Sunday Salon 6/6: What I *might* read on my summer vacation

Guess who still hasn’t figured out what books are coming on vacation with her? Good thing we’re not leaving till next Monday!

The only thing I know for certain is that the Kindle is coming, and I have plenty of (e-)books waiting for me there (all fiction, except for one) (no links, because I don’t log e-books into LibraryThing until after I’ve read them):

Committed, by Elizabeth Gilbert (the only non-fiction title, and the one I’m least likely to read at this time)
The Day the Falls Stood Still, by Cathy Marie Buchanan
Every Last One, by Anna Quindlen
Juliet, Naked, by Nick Hornby
The Lake Shore Limited, by Sue Miller
Noah’s Compass, by Anne Tyler
Roses, by Laila Meacham
Sag Harbor, by Colson Whitehead
The Song is You, by Arthur Phillips
This is Where I Leave You, by Jonathan Tropper
The Unnamed, by Joshua Ferris

There’s honestly no need to bring anything else, but I can’t help wanting to have a few “real” books with me too.  Since the Kindle is so fiction-heavy right now, I’m leaning toward memoirs and essay collections – smallish and easily portable ones. I’ve picked a few out of my TBR/challenge stacks that might work:

Notes from the Underwire, by Quinn Cummings
Bitter is the New Black, by Jen Lancaster
The Polysyllabic Spree, by Nick Hornby
Manhood for Amateurs, by Michael Chabon
(Two of these count for the Memorable Memoirs Challenge, and three are part of the Blogging Authors Reading Project.)

If you want to weigh in and try to steer me toward reading any one of these over another (regardless of format),  speak up in the comments!


BOOKKEEPING: The Reading Status Report

Reviews posted this week:
The Heart is Not a Size, by Beth Kephart

Next reviews/reading in progress:
The Irresistible Henry House: A Novel, by Lisa Grunwald (to be posted 6/9/10)
The Local News, by Miriam Gershow (trying to finish in time to review before vacation, so I can actually get a new post of my own up in between all my guest bloggers!)

New to the TBR:
(for me)
Dismantled, by Jennifer McMahon
Commencement, by J. Courtney Sullivan (moved from the Wishlist)

Added to the Wishlist:
Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs: Family, Friendships, and Faith in Small-town Alaska, by Heather Lende
Day for Night, by Frederick Reiken


BOOKMARKS: Reading-related Reading

The Boston Bibliophile conducts a New York City bookstore tour (and two weeks away from my own visit to NYC, I am highly appreciative!). Also reported from New York: lessons learned at this year’s BEA (to be applied at the next one!)

Compare and Contrast: city book festivals and BEA

Shelf Awareness summarizes the Book Blogger Con

Do you sometimes find that your reading tastes have changed (and what happens to your TBR collection when they do)?

Among some book bloggers, it seems that an “honest review” has come to mean “if I didn’t like the book, I’ll say so” – but why should a critical or negative review be perceived as more “honest” than a favorable one? Regardless of opinion, what goes into an honest review?

Vroman’s Bookstore introduces The New Yorker‘s “20 Under 40” authors (and reminds me that I’m officially several years too old to be considered a “young” author). From the other end of the age spectrum: 10 authors over 80 (via Heather J.)

What’s on your summer reading list? And are any of those books trade-paperback originals?


I hope you have a great reading week!

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