Saturday, July 10, 2010

Finding the Perfect Summer Read

We are all pressed for time. And booklovers are always looking for that great summer read. Is it really possible to answer only 10 quick questions in a quiz and get a book selection just right for you?

Well I was skeptical at first, but figured, "What do I have to lose?" I took this online quiz put out by Oprah's website and they suggested I read:



The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. It's about Rose Edelstein who discovers at age 8 that she can taste feelings in food - lonely pie, adulterous roast beef, resentment soup - whatever angst or elation the cook is feeling. This is a coming of age novel about a wacky girl in a wacky stew of a family and how, through the help of an adorable science whiz friend of hers, she begins to make human connections by finding others who believe in her. She gains confidence to believe in herself. According to reviewer Kristy Davis, "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" (Doubleday encourages us all to make the most of our unique gifts while still finding a way to live in the so-called real world." Sounds like a good book indeed for me to read. Note: I'm not recommending this book to others yet as I have not read it myself - I'm just moving it near the top of my "books to read" list. So I can't vouch for it yet. Will let you know later.


Here's one that I CAN heartily recommend. The Help by Kathleen Stockett. I'm in the midst of experiencing it right now. It's not just a "good read" - it's one of those you fall into and truly experience. It is just as fantastic as people have predicted. I LOVE it. Am listening to it as CDs in the car and it is so wonderful and well narrated that I find myself making excuses to make extra trips so I can listen to just a bit more. Ha!

3 comments:

Kim in Michigan said...

Oh my gosh, I loved "The Help" so much! It was one of the best books I've read in years.

teabird said...

Did you finish it? I've heard nothing but good comments about this book!

ChelleC said...

Teabird, I finished reading THE HELP over the weekend and I adored it!

One of the best books I've read in a very long time. Some things in the ending didn't quite seem realistic or ring true. I thought there would be more negative recupercussions than what was described, and I didn't think the chocolate pie thing would be nearly the "insurance" that Minnie and others thought it would be. But it still was a story so well told that I didn't really care about those minor plot details.