Summer Reads

"Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

On bookshelves now!! I can’t wait to dive into this one!

"A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" also by Dave Eggers

If you haven’t discovered Mr. Eggers yet, read this to see why he’s compared a certain Mr. Salinger . . .

FOUND magazine

If you’ve ever picked a note up off the street and wondered who wrote it, if you’ve ever come across a grocery list with “crack” right under “2% milk”, if you’ve ever bought a used book and been more interested by the notes someone wrote in the margins, this magazine will blow your mind.

I’m constantly amazed by the power of these found objects, and by what they reveal about us. If you haven’t read through a FOUND yet, now’s the time to check it out! There’s also a couple of “DIRTY FOUND”s that have been published. Still moving, but with a lot more nudity and sexual pining.

"Novel About My Wife" by Emily Perkins

Ever have the feeling that something’s gone terribly wrong a while ago and you’re not sure what it is but you need to figure it out before everyone’s headed toward certain doom?

No, I’m not talking about Bush Administration policy, this is the feeling that pervades this novel from beginning to end (read: not an uplifting book). A great read and I found it really emblematic of our post 9/11, post economic breakdown, post chronic uncertainness modern anxious lives.

The Believer Mag - Music Issue

OMG, OMG, OMG the MUSIC ISSUE is here! I’ve already devoured parts of it – check out the fashion/music article about Beth Ditto and The Gossip – LOVE IT! Also a (relatively) unguarded interview of Thom Yorke, and a meditation on Benji Hughes. Best part: the good people always include a CD of rare finds . . .

Stephanie Plum novels - by Janet Evanovich

OK, OK. I’ll include one “fluff” read for y’all. It is summer after all . . .

If you’ve never read any of Janet Evanovich’s bounty hunter novels and are looking for a super lighthearted anti-literature read, you should pick one up.

The characters are hilarious and the action is non-stop and pretty close to slap-stick. Of course there are some fun romantic encounters just to round it out. I’d start from the beginning – “One For the Money” in case you get hooked.

"I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti" by Giulia Melucci

I’m in the middle of reading this right now, and I think it’s been the perfect summer book— Ms. Melucci and I seem to have a thing for unavailable indie types so I can totally sympathize with her. My only complaint is the fact that she peppers the book with delicious-sounding recipes— I usually read before I go to sleep and they make me super hungry!