Summer Reading

One thing I love about summer break is all the extra time I get to read!  It is so relaxing to sit out on my patio with a good book and just read for as long as I like.

If you are looking for something to read, I highly recommend these books:

Go Set A Watchman-  Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird is my all time favorite book, so of course I could not wait to get my hands on this new book by Harper Lee.  I went to the bookstore right away on the day the book was released, purchased a copy of the book, and spent the rest of the day reading!  It was interesting to get a glimpse of Scout as an adult and see how characters changed/stayed the same.  While this wasn't as good as "Mockingbird" (nothing really can be that great) I still found it to be an enjoyable book that provided a look into history and let me see the futures of the characters I got to know in Mockingbird.

First They Killed My Father-  Loung Ung

This is a non-fiction book about the authors life as a child in Cambodia living during the horrible genocide under the leadership of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.  Loung was only 5 years old when the Khmer Rouge took over her city and this book tells her story of what life was like during that time.  I found this book to be a great read and I learned so much about Cambodia and this horrible time in Cambodia's history that I really did not know a lot about before reading this.  I just read that this book is going to be made into a movie, directed by Angelina Jolie.  I am excited to see the film!

The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street-  Susan Jane Gilman

I am currently half way through this book and I am LOVING it!  This is another historical fiction novel set in the early 1900's and the present.  The story line switches between the present time and the past, telling the story of how the main character came to be where she is now.  The  main character was a young child when her family immigrated to the United States in 1913 and their new lives are not easy. Without giving too much away, they main character gets injured and ends up living with/working for an ice cream maker.  The story gives a great history about the evolution of ice cream, what life was like for new immigrants at that time, and what life was like for kids during those years.  The main character is one you feel sorry for and also despise, which makes the book intriguing!  This is a great summer book that will surely make you want to dish up a bowl of ice cream for yourself!

Do you have any books that you would recommend for my remaining month of summer reading time?