summer bookworm

there's nothin' like a good book, and this summer, i tossed aside my magazines, and read, read, read. seriously - check out the pile of magazines i'm neglecting. whoa, looks like some are more neglected than others!

i'm sorry to say, some of the books i read weren't my favorites, but i'll tell ya about those later. if you're a bookworm like me, here are a few i read and loved.

THE HEART MENDER by andy andrews
it's non-fiction, a genre i'm not usually a fan of, but i was happily surprised. that maybe might be because of the love story wrapped up in all the historical info! 'a story of second chances', it was just what i needed to read when i read it. it's a very heartfelt story, with world war ii history that will most likely shock you (it did me!)

THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN by garth stein
told from the dog's perspective, this book may have you tearing up from the get go. it's set in seattle, so it was fun to read about local places. it's a tragic story sure to stir up tons of emotion (remember, crying from the get go). have to say, i coulda done without much of the formula 51 info. if you embarrass about crying in public, you'll wanna save this one for the bedside table!

HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET by jamie ford
set in seattle in the 1940s, it was interesting to read what seattle might've been like back then. another history lesson for me - the story weaves back and forth from past to present to tell the story of love and loss felt during the world war ii japanese internment camps. you might want to keep tissues handy for this one too.

you didn't think i was gonna keep it all heavy, did you? after those heart wrenchers, i had to have some light reading to balance it all out.

DEXTER SERIES by jeff lindsay
if you aren't addicted to dexter yet, get thee to netflix. now, it's not for the faint of heart, but you'll be surprised at just how loveable darkly dreaming dexter is. the series only pulled story lines from the first book, but the books do not disappoint. i'm (im)patiently waiting to finish reading the series. be prepared for graphic blood and gore, but also laugh-out-loud moments. and, go - get the first 5 seasons; season 6 starts soon!

SOOKIE STACKHOUSE SERIES by charlaine harris
ok, i'll admit, i was NOT going to read these. and, cheat on my beloved twilight? oh.no. but, then my best gal, carrie, read them and we started the first season of true blood, so i caved. no restraint - i do love a good (or bad) vampire story. and, HELLO! let's just say these are twilight's naughty older sister. (wink, wink) quick reads (i hope so, there are 11!) full of vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, fairies, the like.

EVERNIGHT SERIES by claudia gray
another vampire series? why yes, yes it is. ok, let me be honest here. i really liked the first two books in this series, but was sorely disappointed in the third and fourth (afterlife) books. it's a cutesy romance between vampire and human, with twists and turns galore, but i really wish the author had gone a different direction. if you read them, let's discuss!

ok, now for the not-so-favorites (i guess we could technically say that last one there could half be on this list!).

LITTLE BEE by Chris Cleave
this is the story of an african girl, little bee, and an english woman, and how they came to meet on an african beach. i loved this book until i got to about the middle. when i thought the author was going left, he went right, and then later, when i thought he'd go right, he went left. if you don't need your stories wrapped up in pretty little bows, you may like this book. personally, i relish happy endings. (supposedly being made into a nicole kidman movie, so we'll see.)

EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE by jonathan safran foer
i'm straddling the fence a little on this one. i REALLY wanted to like this book, and parts of it are very good, but in the end, i was left wanting more. this is a heart wrencher, for sure, but i didn't tear up much (way weird for me). the story of a boy whose family is touched by both the sadness of nazi germany and september 11th, it was grueling to see what losing a parent in the towers might've looked like. i wanted to read it since the 10 year anniversary was coming up. you may like it - i certainly wanted to. (also, being made into a movie - starring sandra bullock and tom hanks).

did y'all read this summer too? if so, what'd you read - i do love a good book (if you couldn't already tell)? baby sister put together her list a few weeks ago (there may be some overlapping going on!) check out my last reading list in case you haven't read these yet.

post edit: apparently middle sissy wasn't too happy i left her recommendations off the link list. sorry, sister! send some of your readers my way!