I’m jumping in with one more Top Ten Tuesday list before I get back to my regular (irregular!) posting. This week’s prompt is “top ten books to read at the beach or by the pool” also known as “What do you want to read this summer?” I have about thirty books on my physical bookshelf, so I do hope to make some headway over the next couple of months. Some of the books have been there for several years. And yes, I am going to forsake them AGAIN because others have emerged and are frantically saying, “Read me! Read ME!” It was really hard to whittle my wish list down to ten. I picked eleven to photograph and then thought of two more. So, here they are:
1. Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman — I read Seraphina and Shadow Scale just so that I could read this book. I picked it up from the library and am taking it with me on my own road trip this week, so this one will be read for sure. I was originally inspired to read Tess due to this review by Iris at Hoard of Books.
2. Out of My Mind by Sharon M Draper — My daughter says I will like it. She’s pretty good at knowing what I will like.
3. The Fault in our Stars by John Green — It was on sale as a staff pick at a bookstore. My daughter refuses to read this book, so I have to decide for myself if I will like it or not. I bought it, so it must have drawn me in.
4. Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver — After a binge of YA, I’m looking forward to moving back to my usual adult genre. I have only read two Kingsolver books (one fiction and one non-fiction), yet I count her as a favourite author. Finally putting that theory to the test with two of her books that I found at a used bookstore. Will I read one or the other or both? I’m undecided.
5. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver — This is the other Kingsolver book. It has slightly higher ratings on Goodreads than Flight Behaviour. I actually found three books by this author but managed to choose two for the list.
6. No Relation by Terry Fallis — I’d like to laugh this summer more than anything. This book won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for humour in 2015, so the potential for laughter looks good. And I’ve enjoyed other books by this Canadian author in the past.
7. The Figgs by Ali Bryan — I’m really excited about this book because I was a reader of an early version a few years ago, and I’m eager to see how it morphed during the editing process. Plus Ali Bryan’s first book, Roost, was very funny. I fully expect this new book to bring guaranteed guffaws.
8. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls — I am writing a memoir this year, and I’ve heard so many people say that this one is amazing. I found a used copy and can’t wait to dive in.
9. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood — Confession: I haven’t read any books written by this famous Canadian author. This one doesn’t look very cheery, but it has good ratings. I’m going to give it a try.
10. The Heaviness of Things That Float by Jennifer Manuel — This is from an author/editor whom I’ve met at a couple of Federation of BC Writers events. This book won the Ethel Wilson Fiction prize (best literary fiction in BC) in 2017 and has higher average ratings on Goodreads than any other winner in recent years.
11. We are Water by Wally Lamb — I’ve read a few books by this author and enjoyed them all. I found a hardcover version at a used bookstore and couldn’t resist. It might be hard to fit it into the summer reading schedule, but it would be a nice one to move off my shelf!
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas — More YA if I have time. This sounds like a powerful book.
Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli — More YA if I have time or if I decide I need something lighter than what I’ve chosen above.
It’s fun to imagine having enough time to read all of these books this summer. In reality, I’ll be happy if I make it through four of them. It is a wish list after all!
How about you? What are you planning to read this summer? How many books do you think you’ll have time to complete? Have you read any of the books on my list? If I only have time for one Kingsolver novel, which one do you recommend?
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Sheila Cameron 