summer reading

Summertime is great for adding to your book list. With the longer days and the possibility of outdoor reading and reading on vacations, it's a chance to pick up a few books on your favorite topics and to explore new authors. For me, I always have two goals when it comes to my summer reading list: to read off the Booker Prize winners list and to try at least one new author.

My love affair with Booker Prize-winning novels started when I read The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. It is breathtakingly painful and beautiful; I have read it numerous times now and consider it a favorite. Whenever I'm feeling at a loss for what book to pick up next, I visit the winners list to see what else I could enjoy.
 
This year, my Booker winner for summer reading is Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. Wolf Hall is the 2009 winner and has been on my shelf since Christmas, waiting for uninterrupted time for me to tackle its 560 pages. Mixing fiction and fact, Mantel tells the story of 16th-century Europe as King Henry VIII challenges the church to divorce his queen and marry Ann Boleyn. But, in a twist, this novel tells the story from the perspective of one of Henry's closest advisers, Thomas Cromwell. I have read very little, if any, historical fiction set earlier than the 19th century so I am excited to see if this is a book I enjoy.

As for selecting a new author to try, this is something I always find both challenging and fun. This summer, the author I have in mind to explore is Aimee Bender. I came across this author while on Amazon reading about another book I loved: The Help. At the time, one of Bender's novels was displayed with The Help as an option to buy both and save. After doing a little research, I'm fascinated by her unlikely plots and have read she blends stories that are both funny and sad... and a little warped. I'm interested!

 

Have you read anything by Aimee Bender before? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this author and your recommendation on which of her books to start with!

And of course, another great way to find out about new authors is to ask your friends. If you can count Oprah, she's published her 2010 Summer Reading List with some interesting recommendations. Great for ideas, but I still love an honest recommendation from an honest friend.

So please do share! Who is your favorite author? Or what is your favorite book? I can't wait to grow my list of must-reads!