Summer Reading List

Image credit weheartit

It's that time of year again.  Summer.  As much as I love curling up with a good book in the winter, I have more free time for reading during the summer holidays.  Each year before I get out for summer, I enjoy making out a list of the books that I'd like to read during the summer.  Just in case I ever find myself wondering what to read next.

I have absolutely no method for choosing which books go on this list.  The list includes books that I actually own and haven't managed to read yet, books that I've been told are good, books that I think seem interesting, really just any books at all.  Although I might not actually read each book on my list, I will make it though most of them, and I will read many, many more that aren't on the list at all.  If you're making out your summer list too, I hope that my list and my reasoning behind the books that I've chosen can help you pick out a book or two to add to your list.

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett - The Help is going to be my serious novel of the summer.  From what I understand, it's about the civil rights movement, but it's told from a difference angle than what you would usually expect.  I'm heard lots of good things about the novel, and it's set in Mississippi as well so I have to read it.  I think I'm going to have to take it in slowly though.
2. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe - I have no idea why this book is on my list.  Possibly I added it after rereading Swiss Family Robinson.  That would make sense, right?  Sometimes, I do strange things.  I think I'll read it though.
3. The Princess de Cleves by by Madame de Lafayette - The Princess de Cleves has been on my bookshelf for over a year.  I just haven't picked it up yet.  It was written in the 17th century I believe so it's a bit difficult to read.  I'm interested in the plot though.  Love triangle, French court, 16th century. 
4. Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan - I want to read this one because of Little Women and the scenes in which the March sisters play Pilgrim's Progress.  Wanting to read one book because of another book always seems like a good idea to me.
5. If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't) by Betty White - After Betty White's re-surge in popularity, I'm interested in reading this book about some of the things that she's learned in over 70 years of her career.  According to some reviews, her memoir, Here We Go Again, is better.  I'll read which ever I can get my hands on first.  Possibly both.  Or neither.  It's the summer.  I can change my mind.
6. My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke - This memoir makes my list because I adore the Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Poppins too, of course.  Who doesn't?
7. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah E. Harkness - The title of this novel caught my interest on Amazon's bestseller list.  It's about witches and vampires, two very popular subjects in the book world lately.  I hope it's good.  I've read some very bad witch/vampire fiction as well as some very good witch/vampire fiction.  Bestseller usually indicates good, but you never know. 
8. Chalice by Robin McKinley - This is on my list because Robin McKinley is one of my favorite fiction writers.  It came out several years ago, but I somehow missed it.  According to the reviews that I've read this is more like some of her first novels than her most recent novels.  That is perfectly fine with me because her first three novels happen to be my favorites.
9. Pegasus by Robin McKinley - Another book by Robin McKinley.  This one came out in November though, so I'm not quite so far behind.  This one involves a princess and a pegasus, so it should be interesting.  McKinley is wonderful at creating new worlds, and her style of writing is so unique and rich that I enjoy reading her work usually regardless of the subject.  I am slightly wary though because I've come to expect such good things from her that I judge her books more severely than I would another writers' which doesn't seem fair.
10. The Sherlockian by Graham Moore - I read the first chapter of this book at the Penguin Group website.  During this first chapter, Arthur Conan Doyle is trying to figure out how he can kill off his celebrated character.  If the rest of the book is as good as this first chapter, it's going to be a good book.  Add to this that I recently read Conan Doyle's book in which Sherlock Holmes actually dies.  I'm looking forward to this one a lot

These 10 books aren't everything that I'll be reading this summer.  There will be many more books since I'm  taking Women in Literature and Major Authors of American Lit at my university this summer. 

If you're still looking for suggestions, I'll be putting up a list of my suggestions for summer reads later this week.  I'd like to know what you think of the books I have on my list so far.  Have you read or heard of any of them?  What do you think about them, and what will you be reading this summer?

Have a lovely day!