A Silly Grrl Summer Reading List
I’ve always bee a big reader and with my iPhone making it far too easy to fill my library and my job being a little more flexible, I’ve sped through three books already this summer…
The Night Circus : The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.
This one starts a little slow, but once I was a few chapters in I couldn’t put it down. The descriptions are beautiful and inspiring for me to add a little magic to my own circus shows.
The Paris Wife : A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wife captures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.
Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness—until she meets Ernest Hemingway and her life changes forever. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couple in a lively and volatile group—the fabled “Lost Generation”—that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.
I’m only a third of the way into this book, but I loved it from the very first page!
The Fault in Our Stars : Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.
It’s a sweet and heartbreaking story – made me laugh and made me cry.
Three that are on my list…
Divergent : In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
A Prayer for Owen Meany : In the summer of 1953, two eleven-year-old boys—best friends—are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy’s mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn’t believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God’s instrument. What happens to Owen after that 1953 foul ball is extraordinary.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
What are you reading this summer?
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06.25.12 in books
I just started reading The Paris Wife yesterday and I love it already. I checked it out at the library thanks to your list here! Thanks!
Also! My favorite book that I’ve ready lately is: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. I totally recommend it. It made me so happy.
I read Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children! It’s so good. There are rumors that he’ll be releasing a sequel at some point. I’m going to have to read The Paris Wife. I’ve seen it around but never bothered to see what it was about. I love your suggestions!
I keep getting too distracted &/or busy to read, even though I have a pile of books next to my chair that are begging me to read them! When does life slow down enough for me to do that, I wonder? ;P
I read The Paris Wife and Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children last year and loved them both. Let me know what you think of The Paris Wife when you finish! I’ve heard great things about Night Circus so I want to read that one soon. I’m currently on 11/22/63 by Stephen King.
I just finished Divergent this weekend and loved it! I’ve already moved on to Insurgent. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is on my list too. I’ve heard mixed reviews on that one but eager to read it nonetheless.
I’ve read Divergent this month, but I didn’t like it as much as others are praising it … The Night Circus (I haven’t read it) reminded me of one book I also read recently – Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz. It’s not happening in circus but it does have to do something about aerialists. ;)
I’m reading Hunger Games now.
I’ll add Life Expectancy to my list – thanks!
I need to make an actual list to motivate me to actually do some reading! I’m hoping to read The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst because I love his work, re-read the Harry Potters because I just can’t get enough of them and I’ve been meaning to purchase Jeanette Winterson’s new book for ages – her work baffles me but I always enjoy it! Great post :)
I haven’t heard of Hollinghurst or Winterson – will have to check them out
I just finished Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. So. Very. Good! Before that, I reread the His Dark Materials trilogy, which was my favorite when I was a teenager. It’s so different reading things you loved as a kid as an adult- so much more nuance.
Miss Peregrine and The Night Circus are on my list for the summer, along with Gone Girl, and a kajillion others…
I have never read anything by Neil Gaiman though I know he has a huge following – added to the list!
Currently reading Divergent and loving it! I’ve read Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children in the past and also enjoyed it :)
I loved The Fault in Our Stars and The Night Circus! Divergent and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children are also on my list for the summer.
This summer I’ve been working on a spiritual book called After Ecstasy: Doing Laundry, it’s about finding the joys in simple living :)
Cathy Trails
I read A Prayer for Owen Meany in high school and, to this day, it’s one of my favorite books! Enjoy!
I keep hearing about it recently – didn’t even realize it’s the story behind Simon Birch. Can’t wait to start it!
Divergent is awesome (Insurgent, the second in the series, is great too).
So many people compare it to the Hunger Games, which is fine, but it’s not the same at all. They are totally different, and Divergent is really, really good. It was one of those books that you just can’t stop reading.
If you like YA dystropian novels, have you read Matched by Ally Condie? It’s kind of similar to Lois Lowry’s The Giver, but it’s entertaining as well. More of an emphasis on a love story, but entertaining nonetheless. (The second in that series was released earlier this year.)
The Giver is my favorite book ever! I’ve read it so many times. I’ll definitely add Matched to my list. Something about dystopian is so interesting to me – maybe it’s the fact that it’s like a horror story that could actually happen.
Thanks Suze!
I just finished reading The Fault in Our Stars. My god those last few chapters were hard to read with tears streaming down my face.
I really enjoyed the characters’ perspective on death.