Summer Reading: A Love Story

Summer vacation is nearly upon us, which means several key things to me: 

1. I will usually sleep in, maybe even past 8 a.m.

2. I will get to spend more quality time with my children and grandchildren.

3. I’ll play more tennis and do more ‘round-the-Rose Bowl walking with Mrs. Ursettie, and

4. I will have the opportunity to catch up on my long-neglected reading list!  

So, the first three are self-explanatory.  “But,” you may be asking yourself, “I wonder what Mrs. Hodge has on her reading list?”  Well, wonder no more…I will be happy to share a sampling of the titles I hope to read over the summer!

·    The Book Thief by Markus Zusak—I can’t believe I haven’t read this yet!  Everyone who has read it tells me it’s phenomenal, and how can one not read a book whose narrator is Death?

·    The Jesuit Guide to (almost) Everything—Pope Francis is a Jesuit & I loved James Martin’s book My Life with the Saints, so I’m looking forward to this one.  His writing is informative, but full of humor and decidedly not dull and dry.

·    Tender at the Bone: Growing up at Table by Ruth Reichl—The famed food critic describes her relationship with food, beginning with living with a mother who would literally put whatever was in the refrigerator all together and serve it, even if that food was “past its prime.”  I heard her on an old NPR program, discussing her family and how she learned to cook in self-defense.  Hilarious.  Also, Cat S., a lovely senior, told me how much she loved this book and I trust her judgment.

·    The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott—This is my book group’s selection for June, I’ll be reading it soon.  This is historical fiction, a story of a young woman who has survived the sinking of the Titanic.  This isn’t something I’d usually pick up, but I know I need to broaden my horizons.  I may just enjoy it!

·    Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham—The Moon and Sixpence, also by Maugham, is one of my favorite all-time books.  Anjali B., a wonderful Prep grad also loved it, and she asked if I had read Of Human Bondage, which she also enjoyed.  I hadn’t, so it’s on my list.

This is only a partial list…meanwhile, here are some books I’d like to suggest for our faithful blog-readers (without annotation, since you can easily click on the links to Amazon or look on Goodreads.com for that information!):

• Destiny of the Republic: a Tale of Madness, Medicine, & the Murder of a President by Candice Millard—OK, so I said I wouldn’t annotate, but I have to say that this non-fiction title reads like a psychological thriller and I loved every minute I spent reading it!  How can you pass up a book with a subtitle like that?
• All Things Bright and Beautiful and all of the other titles by James Herriot
• The Fault in our Stars by John Green
• Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
• Broken Paradise by Cecilia Samartin (recommended by Kristin B., Prep grad)
• Autobiography of Malcolm X—a truly fascinating read!
• The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett--The movie was wonderful; the book, even better!
• Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt—Another non-fiction title that read like a novel and has murder, high society, and a drag queen in Savannah.
• The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
• The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Wishing you a great summer, full of good times, good friends, and good reading,

Mrs. Hodge