August 08, 2010

Summer Reading List

I love to read, in all actuality I devour books.  It's an obsession that came later on for me.  My sister has always loved to read.  In fact, I remember my mom saving her many times when she was so engrossed in reading a Nancy Drew book that she almost stepped in front of a moving vehicle.
In middle school I loved The Baby-Sitters Club Series and anything by RL Stine; in high school it was The Awakening and Selected Stories of Kate Chopin; in college it was, frankly, People and other tabloid magazines, just because of the wealth of reading that had to be done for class, specifically The Metamorphosis, which I hated and which was assigned in no less than three of my college classes.  Ahem.

Today, it's a mix between books that will help me and books that entertain me.  Some of my favorites from this summer include:
Quirky, Yes---Hopeless, No: Practical Tips to Help Your Child with Asperger's Syndrome Be More Socially Accepted
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- Long Lost
- Belong to Me: A Novel
- Parenting a Child Who Has Intense Emotions: Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills to Help Your Child Regulate Emotional Outbursts

It's funny, as I read over my likes and dislikes through the years, I think it speaks volumes to where I am - or have been.  Have you ever read Chopin?  Dark, depressing stuff, which pretty much sums up my mental state in high school.  The book about parenting a child with intense emotions?  I think that pretty much speaks for itself.

The biggest surprise on my list is Belong to Me, which all-in-all wasn't an amazing book.  The writing was a bit choppy and the plot was stagnant, but the underlying message was something I hadn't put a lot of thought into before... allowing yourself/your children/your spouse to belong to someone else.  Allowing someone else to love you/them that much.  It was quite thought provoking, especially when a lot of people see today's world with the "love lines" drawn strictly to family.

What's on your list this summer?  I'm dying to analyze where you are in life from your book choices.  Wait!  I would never...

5 comments:

Paul and DeeDee said...

I'd like to hear what you think about the book about intense emotions. I really feel like Jackson could benefit from that!

Love, Me said...

I've been reading books about marriage, being a step-mom, and re-reading the Twilight series. What does that say about ME? Analyze me, Brit!!

JJB said...

Split Estate, which was one of a couple of novels I grabbed at a dollar store for a long car ride. It was actually good, definitely worth the dollar.

I haven't read anything else lately. Twilight Saga, and I read The Five People You Meet In Heaven about once or twice a year...

Chasing Pure Simplicity said...

Dee Dee - It's a little on the boring side, i.e. it reads like a text book, but it has some really good ideas - I'd recommend.

Uyen - I think it says that you are up to some super duper exciting things in your life that I can't WAIT to witness!

JodyB - I grabbed my Belong to Me novel out of the dollar bin too! It's amazing what you'll find in there!

~Shelia said...

Quirky, Yes---Hopeless, No: Practical Tips to Help Your Child with Asperger's Syndrome Be More Socially Accepted is one of the recent additions to our bookshelf. Very good.

I find myself really enjoying lots of historical fiction these days. When I get a chance TO read. "House Rules" by Jodi Piccoult is next on my list.