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Friday, June 25, 2010

Summer Reading

Lots of people are out there talking about what books are great to read with your kids this summer. But what about the mommies and the daddies?! Although we don't have nearly the same amount of time as the kidlets, we still like to read whenever we get a chance. So here's my list of Top Ten Summer Reads that *I* would recommend to you, Oprah style (har, har), that I think meet the criteria of offering "good, clean fun." Furthermore, I'm going to stretch myself NOT to put The Mysterious Benedict Society on the list, nor will I stoop to mentioning Strictest School in the World series. I think they go without saying. (So instead of linking to my reviews, I'll unashamedly link those titles up to Amazon so that anyone who needs to can rectify their reading situation to include having read those books.) Now. On with my Top Ten List:

#1 - Miss Fortune (on sale at Amazon right now for $4.60!)

Miss Fortune is Book 1 in the Allie Fortune (Christian) mystery series which is set during World War II. I would say that these books are less Christian and more just clean, if that makes sense. It's just simple fun, but a storyline that draws the reader in. I reviewed Miss Fortune and the sequel over at 5 Minutes for Books last year.




#2 - Miss Match (the sequel to Miss Fortune and on sale at Amazon for $5.60) You really can't beat two fun reads for about $10!

#3 - The Sacred Cipher: A Novel I keep harping on this one but I'll continue doing so until the cows come home. This one is an adventure/suspense novel, not unlike the National Treasure movies. I wrote a review of The Sacred Cipher over at 5 Minutes for Books and now it's sitting on Jonathan's TBR stack awaiting his attention. Whenever he finds the time (Insert: raucous laughter) to read it, he'll post his thoughts. (There. Now I've put that in print. haha! But I still have to read a book that he told me he wanted me to read so we're kinda even.)

#4 - Summer at Tiffany


Again, this is another book I reviewed at 5 Minutes for Books (what are all my good summer reads doing over there anyway, huh, Jennifer?!?!) ;) LOVED this memoir which even has the word "summer" in the title, which should alone convince you that it's a fun summer read. (No? Well. Trust in Me.)



Cccertainly take my word for it!

#5 - Cordelia Underwood: Or the Marvelous Beginnings of the Moosepath League - Good luck finding this title, but if you can - GRAB IT! My friend Sky originally recommended it to me and it's been years since I've read it and really ought to pick it back up again. I've been hunting around for the sequels for almost two years now without success. Van Reid is an elusive author but one worth spending time with! It's a humorous story and one that is sure to please (although the characters can get a little confusing if you aren't paying close attention.) Worth the time though!



#6 - Hood - Fun twist on Robin Hood. I read and reviewed Hood in March last year and am shocked at how long it has taken for me to pick up the sequel. It's still sitting here, awaiting my attention. That's on MY summer "reading wish list."

#7 - The Magician's Nephew - Ok. C.S. Lewis was going to land on this list! If you haven't read any books in the Chronicles of Narnia, then this is a good place to start. Furthermore, I'll be hosting the Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge during the month of July (you can learn more about that HERE) to give you time to travel to Narnia during the summer. I hope you'll consider joining in!

Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge

#8 - Anything at all by P.G. Wodehouse. Jonathan's favorite is Leave It to Psmith. (He really likes Psmith.) Carrie's favorite is Ukridge. (I really like Ukridge.) Either which way - prepare to laugh and have a good time!

#9 - Coop. Because if you haven't - you really should. (It was just released in paperback!) You can read my review of Coop if you need further convincing beyond this one short paragraph.



#10 - Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast, by Robin McKinley. Apparently Lisa just read it and agrees with me that it is fun and fantastic!

Those would be my top recommendations. What would be yours?! Anything you'd like to share or add on to this list? Please be my guest and let us know what that one (or those many) titles would be!

Happy Summer Reading everyone!

15 comments:

mary bailey said...

Wait a minute, Carrie, if you're doing this list Oprah-style, doesn't that mean you have to give a free copy of each book to everyone in your audience? :-)

Your list looks interesting. I'm going to look for "Summer at Tiffany" at my library. Already have "The Sacred Cipher" on my summer list.

Hannah Stoneham said...

What an excellent list... and the Magician's Nephew is my favourite Narnia book!

Carrie said...

Mary Bailey- HAHAHAHA! =D YOU'RE RIGHT!

But. You CAN look forward to September, my birthday month, when I will be doing something kinda like that, and sharing my favorite books.

S. Mehrens said...

I'm adding a few of these to my Summer Reading List. Thanks for the reminders! :)

Stephanie's Mommy Brain said...

These all look fun! I just finished The Mysterious Benedict Society which I picked up at a used book sale for $1!! It was as good as you said it would be!!

For the rest of the summer I'll be reading "A Life that Says Welcome" by Karen Ehman, a book by Lysa TerKeurst, and our homeschool books for this fall so I can get my lesson plans done BEFORE fall arrives. I know it's not much compared to your list but it'll keep me busy. :)

Carrie said...

I'm happy dancing over your finding MBS for $1 SMB. I'm super glad you liked it!

Barbara H. said...

I've read one of Wodehouse's Jeeves books. I'll have to check out Psmith.

Right now I am reading Emma by Jane Austen and have Take Four by Karen Kingsbury on the queue next as well as one by Liz Curitis Higgs and one by Francine Rivers.

ibeeeg said...

Hood is a great book!!!

I am going to try and finish reading the Narnia books, or at least one more during your Narnia Challenge month. Yay!

Coop has been on my list since I saw your review. It sure does look like a good read, but I did forget about it. Thanks for the reminder.

oooo....September is your birth month...great month! Look forward to seeing your favorites.

wiggins said...

There are several here that I haven't read so I'll add to my summer list (I'll need a long summer to get through my list!)

I found Benedict Society for fifty cents yesterday and snatched it up at your recommendation!

For the Narnia challenge, I just started reading The Lion, Witch & the Wardrobe to my 5 1/2 year old this morning. I got just the reaction I was hoping for. "Mom, we can't stop here!"

Thanks for the recommendations!

Angie

Amy @ Hope Is the Word said...

Okay, I'm making it my mission to read at least one of these this summer!

stephanie@{Olive Tree} said...

Sweet! I just scored the Cordelia book for $2.90 on Amazon w/ free shipping! It's going into the summer pile. : ) So far this summer, I've read The Hunger Games (devoured it) and am looking forward to starting book 2 very soon. I've also got The Help in my pile to tackle on vacation next week. : )

So proud of you for making it through this list without putting the Mysterious B Society in there. :)

Annette W. said...

My all time favorite is To Kill a Mockingbird. And I hope I will love The Unfinished Gift (Dan Walsh) as much as I think I will.

Annette W. said...

My all time favorite is To Kill a Mockingbird. And I hope I will love The Unfinished Gift (Dan Walsh) as much as I think I will.

Sharon said...

Thanks for the wonderful recommendations. We read the Mysterious Benedict Society after I heard of it here. Just requested The Strictest School for my kiddos.

I also requested Summer at Tiffany's, Coop and Cordelia Underwood.

My library has 6 books by the author of Cordelia Underwood. I hope I have just stumbled upon a treasure!

Lisa writes... said...

I second the nominations for Coop, Beauty and Hood! Summer at Tiffany and The Sacred Cipher both on my amazon wishlist and I'm about to add Miss Fortune as well!

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