Summer reading!

During our winter vacation on a balmy beach in Puerto Rico, I read the book Ham: Slices of Life, the collection of essays and short stories by Sam Harris. I meant to write about it then, but forgot. Then today I saw the Kindle edition is on sale for $2.99, which is a steal. I had seen Sam Harris in Grease and remember thinking what an appealing performer he was. Still, he's never been much on my radar and I didn't know what to expect when I started the book.

I laughed out loud a lot. And teared up a few times. For some reason his essay about buying a new washing machine has stuck with me the most. I giggle every time I shove stuff into our efficient front loading washer.

The only downside to a Kindle version is you don't get the tactile pleasure of rubbing the fuzzy pig butt on the book cover art.

Anyway, I thought this might be a fun way to start off a summer reading thread.


Ham, the one-day sale

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I'm going to download that - thanks, Namo! I've been reading a lot of Liane Moriarty's work. I haven't liked her other books as much as The Husband's Secret, but she writes great characters.

I'm sure he's not the easiest guy to live with, but man does that give him some hilarious stories.

I will totally not spoiler anything, but the tale of Liza's wedding is priceless.

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Is your mission not yet accomplished or is it an ongoing thing?

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I'm glad that you've progressed beyond "Are You There God, It's Me Margaret."

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In this thread I asked the accessory, "Is your mission not yet accomplished or is it an ongoing thing?"

Just like always, there was no response.

In another thread on the main board, the accessory had the gonads to critique somebody else's behavior:

"{He] conveniently disappears when proven wrong or when someone actually speaks up against his incredibly polarizing ways."

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Oh, accessory, you project more than the AMC Empire 25.

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I've been slowly getting through Middlemarch because of an offhand comment Gaveston made ages ago. It's remarkably adaptable. Serious reading, bedtime reading, beach reading, coffeehouse reading.

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I also started Elizabeth Warren's "A Fighting Chance." I love all the great lady writers; George, Sam, Liz...

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Interestingly, I just finished Mead's My Life in Middlemarch which not only made me want to re-read the novel, but is a gorgeously written book for anyone who love books (as blurby a comment as that sounds...)

I have several friends who love Robin Oliveira's writing. Have you read her first novel, My Name Is Mary Sutter?

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If anyone is looking to discover a new(ish) voice, I just finished--and highly recommend--Roxane Gay's debut novel An Untamed State. Gay's name might be familiar to some; she edits PANK and regularly writes for Salon. It's a smashing first novel, and Gay is an unique stylist. The plot's deceptively simple: a young, wealthy Haitian-American woman is kidnapped on vacation in Port-au-Prince, and the novel recounts (in alternating first and third person perspectives) the aftermath. And it really is, to quote one of the book jacket blurbers, "the kind of book you have to keep putting down because you can't believe how good it is." I read it in a sitting on the beach last weekend. See the link for more.
Roxane Gay, An Untamed State

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PalJoey - no, I haven't. This is the first book I've read of hers (at the recommendation of the owner of Diane's Books in Greenwich). I now consider myself a fan of her writing, and look forward to reading more! I'll be sure to read that one next.

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