Stiltsville |

Back in June I shared my reading list for this summer. So far, I’ve made it through four that were in that original post and one that I found along the way. Here are a few quick reviews. Once I finish the book I’m reading now I’ll be switching over to my brand new Kindle that Al got me for my birthday!

Socialnomics – I had noted that I’d read it a few summers ago. Still good as ever. A great read for those interested in the ins and outs of social media. How it works, how businesses use it and how it has really changed how we do business, connect with each other and live our lives.

Fed Up With Lunch – This was a great summer, beach read. It was incredibly fast reading and the content was very interesting, if you’re interested in this type of topic. The book did a wonderful job of outlining food guidelines in schools, ingredients in school lunches and raised the question of WHY the government allows our precious growing children to be served this horrific quality of “food.” It was actually quite repulsive, but how are we going to fix the problem if we aren’t educated about it?

Stiltsville – I really loved this. It was a sweet story, a love story (but not a mushy one) that spanned over about 30 years. It’s main focus was how this couple made it through the ups and downs of life, how they leaned on each other in hard times and easy and how they managed until the end. It was a great portrayal of how life isn’t always easy, especially with a soul mate by your side. But, if you truly love that person than you work together through thick and thin. I accidentally checked out the large print version. I hope that never happens again. Holy LARGE PRINT.

Half Broke Horses – My friend who recommended this one was right on about it. Such a great, fun, and even educational read with bits of humor too. I couldn’t put it down. It chronicles the life of a young girl all the way through adulthood and her journeys in between.

Have you guys been reading anything good this summer?? I’m always taking recommendations!

I love to read; especially in the summer. There’s something about summer time and reading that just click for me. I’ve shared my Summer 2010 and Summer 2011 reading lists in the past so I figured it’s about time to get this Summer’s list out too. I may have bit off more than I can chew this summer but I’m going to try really hard to get through them all.

I avoid buying books pretty much always. I get about 99% of my books through the library. The other 1% I borrow from friends, my sister and my mom. I’ve yet to raid their bookshelves for this summer though.

So, here’s whats on my bookshelf for Summer 2012 (some blurbs are from Amazon, some are me rambling):

Falling Leaves, Adeline Yen Mah: I’ve already finished this memoir and it was fascinating. It had a great mix of twentieth century Chinese history, family life, independence and success. It’s the story of an unwanted Chinese daughter and how she never gives up and finds the will and desire to pursue an education and career.

Half Broke Horses, Jeannette Walls: Recommended by a friend and written by the author of The Glass Castle, also a great read. It’s the story of Walls’ grandmothers life from childhood to adulthood.

Stiltsville, Susanna Daniel: A love story that takes places in a small community in the middle of the Biscayne Bay. All is well until their island is gone and they have to figure out life on dry land.

The Nature Principal, Richard Louv: This New Nature Movement taps into the restorative powers of the natural world to boost mental acuity and creativity; promote health and wellness; build smarter and more sustainable businesses, communities, and economies; and ultimately strengthen human bonds.

Fed Up With Lunch, Sarah Wu: Written by a teacher who forgot her lunch one day and got a first hand look into what children are being served in school lunches. For a year straight she ate school lunches and blogged about it anonymously. Her blog received thousands of daily hits and was supported by many food activists. In this book she’s revealing her identity as well as what she learned.

Socialnomics, Erik Qualman: I read this in Summer 2010 and felt like I wanted to revisit it again. Great book on how Social Media has changed the world we live in and how we do business.

The American Way of Eating, Tracie McMillian: In a year long journey she worked, lived and ate alongside America’s working poor to see just how hard it was to eat when price matters. She’s setting out to find the answer to why American’s still eat the way we do a decade after the obesity epidemic was declared.

Most of the books I find to read either come from friends’ recommendations, or those found in magazines or the paper. I’ll Google around and sometimes I just peruse the new arrivals shelves at the library. I have a wide range of interests and topics that I enjoy reading about, as you can see.