Summer’s over and so are all my well intentioned plans of lazing beside the pool and reading a bunch of books.  I’ve been looking forward to enjoying my ‘diverse collection of literature’ but just haven’t had time.  With a full house at “Chez Shanley” and participating in an amazing blogging program called, “31 Days To Build A Better Blog” with a wonderful group of dedicated women bloggers, summer quickly slipped away.

And so these lonely books sit collecting dust, sadly waiting for me to crack open their covers and devour their contents:

  1. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – I’ve loved Margaret Atwood’s work since the early 90’s when I first read, The Edible Woman at a university night course.
  2. I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron – The inside jacket of the book reads, “a candid, hilarious look at women who are getting older and dealing with the tribulations of maintenance, menopause, empty nests and life itself.”  Need I say more?
  3. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin – Story of an extraordinary man who built 55 schools, mainly for girls, in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
  4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee – 2010 marks 40 years of publication.  I listened to an intriguing discussion on CBC Radio between a supporter and a critic of Lee’s book and the main character, Atticus Finch.
  5. Going Rogue by Sarah Palin – Curious about this one.
  6. Clearing the Way: Combat Engineers in Kandahar by 23 Field Squadron – I stumbled across the 23 Field Squadron’s website and bought the book they’ve written together about their heartfelt personal stories from the war in Afghanistan.
  7. Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro – She’s a brilliant and prize winning writer of short stories.
  8. The Dog Who Healed A Family by Jo Coudert – I picked this book up at Shoppers Drug Mart…you know how much I love my dogs!
  9. Women, Food And God by Geneen Roth – I first heard about this book watching Oprah and of course, my being on my own weight loss journey piqued my interest.  It’s #9 this week on Maclean’s Magazine’s Top 10 Non-Fiction books.
  10. Stones From the River by Ursula Hegi – I bought this book years ago when Oprah had selected it as a Book Club choice and found it this summer while cleaning out my book shelves.  It’s a story of one woman’s courage living with a disability in Germany during the Nazi’s reign in WWII.

What books did you read this summer?  Feel free to add them to the list!

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