Johnson

TransAtlantic, by Colum McCann

Where'd You Go, Bernadette, Maria Semple (#40 in queue for book)

Wild, Cheryl Strayed

Wingshooters, Nina Revoyr

Got any to add?