Summer Reading

Always love to share good books. It's the start of the summer. Is there a better time to dive in?
Here's a few of my recent favorites:

Cutting for Stone, by Abrahan Verghese. All I can say is WOW! Could not put this down. It's a coming of age story that transcends religion, culture and time. Marian Stone is a character you find yourself cheering and rooting for from the get-go. It was recently released as a paperback, so go get it at the lesser price.

Warrior Princess, a poignant book written by Princess Kasane Zulu, an HIV-positive inspirational speaker and AIDS advocate who I had the pleasure of hearing speak at a recent conference. Her book is a moving, testament to the power of faith, and the belief that as women it is our job to lead and get out there and fight the good fight.

Kristin Hannah's Night Road. Read this one on the airplane on my way home from Ireland. Like Winter Garden, I openly wept on the airplane to my husband's chagrin. There's nothing like a great KH book and a good old fashioned Oprah cry.

The If I Stay/Where She Went 2-book series. It's for young adult readers, but what the heck. How many of us loved the Twilight series and kept it hush, hush until our girlfriends confessed they too were reading it in their closets at 3:00 AM because they couldn't put it down. If I Stay is the first book (and it's a tough one)...lot's of tragedy and a promise kept. The second book does not disappoint. If you're a music lover or a lover of any kind...you'll cherish this 2 book set.

Currently reading:
The futuristic, page-turner: The Passage by Justin Cronin. Keeps me up at night, but what the heck, I'm reading any way.

My Name is Memory (the latest adult book by Ann Brashares)...anything involving the afterlife, learning from our mistatkes and time travel is a draw for me. By the way, if you haven't read Ann's other adult book: The Last Summer of You and Me...you're missing out on a great book.