So, I had lofty ambitions when I first made out my Summer Reading List. I charged myself with finishing a whopping nine books over the course of three months. Now, if I could have eaten, slept, and dreamed books, this might have been possible, but such is not my life. Also, my interests changed. I found myself stumbling across other books that I really wanted to read, and ended up feeling resentful of my book list. At first I thought about just omitting a title or two, but then I found myself wanting to add new titles and before I knew it, a complete overhaul had happened.
Rather than going in and just editing the original list, I thought I would explain the changes I've made here.
From the original book list I have read (and reviewed):
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
I have also read:
Cinder: Lunar Chronicles Book One by Marissa Meyer (and am just about done with Scarlet: Lunar Chronicles Book Two)
These are the books I will not be reading this summer (but plan to revisit at a later date) along with a brief explanation of why they are being removed from the list:
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz I deeply admire Junot Diaz and would like to take my time really absorbing this book. GIven the time constraints I am under to finish my Summer Reading List, I just don't think I could do it justice at this time.
Silver Shadows (Bloodlines Book 5) by Richelle Mead Enter my YA obsession. I read all of Mead's Vampire Academy books, and was delighted when the spin-off series Bloodlines was created. However, when going back through my reading list, this one didn't feel as pressing as the others, and I also thought it would be a bit odd to write a review 5 books into the series.
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie I removed this book for the same reason I removed the book by Junot Diaz, just not enough time to really enjoy it. I also decided I would like to read Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah before reading this one.
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell I felt this would be a great book to help me take on the fall. I'm going to be taking on a lot of new projects in the coming months, and felt this book could help provide motivation. So, I suppose it's more like I bumped it to fall than removed it from summer.
And this is the book I have added to the list, along with why:
The Scribe: Irin Chronicles Book One by Elizabeth Hunter If you've been reading my blog, you've seen that I recently finished my first novella, and as such have begun thinking about how to go about publishing said novella. A friend showed me this amazing article about self-publishing, by Elizabeth Hunter, and I was immediately intrigued. I am incredibly grateful to Elizabeth Hunter for writing that piece, and after exploring her site further, thought this book would be a great place to begin reading her work.
Soooo, just to recap the new Summer Reading List is as follows:
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Cinder: Lunar Chronicles Book One by Marissa Meyer
Unexpected Stories by Octavia Butler
The Scribe: Irin Chronicles Book One by Elizabeth Hunter
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
Sooo, the first day of Fall is Monday, September 22nd. That means I have 38 days (just a touch over 5 weeks) to finish those last 3 books. Should be plenty of time, right? Wish me luck!
And stay tuned for my Fall Reading List! Coming soon!