Read baby read

I gotta say, I am one happy person when summer rolls around. It makes me glad to be alive. When the days are longer I feel like I'm on an extended vacation. We grill out more and the sound of the blender grinding fresh peaches for a scrumptious adult beverage is dormant no more.

I'm not the only happy person in my family when summer arrives, my youngest son is beside himself to actually have 3 months away from books. Wish I could boast that this excludes his summer reading books, but alas, I didn't get a reader . . . yet. (I'm not giving up. I wasn't a big summer reader in high school either. I much preferred a pool party myself.) By the time July rolls around and I declare it's what you call past time to check out what's on his summer reading list, the enthusiasm for that statement takes on that of a polar bear living at the Miami Zoo. Nevertheless I'll go out and buy the mandatory book and while I'm there pick up the shortest book on the list for his elective.

One would think that if a kid's mother had actually written a book and had a galley with a great cover to hand over to her son he might consider reading that book. Not my kid. "Not tonight, Mom." he says. "I'm not in the mood."

Bless his future wife's heart.

As for me, I can't wait to dig in. Here's what on the nightstand so far:

1. A Bump in the Road - Duh
2. A Stroke of Magic - Another duh
3. The Help - by Kathryn Stockett
4. The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells - due out July 7th. I'm holding its spot.
5. The Guernsey Litarary Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
6. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford
7. The Kite Runner - (I was also the last one to get a CD player - what can I say?)
8. South of Broad - Pat Conroy (The genius finally reimerges. I've got his spot saved for August!)

I'm sure I'll add more but that's a great start don't you think?