summer reads

I usually read a lot as it is, but there's something about summertime that gets me into a reading frenzy. Here are the books I've read this summer and a little commentary:

#1 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I LOVED this book. It's written in the form of correspondence letters and it tells the beautiful stories of the people from an English island occupied by Germans during WWII. Highly recommend it.

#2 Mary Called Magdalene

The storyline was good and it was educational about life and society during the time of Christ, but some of the ideologies are so far off from Mormon doctrine that I had a hard time getting into it. Read it only for educational purposes.

#3 The Book Thief

This book inspired me to start my own. It's about a little girl living in Germany during WWII--it's kind of like Anne Frank, but she's not Jewish so life is a lot different. My own grandma grew up in Germany and lived in Frankfurt during WWII and I've interviewed her and collected some incredible stories. I'm in the process of writing a book of short stories on her.

#4 The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

There are a LOT of swear words, so if that offends you, steer clear of this book. It's pretty good, but I think what I enjoyed most was what I learned about the political history of the Dominican Republic.

#5 Olive Kitteridge

"Olive" won the Pulitzer prize for fiction but I've read better books this year. It's a series of short stories told by different characters, all somehow involving Olive. An OK read.

#6 Unaccustomed Earth

This is a cool book. There are eight short stories about Indian-Americans and their normal, daily lives. The intricacy and exactitude about everyday life is incredible. Also, I learned a lot about their culture. Way good read.

#7 A Thousand Splendid Suns

I'm actually reading this right now, and again, very educational on the political history and culture of the middle east. It makes me aware of the simple freedoms I have that are actually a big deal.

#8 The Art of Racing in the Rain

This is my next read, can't wait! It's told from the point of view of a family's dog.