Summer is for reading!

When I was growing up I TORE through the Babysitters’ Club books …. there were well-over 100 at the time.

Now, of course, I have far less time but I still love piling up a stack of what-I-want-to-read-next books ….

As of now (end of May), here is my tentative Summer 2012 reading list:

In no particular order:

(affiliate links and book descriptions from Amazon)

Herzog by Saul Bellow

I read this novel in an American Lit class as an undergrad and all I remember about the book is that I loved it. It was about 8 years ago or so, so I figured it’s about time I re-read it!

In one of his finest achievements, Nobel Prize winner Saul Bellow presents a multifaceted portrait of a modern-day hero, a man struggling with the complexity of existence and longing for redemption.

Aspects of the Novel by E.M. Forster

E.M. Forster is one of my FAVORITE authors, and throughout my college years many (many) of my Literature professors cite this book about the novel by Forster. Yes, I love academia and yes, this book sounds right up my alley.

E. M. Forster’s renowned guide to writing sparkles with wit and insight for contemporary writers and readers. With lively language and excerpts from well-known classics, Forster takes on the seven elements vital to a novel: story, people, plot, fantasy, prophecy, pattern, and rhythm. He not only defines and explains such terms as “round” versus “flat” characters (and why both are needed for an effective novel), but also provides examples of writing from such literary greats as Dickens and Austen. Forster’s original commentary illuminates and entertains without lapsing into complicated, scholarly rhetoric, coming together in a key volume on writing that avoids chronology and what he calls “pseudoscholarship.”

The Tin Can Tree by Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler – another fiction author I was introduced to in an American Lit class as an undergrad – is one of my favorites. So much so that I intend to buy and read every single one of her books. This is just one of many.

Morgan’s Passing by Anne Tyler

Again. Anne Tyler. I love her. If I wrote novels they would have this kind of flavor.

Morgan Gower works at Cullen’s hardware store in north Baltimore. He has seven daughters and a warmhearted wife, but as he journeys into the gray area of middle age, he finds his household growing tedious. Then Morgan meets two lovely young newlyweds under some rather extreme circumstances–and all three discover that no one’s heart is safe….

The General and Mrs. Washington by Bruce Chadwick

I’m still working through my American History self-paced class, but haven’t yet read anything about Martha Washington. Every other week or so I tend to crave American history.

Here is the story of the fateful marriage of the richest woman in Virginia and the man who could have been king. In telling their story, Chadwick explains not only their remarkable devotion to each other, but why the wealthiest couple in Virginia became revolutionaries who risked the loss of their vast estates and their very lives.

The FireStarter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte

I adore her. I think Danielle LaPorte is incredibly inspiring and I’m excited to learn more from her.

The Fire Starter Sessions is an apathy-kicking, integrity-infusing guide to defining success on your own terms.

As the creator of DanielleLaPorte.com–deemed “the best place online for kick-ass spirituality,” Danielle LaPorte’s straight-talk life-and-livelihood sermons have been read by over one million people. Bold but empathetic, she reframes popular self-help and success concepts:

: Life balance is a myth, and the pursuit of it is causing us more stress then the craving for balance itself.
: Being well-rounded is over-rated. When you focus on developing your true strengths, you enter your mastery zone.
: Screw your principles (they might be holding you back).
: We have ambition backwards. Getting clear on how you want to feel in your life + work is more important than setting goals. It’s the most potent form of clarity that you can have, and it’s what leads to true fulfillment.

I am Murdered by Bruce Chadwick

Another American History book. More fringe-topic than your standard presidential biography.

George Wythe clung to the mahogany banister as he inched down the staircase of his comfortable Richmond, Virginia, home. Doubled over in agony, he stumbled to the kitchen in search of help. There he found his maid, Lydia Broadnax, and his young protegé, Michael Brown, who were also writhing in distress. Hours later, when help arrived, Wythe was quick to tell anyone who would listen, “I am murdered.” Over the next two weeks, as Wythe suffered a long and painful death, insults would be added to his mortal injury.

I Am Murdered tells the bizarre true story of Wythe’s death and the subsequent trial of his grandnephew and namesake, George Wythe Sweeney, for the crime—unquestionably the most sensational and talked-about court case of the era. Hinging on hit-and-miss forensics, the unreliability of medical autopsies, the prevalence of poisoning, race relations, slavery, and the law, Sweeney’s trial serves as a window into early nineteenth- century America. Its particular focus is on Richmond, part elegant state capital and part chaotic boomtown riddled with vice, opportunism, and crime.

As Wythe lay dying, his doctors insisted that he had not been poisoned, and Sweeney had the nerve to beg him for bail money. In I Am Murdered, this signer of the Declaration of Independence, mentor to Thomas Jefferson, and “Father of American Jurisprudence” finally gets the justice he deserved.

Henry Clay by David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler

Henry Clay is one of those peripheral American History characters that you know by name but have only a vague idea why. I learned a *tiny* bit about him when reading about John Quincy Adams, so this is a great next step.

He was the Great Compromiser, a canny and colorful legislator whose life mirrors the story of America from its founding until the eve of the Civil War. Speaker of the House, senator, secretary of state, five-time presidential candidate, and idol to the young Abraham Lincoln, Henry Clay is captured in full at last in this rich and sweeping biography.

David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler present Clay in his early years as a precocious, witty, and optimistic Virginia farm boy who at the age of twenty transformed himself into an attorney. The authors reveal Clay’s tumultuous career in Washington, including his participation in the deadlocked election of 1824 that haunted him for the rest of his career, and shine new light on Clay’s marriage to plain, wealthy Lucretia Hart, a union that lasted fifty-three years and produced eleven children.

Featuring an inimitable supporting cast including Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Abraham Lincoln, Henry Clay is beautifully written and replete with fresh anecdotes and insights. Horse trader and risk taker, arm twister and joke teller, Henry Clay was the consummate politician who gave ground, made deals, and changed the lives of millions.

Also on my list if I can get the time: The Great Gatsby, Sunset Magazine, maybe some Steinbeck and Vanity Fair (magazine)

A couple other summer reading lists from around the web:

• Danielle from Sometimes Sweet – Summer reading list (part 1)
• Becka from Life as an Artistpreneur – Summer reading
• Alexandra from Unicorns for Socialism – My {Official} Summer Reading List :: Smut, Starlight & Sequels Galore

Do you have big reading plans for this summer?