Summer Reading

I cannot wait to plop myself down on the couch and curl up with a blanket while enjoying a good book. I love to read! It's one of my favorite things to do. Last year, I read 50 books. How do I know this? Shelfari keeps track for me. And this year I've read 18 books. It tells me this on my Shelfari homepage as well as "Penny, you're behind on your pace from last year." Ahhhh why does this stress me out? Why does it have to be an internal competition? Because now, I'm already mentally tracking how I'm going to make up some ground. Reading is supposed to be one of those stress- free activities I enjoy. Not now, I must get going. I want to beat my personal record.

Shelfari is an online book tracking website. It's linked on my blog....Scroll down and look to the right. See it? Well you should join too if you like to read, and then we could be book buds. It keeps track of what you read, are reading, and plan to read as well as your friend's reading lists. I love seeing what other people are reading, and I often find what I'm going to read next through Shelfari. I know you're dying to join. Book lovers unite!!!


Well here are the books that I've decided to tackle this summer....They have been on my "plan to read" list for awhile. I'm not going to lie, some are slightly embarrassing.


Young Adult

"Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone"

(Gasp! I know! I'm the only person in the world who hasn't read it. I hope I like it. Wizards, swords, and potions aren't really my thing. But maybe it has drama. Because I'm all over the drama!)

"The 39 Clues: Book 1"

I need to be up on the young adult books, so I can connect to some of my kiddos and maybe discuss with them some themes or just make a connection. The Twilight series was accomplished last year! I'm on Team Edward, just so you know. Maybe I'll even venture into the "Diary of the Wimpy Kid."

New York Bestsellers

"Eat Pray Love"
"Water for Elephants"
"The Art of Racing in the Rain"


Completely Mindless Chick-Lit (Heavy on drama + light on plot = a smile to my face)

"Mike, Mike, and Me"
"Heart of the Matter"
"Babyville" (I love Jane Green)
"The One You Really Want" (also by a British author, Jill Mansell)

Side Note: I love British authors. Sophie Kinsella, Jill Mansell, and Jane Green have me laughing out loud. Maybe because they're so brash, or they use words like "queue" and "I must go to the loo." My favorite is "arse." It's a swear word, but it totally doesn't sound that way. "He's a pain in the arse." They make it sound endearing. I'm pretty sure that it's still cussing, but I'm typing it and not saying it.