May 23, 2017

Summer Reads

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic is a summer freebie. Since I recently did a "books I want to read in summer" post, I'm going to do a "books I read in summer" post. So here are some books I have read during the summer.

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi - I read this book the summer after 9th grade. I still have issues with that one picture in the middle of the book. If you've read it, you know which one I mean. Charles Manson was one creepy dude.

London by Edward Rutherford - I read this in 1998 while I was working overnights at the juvenile facility. I got a lot of reading done during that time.

Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard - I read this one in June of 1999. I loved this movie with John Travolta. I think the sequel, Stay Cool is even better. I read the book after I saw the movie, and the two are pretty similar.

Murder at the National Cathedral by Margaret Truman - I read this in 2000. I read a lot of books at this time. Probably because I would read while baby Christopher was eating. I loved this series of books.

The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare by Lillian Jackson Braun - Another mystery series I love. These cats are so much fun.

The Path to Power by Robert A. Caro - I have no idea why I read this in 2002. I was pregnant. That's all I can tell you. I read the whole stupid thing. I am not even that interested in Lyndon Johnson. Even worse, I think I read the second one, too.

The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy - I read this in July of 2003 and it is still my favorite hardy novel. I also have a DVD of the Hallmark channel movie starring Catherine Zeta-Jones. That was before she was famous.

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith - Ha! This was our first book club book way back in August of 2004. That's one for the record books. 13 years I've been doing this book club thing. Wow.

Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich - 2005 was the summer I read the entire Stephanie Plum series. At least all the ones that had been published up to that point. She's now on number 24 and I've kept up with them all.

The Wings of the Dove by Henry James - This was 2006 and I read most of this book while I was sitting in a hallway at St. Francis hospital waiting for Dad to have a colonoscopy so I could drive him home. Mom had just had surgery on her eye and couldn't drive. This was when they found his heart arrhythmia and he got a pace maker the next month.

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz - 2008 was when I discovered this series. Odd Thomas can see dead people. He can't talk to them, but he helps them leave this world behind by helping catch the people who murdered them. It's a great series.

I think that's 11, so you got an extra for free. What are some memorable books you read in summer?