Here is a quick run-down of what I consumed this summer with a brief synopsis of the book. If you want to know my opinions of these books, check out my reviews on goodreads.com. It would be redundant of me to go into too much detail here as I just updated my list last week.
This is a collection of essays written by the author at different times of her life. I listened to this book on audio. She was the narrator. That was a good thing.
Each of these books stands alone. My friend lent me all three, and I enjoyed each one. They have just a touch of mystery to them. Not taxing, but very engaging. All three are my kind of summer read.
A middle-aged woman loses 10 years of her memory after a fall at the gym. It was very thought provoking for me. (Note - this didn't pass my language test, but I was very invested in the story)
This may be my favorite read of the summer! Several people told me I shouldn't read this book, but it was the July selection. I'm so glad I read it. It is the story of two young people in Europe during WWII. Beautifully written, and sometimes so heart-wrenchingly sad. War is not pretty. The author is coming to Lewiston in November! I'm so excited!! (One character in this book also broke my language rule. Again, I was too invested at that point. My language rule seems a little tenuous at this point, but don't worry, its still there.)
Middlemarch may be my favorite classical book. I was intrigued in this book when my sister told me about it. The author compares events in her life to those that took place in George Eliot's novel. To me, it was more of a biography of G Eliot (aka Mary Ann Evans) with comparisons to Rebecca Mead's life sprinkled throughout. I listened to this book on audio and really enjoyed it. It was just different than I expected.
If you have trouble pulling up a familiar name or remembering a word as you are speaking to people, this is the book for you. It is comforting to know those issues don't immediately mean you have dementia or Alzheimer's. This book also contains good advice on things to do to help keep your brain in good shape. A quick read that is well-worth the time.
I need to give this book another chance. It is a fable of sorts that I'm sure has a good message. I just read it too fast because it was due at the library and I had renewed it several times. I will give it another try and report back.
This was a much-anticipated read, and I will admit I was a bit disappointed. I think I had read a lot of the concepts because I follow Gretchen's blog, and she presented a lot of the ideas in that while she was writing it. It has some good ideas to help you figure out what kind of habit-former you are, as different techniques work for different tendencies. (I'm an obliger, thank you very much.) I recommend it although my blurb here doesn't really sound like it.
This is an inspiring story of a young boy in Africa who figured out how to build a windmill and bring electricity to his village. I read the young reader's edition, so I can't speak about the other version. I liked hearing how he read and experimented and gathered discarded items to make his dream happen. It is hard for me to imagine anywhere not having electricity in my lifetime, but that is just my first-world ignorance. I'm not a very global thinker.
I have been wanting to read this for a while, and checked it out this summer and it sat on my nightstand for most of that time. (Other books just kept taking precedence.) It was a VERY quick read. It is the story of a young couple who lives in the woods. Something quite traumatic happens and the story line is the result of that event. The author has only written two books but I have loved both of them. (The other one is The Bird Sisters, which I am revisiting on audio right now, and still enjoying.)
That wraps it up. It has been a good summer reading-wise. A little fiction, a little non-fiction, and a variety of plots and topics. Life is good!!
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