Vacation Reading 2009

Today we’re getting ready for our vacation to Michigan. We can’t wait to see our family and it’s been a while since I’ve been home. When I’m there, I’m looking forward to spending time with friends, family – especially my nieces Carly (9 months) and Lawson (3 weeks). I can’t wait to give them hugs and kisses. I’m also looking forward to spending some time seeing my grandparents. My dad’s father is living in Grand Rapids and my mother’s parents live in Spring Lake. Spring Lake isn’t too far from Grand Haven – my favorite beach along Lake Michigan.

ghaven4

I also hope to get some leisurely reading done. I doubt I’ll even look at all that I’m bringing, but I want to keep my opti0ns open. Here’s what I’ve selected:

Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz ~ I’ve been waiting ever since Korelitz’s Blog Talk Radio interview this spring. Also, I’ll be discussing this via Twitter with Laura from I’m Booking It during the first week of August. She won the contest that Miriam from Hatchette Book Group sponsored.

Here are some reviews by other book bloggers:

BermudaOnion’s Weblog
Booking Mama
Books, Movies, and Chinese Food
Everyday I Write the Book
S. Krishna’s Books
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón ~ I was already excited to read this after finishing The Angel’s Game. Actually well before that. I’ve heard on Twitter how wonderful TSOTW is, but since TAG was a LibraryThing Early Reviewer’s snag, I read that first. Then the accolades for TSOTW came in again when I posted my review of TAG this week. Game, set, match. I’ll be reading this novel during my vacation.

Here are some reviews by other book blogers:

Devourer of Books
Fyrefly’s Book Blog
Wordlily
Jen’s Book Thoughts
A Guy’s Moleskin Notebook
Boston Bibliophile

The Song of Hannah by Eva Etzioni-Halevy ~ Eva sent me a copy of this book after I published my review of The Triumph of Deborah. I enjoyed her portrayal of women from the Bible – like I said in my review, this isn’t your mother’s novel about Biblical heroines! I know less (if that’s possible) about Hannah than I did about Deborah, so this should be good. The Triumph of Deborah read very fast, so I’m sure this one will be, too.

I couldn’t find any reviews of this novel by other book bloggers. If you’ve reviewed this one, please add a link in the comments.

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran ~ This is the August pick for my Facebook Historical Fiction Lovers book club. I’m really looking forward to reading and discussing this novel. I’ve been wanting to read Moran’s work since I started seeing it pop up on blogs last summer. We’ll be hosting a chat with her during August. Please join the group if you’d like to read along with us. There will be a contest for some of Moran’s other work!

Here are some reviews by other book bloggers:

Caribousmom
Stephanie’s Written Word
Violet Crush
Reading Reflections
Diary of an Eccentric
Medieval Bookworm

Scottsboro by Ellen Feldman ~ This is another Early Reviewers snag of mine. I started reading it briefly before my Tudor desires got the best of me this week. It’s about the Scottsboro trials and I have a feeling it’s going to be very good. This is probably the book I’ll start with on the road tomorrow (I’m really enjoying The Virgin’s Daughters and will probably be finished before we leave…).

Here are reviews by other book bloggers:

Books and Movies
Bookworm’s Dinner

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein ~ The Dog Days of Summer is going to be here before you know it, so I’m hoping to get a head start while I’m on my vacation. Sheri at A Novel Menagerie created some wonderful banners and buttons for that week and I’m planning on gettijng my Mr. Linky post put together and posted over the weekend. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.