Thursday, June 28, 2018

My Summer Reading List - Done

UPDATE - At the start of summer I chose (10) books I planned to read and from that original list, I ended up reading 7 of them (highlighted below). I did have a great summer and read 29 books from June 1- today - 8/30/2018)

Did you make a summer list? If so, how did you do?


I've been meaning to post my summer reading list since Memorial Day but the month of June sort of got away from me.  I have been busy reading and listening to a variety of audio books as well.  Here are (10) books that caught my eye this summer. (a few of them have been on my list for a few years).

2018-summer-reading-picks

84, Charing Cross Road
Made for Love
Baby Teeth
The Outsider
The Other Mother
Clock Dance
The Dry
Moonglow
Something in the Water
The House Swap

goodreads.com

  1. Baby Teeth; Zoje Stage -  4/5 - no review yet We Need to Talk About Kevin meets Gone Girl meets The Omen...a twisty, delirious read that will constantly question your sympathies for the two characters as their bond continues to crumble.”―Entertainment Weekly
  2. 84, Charing Cross Road; Helene Haniff -  - 5/5 - loved it "84, Charing Cross Road will beguile and put you in tune with mankind... It will provide an emollient for the spirit and sheath for the exposed nerve." -- The New York Times
  3. Clock Dance; Anne Tyler -  4/5 - no review yet "A bittersweet, hope-filled look at two quirky families that have broken apart and are trying to find their way back to one another . . . The cast of sharply drawn characters dominates in ways both reflective and raucous across a series of emotional events.”
    Publishers Weekly
  4. The Dry; Jane HarperA small town hides big secrets in The Dry, an atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper.
  5. The Outsider; Stephen King - 4/5An unspeakable crime. A confounding investigation. At a time when the King brand has never been stronger, he has delivered one of his most unsettling and compulsively readable stories. (completed 4/5)
  6. The Other Mother; Carol Goodman - 3.5/5“An atmospheric and harrowing tale, richly literary in complexity but ripe with all the crazed undertones, confusions, and forebodings inherent in the gothic genre. Recommend this riveting, du Maurier–like novel to fans of Jennifer McMahon.” — Booklist (starred review)
  7. Made for Love; Alissa Nutting - From the exciting and provocative writer of Tampa, a poignant, riotously funny story of how far some will go for love—and how far some will go to escape it. 
  8. The House Swap; Rebecca Fleet - 3.5/5 - " She may not know exactly who is in her house. But she knows why they are there.  A house swap becomes the eerie backdrop to a chilling look inside a broken marriage filled with tantalizing secrets."
  9. Something in the Water; Catherine Steadman - “With unreliable characters, wry voices, exquisite pacing, and a twisting plot, Steadman potently draws upon her acting chops. . . . A darkly glittering gem of a thriller from a new writer to watch.”Kirk's Reviews (starred review)
  10. Moonglow; Michael Chabon -  read 200+ pages but DNF “A wondrous book that celebrates the power of family bonds and the slipperiness of memory….A thoroughly enchanting story about the circuitous path that a life follows, about the accidents that redirect it, and about the secrets that can be felt but never seen, like the dark matter at the center of every family’s cosmos.” (Ron Charles, The Washington Post)
Do any of these appeal to you?  Have you posted a list of your own?

28 comments:

  1. What a great list! I've had 84, Charing Cross Road on my tbr lis for years.

    I want to read The Other Mother, Clock Dance, and The House Swap.

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    1. 40, Charing Cross Road consistently seems to get rave reviews.

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  2. I've read 1, 2, and 3 and enjoyed all of them, but I did have a few issues with Baby Teeth.

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    1. I'm super curious about Baby Teeth but, waiting for my turn at the library.

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  3. I'm definitely getting Stephen King's The Outsider. And I remember watching 84 Charing Cross Road on PBS ages and ages ago.

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    1. I hope you love The Outsider. I loved the first half more. I'd like to read 84 Charing before seeing the film version.

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  4. I can't tell you how many times I've read 84, Charing Cross Road, but it's definitely a favorite! You can squeeze it in in an afternoon or evening.

    The Dry is a great mystery and I've also read Force of Nature (#2 in the series), and can recommend it, as well.

