Summer Reading

One of my favorite parts of summer is finding the time to sit down with a good book. This year my 'to read' list is pretty ambitious due the fact that I'm not really taking any true vacations. I plan to post updates on my progress throughout the summer and do some small reviews in case anyone is interested. But first, an overview of my selections:

Animal Farm, by George Orwell: I got this at a library book sale in my old town in Michigan for about $1 last year. I haven't read a lot of George Orwell and know I should. It was a toss up between this and Fahrenheit 451, which I bought at the same sale. I've heard less about this book through the years, so felt like I should give it a go.

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith: I've always been a fan of series and have heard good things from a few different people about this one. Plus it's kind of a mystery, and I wanted to diversify my genre selections this summer.

Trading Up, by Candace Bushnell: I started reading this book on a flight I took last year and never finished. I'm probably about 1/3 of the way through, so I figured I might as well put it to bed.

Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett: I've probably started reading this book 4 times already. I think the first time I tried to read it was in 2005. It's never been that I haven't enjoyed it, I just seem to get distracted with other things the minute I'm 100 pages in. I figure I either need to finish reading it now or never.

Freedom: The Story of My Second Life, by Malika Oufkir: This is a follow up to the book Stolen Lives: Twenty Years In A Desert Jail (if you haven't read this book yet, add it to your to-read list), which I read in 2002 and was just fascinated with. Malika Oufkir lived an extraordinary early life and I'm excited to see how her life continued after the last book ended.

The Reader, by Bernhard Schlink: I really want to see this movie, but am waiting until after I've finished the book so that I have something to compare it to.

Empire Falls, by Richard Russo: Dan picked this book up recently, and seeing it in my family room the other day reminded me that I had wanted to read it at one time. So, on the list it went!

Chasing Harry Winston, by Lauren Weisberger: Chick lit at it's finest. I just finished this book on Thursday, review to come in the next few weeks :)

Dead Until Dark, by Charlaine Harris: Another one I've finished already. This is the first book in the True Blood series. I picked it up because I heard such good things about the HBO show and enjoyed reading the Twilight books earlier this year. Review to come.

The Fiery Cross, by Diana Gabaldon: The 5th book in the Outlander series, which I've been reading since 2000. It's actually my Mom's and she'd like it back, so I am going to try to finish it by the beginning of August when I'll be going home to see her.

When You Are Engulfed In Flames, by David Sedaris: This is a collection of short stories that Dan and I have actually be reading to each other over the past few months. It's the first time we've both read Sedaris and he seems to be an author that we both like.

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini: This is my current read. I've heard wonderful things about this book and actually received the sequel already as a gift, so I'm excited to read this one.

One book is missing from the stack above because I've already read it and lent it out. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski. This was my first book of the summer and will probably be my first review on the site. So stay tuned...

What's on your reading list this summer? Does your reading list look as lengthy as this or am I just overly ambitious?