Summer Reading

This summer has been filled with many hours laying in the sun with a book. It has been a while since I've lived close enough to a beach where I could just walk or take a short drive for one of my favorite pastimes. There is something about the sun, water and sand that goes perfectly with reading. Here is a list of some of my summer reads. I highly recommend them...

 Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist is about celebrating life. Her writing is sure to resonate with many who read her words. She speaks about friendship, relationships, finding out who she really is and wants and connecting with her soul. Her stories are quite delightful and perfectly suited for the beach.

 The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin is one woman's quest to become happier in a year. At first, I was wary about carrying this around, but then I thought that everyone should be doing things to become happier. So, I proudly carried this with me in the DMV while I had to wait. It was amazing that I didn't even realize my wait was an hour because I was enthralled with this book.

 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot amazed me. This is the story of a woman who died of cervical cancer, where her doctors harvested a part of her tumor and have been reproducing her cells since. Her cells have aided in curing polio and many other important scientific breakthroughs. However, there is the family that was left behind. She had children who never knew her because she died so young. This book is also about them learning about their mother.

 The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver is about the life of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera from the perspective of their houseboy. This book was amazing and very well researched. I loved how she weaved fiction in with many historical facts. The perspective of the revolution and Tolstoy's stay in their home was well thought out. I was sad when I finished the last sentence. I could have continued learning about these two very dynamic characters.

Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver was another one of her lovely stories. There is something about the way she writes that captivates me. This book is about a woman returning home to care for her father who has dementia. She starts to uncover things about her past which leads her to change her path in life. There are so many layers in this book, as there are in all of Kingsolver's novels. This was another book that gave me a tinge of sadness when I turned the final page.