Summer Reading 2013

I've got to tell you that I've spent the last week with my nose in a book (or my Kindle as the case may be) and I have loved every minute of it. After what has (so far) been a rather depressing year, I'm finally beginning to feel like my old self again. I've read three books in the past two weeks and have already downloaded another one to (hopefully) devour. I have been a lover of reading since my youth and there was once a time when you would never catch me without a book in hand. Somewhere along the way I apparently lost my way and it has really been years since I've red and read and read some more. I do book reviews (as you probably know) on occasion; but rarely are those books something I'm really interested in and when I read a book as an assignment, it is rare that I get real joy out of the reading.

In recent years, I have had a "spell" or two when I actually did a good amount of reading - when I read the Twilight series and then The Hunger Games series, but other than those two sets of books, I have not read a whole lot that has got me fired up about reading. 

Back in late June, I went into a book store to pick up a copy of the Velo News le Tour de France preview (yes, I am that nerdy) and I noticed that an author I really like had a new book out. So, I immediately grabbed a pen and a piece of scrap paper and made a note (yes, I am old school like that) to look it up and download it to my Kindle. A few weeks later when the Tour was over and there was nothing worth watching on the time suck known as television, I downloaded the book and started reading and rediscovered why I love reading so much. 

The book was And The Mountains Echoed by Khalid Hosseini and it was so good. Each chapter is told from a different person's perspective and in a different time period but by the end of the book, it is all tied together and turns out to be a beautiful story. As with his other books, this one is also primarily set in Afghanistan. Hosseini also wrote The Kite Runner (fantastic book) and A Thousand Splendid Suns (also good) and his third and latest book did not disappoint. I loved it. 

I don't know if it popped up on my Kindle or if I was perusing the Kindle book store or exactly how my next selection came to be, but the next book I downloaded was Divergent by Veronica Roth and people, I skipped meals and chores and TV watching to read this book. I even reserved myself a conference room at lunch one day just so I could read. Divergent is the first book of a trilogy and is similar to The Hunger Games and yet different in so many ways. The movie is coming out in March 2014 and I'm already pumped about going to see it. Also, for those of your Downton fans who may remember the scandalous Mr. Pamuk, the actor who played Pamuk is playing one of the lead roles in the film. I seriously could not read this book fast enough and emailed Jackie and told her she MUST download it and start reading it. She started reading it over the weekend and thankfully her kids are now a little older and can fend for themselves because the book has encapsulated her just like it did me. 

Last Thursday I downloaded the second book in the series, Insurgent, and started reading it on Friday. I finished the last four chapters on my lunch break Monday. I think it goes without saying that I spent most of my weekend with my eyes scrolling across the Kindle. The third book in the series, Allegiant, does not come out until October 22 and I am literally counting down the days (70 as of Tuesday, August 13) until it comes out. I've already ordered it for my Kindle and I cannot wait to find out what happens next.

Since I'm on a reading kick and really want to keep it up, I downloaded Gone Girl on Monday to start reading Monday night. I've heard good things about it from various people and I'm hoping that it will live up to its expectations. I'm not expecting it to be as wonderful as the Divergent books, but hopefully it will peak my interest and keep me reading for a while longer. 

What about the rest of you? Do you have any good books to recommend? Jackie and I are always looking for a really great read and I (and I'm sure she) would really appreciate some reading recommendations. Fire away in the comments!