    Happy Reading, Diane!

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    1. Great feedback, I hadn't realized there was a book 2 already in the series.

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  5. Oh msn - I just finished Baby Teeth. Left me kind of speechless. And, I'm looking forward to Clock Dance as well!

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    1. Sarah, now I really want to get my hands on Baby Teeth! Love when a book leaves me feeling like that!

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  6. Clock Dance is on my radar but not sure when I'll get around to reading it.

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    1. Mary, I love Anne Tyler - so hopefully that will be a summer one I get to.

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  7. 84, Charing Cross Road is a favorite and Clock Dance is on my list, too. I'm finally reading A Spool of Blue Thread now... better late than never, I guess.

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  8. All your choices appeal to me. We have the same taste.

    I've read one of these books, THE OTHER MOTHER. I gave it only two stars.

    Part I of THE OTHER MOTHER is Daphne, who has a 6-month-old baby named Chloe, talking about her new friend, Laurel, who also has a baby named ChloÑ‘. (Note the special character on the “Ñ‘” in Laurel’s baby’s name.) It is some year in the 2000s. Interspersed with these first-person accounts are pages of Daphne’s journal from the 1970s. Every character (Daphne’s husband, Laurel, her husband, even Daphne, herself) may not be who they seem to be.

    It’s kind of corny.

    Then comes Part II. Now Daphne’s accounts are interspersed with pages from Laurel’s journal. This part gets interesting. Who is Daphne, really?

    Finally comes Part III and back to the corn. Interspersed throughout this part are pages from the journal of Edith, a mental patient at a psychiatric hospital who supposedly ditched her newborn baby, left him for dead. And the closer we get to the end, the more unlikely Part III is.

    The end is too wonderful.

    I have so many books I mean to read, I have my husband pick for me which I read next. It's always a surprise.

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    1. Yikes, a little too much info on The Other Mother which I just started:( SO far I like it.

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  9. Great list! I have read and loved both 84 Charing Cross Road and Moonglow. I also have Clock Dance on my summer list. Happy reading!

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    1. Glad to read you liked Moonglow (a summer book group read) and 84, Charing. Have a great summer Judy.

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  10. Goodness me! I haven't heard of any of these...where have I been living the past month or so? "The Other Mother" sounds right up my alley. In fact, I'm reading a Du Maurier book right now, which is funny. Hope you have lots of time over the 4th to read. :)

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    1. LOL - that's how I feel lately when I read some other blog posts :) Have a Happy Fourth!

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  11. Hi Diane,
    I've always meant to read 84 Charing Cross Road, all because Ken and I loved the movie. We saw it years and years ago, but we've never forgotten the story and especially the performances--(Katherine Ross and Anthony Hopkins, who were both exceptional. I'm imagining you must have seen the film as well?
    I've read several books by Carol Goodman and liked both of them. I read Lake of the Dead Languages and The Widow's House--both dripping with gothic undertones and overtones, which I really like. I just looked back over Goodman's oeuvre and see that I must read The Seduction of Water, which was published in 2013. Seems very gothicky. Right up my alley. So, of course I'll be very interested to read your thoughts on your summer Goodman title.
    And how I wish I could read horror. I have tried and tried and just can't manage it. I'd like to because horror readers seem to have a lot of fun. I do wish you lots of enjoyment with the ones on your list.

    And, as for the weather, I hope you get a chance to submerge yourself in seawater up to your neck!

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    1. Judith, your comment made me LOL. Staying cool with central air right now LOL

      I haven't seen 84, Charing Cross (the movie). but guess what, I just downloaded it so looking forward to it.

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  12. 84 Charing Cross Road is one of my all time favorite books. It's such a simple story but at the same time it isn't. I hope you enjoy it. The Dry is one I'd like to read this summer. I've heard great things!

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  13. I can't wait to read 84, Charing Cross Road. Enjoy your 4th Katherine.

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  14. Fun list. I requested Something in the Water when Reese Witherspoon announced it as her next club pick! It sounds really good.

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  15. I had Clock Dance in my hands at Costco today then put it back. Good thing; when I got to the check out and rang up my purchases plus the cost of re-upping my membership, I almost passed out at the cost as it was! One day I'm not putting it back!

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