Hooray – it’s officially summer in these parts! Time to pour a tall glass of (my current favorite) grapefruit soda and sparkling water (50/50 mix), lounge on a blanket in the shade and get lost in a book. If you don’t already have your reading list lined up, I have some ideas for you. These are a few of my latest reads with a couple of all time favorites sprinkled in for good measure:
Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell
A charming and whimsical story about a young girl searching for her long-lost mother. She has a caring and supportive adoptive father and a band of homeless children who live on the rooftops of Paris to help her in her search. If you happen to be in Paris, reading this may cause you to glance up at the rooftops more often!
Leon and Louise by Alex Capus
A story of rare and true loves and all of the barriers life throws their way. Leon and Louise feel so real, you’ll be wrapped up in their lives in no time.
The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro
The main character is an unfairly disgraced artist, who just needs to get her footing again in the art world. There’s a mystery, a love story, and you’ll be amazed what kind of work goes into forging a famous painting.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
I’ll admit I had a hard time rooting for the main character for much of this book – she’s a wreck, and not a very sympathetic wreck at that. What kept me interested was all of the twists and turns, and the characters who are capable of anything – it keeps you guessing!
If you’ve ever had that feeling of not wanting a book to end, you’ll know how I felt after reading Water for Elephants. I just wasn’t ready to walk away from the circus world. So I dove headlong into these two books and was very happy I did:
Among the Wonderful by Stacy Carlson
On the surface this is a story about two of the employees of P.T. Barnum’s Museum of Wonders, but it’s really about humanity with a side of New York City life in the 1840’s.
Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin
A story about the life of Lavinia Warren. I couldn’t help but admire how she chose to listen to her instincts rather than cave into fear in a time when women weren’t often taken seriously and it was socially acceptable to treat her as if she were a doll instead of a real person. That’s true grit if you ask me.
And finally, Like Water for Chocolate, and Chocolat (and Five Quarters of the Orange) came up over the dinner table the other night. We all loved how these books wove sensory elements into their very rich storylines. Definitely worth a read if you haven’t already!
So tell me, have you read any good books lately???
P.S. This photo was treated with a little ‘La Vie en Rose’ action. We were in the mood for a touch of blush, it felt apropos for the beginning of summer and the launch of our class. Those that are on our mailing list received it for free. Yes, free! Every month we send out another free action to our subscribers so if you want in, come sign-up!
Miss Michelle P. is a photographer, and the co-creator of Foto Rx Premium Photoshop Actions. She lives in the Pacific Northwest. Her muse is light.
Perfect timing Tristan. I was just looking for a great summer read. My first one will be Among the Wonderful. I will read ANY book based in NY, especially the long ago New York. Added all these to my wishist.
Pamela, I love that you read books based in NY, I don’t seem to have a specific ‘theme’ running through any of my reading list, but I often do more non-ficiton. I am leaning towards reading ‘The Rooftoppers’ because it’s set in Paris and sounds fan-freakin’-tastic! Let us know what you think of the read!