i’ve been promising you all a summer reading list for much too long.  the truth is that, since it’s just me, a girl can only read so many books over a summer and still get her shopping done!  but i do look forward to these long summer days…or, more to the point, long summer evenings in which i can sit on my front porch and read until 9, since there’s nothing but ‘mad men’ in the tivo the weather’s so lovely.

and so, a few books i’ve read and (mostly) loved so far this summer:

i wasn’t sure about the chelsea handler book, because my taste in humor books can be odd (see sloane crosley, below) but it ended up being hysterical, if only because i think she and i may have grown up in the same house.  if you ever coveted a cabbage patch doll, there’s a story in there for you that makes the whole book worthwhile.  it’s also a crazy fast read…i think it took me about three outings to peets to finish this one.  perfect for planes, trains and automobiles alike.

anne lamott could write out her grocery list and publish it, and i’d buy it.  her writing style is perpetually full of hope, wisdom, truth and humor, no matter how dire a circumstance.  i always come away from her books feeling a little bit better about life, and maybe even a little bit smarter.  this particular title is about a family dealing with a teenage daughter’s “recreational” bad habits – not a topic i’d expect to be excited by, but i loved it, and was sorry to see it end.  if you’re into smart fiction, this is the writer for you.

sloane crosley…oh, i want so badly to like her.  she reminds me a lot of david sedaris (who i also wish i liked).  her travel tales are great, but they’re not as uproariously funny as i’d expect from a book with a bear on the cover.  but i have a feeling if you like david sedaris, you’ll fall head over heels for sloane crosley.  in which case, you’ll also want to pick up her first book, i was told there’d be cake.

and in case you’re curious about what’s left on my list for the summer, a few titles i can’t wait to start:

barbara kingsolver’s new book, “the lacuna”, which just came out in paperback. i haven’t heard much about this title, but i have yet to read a kingsolver book i didn’t love.  i’m also looking forward to reading “the cookbook collector” by allegra goodman – it’s gotten such amazing press, i can’t wait to see if it’s as good as it sounds.  and, because i’ll need something easy and light after those two reads, i’m planning to sneak in emily giffin’s newest, “the heart of the matter” between the other two titles.

what are you reading this summer?