30-Day Challenge 22: Summer Reading List

Question of the Day: What books have you read this year so far (not that I need any more on my To Be Read List!)

Day 22: What do you see yourself doing in ten years? Oh my, 28 years old is hard to think about when I can hardly believe I am almost 19 (mark your calendars, June 22 is coming up people...just kidding haha). Hopefully, I will be living comfortably in Boston, married to the love of my life, and working for a hot shot magazine or newspaper. Self? Elle? Time? Boston Globe? I live to dream big and dream on until dreams = reality.

One of my 2011 Resolutions is to complete the 24-Book Challenge. I didn't read nearly as much last year as I would have liked to and should have, so I've been trying to make up for that since New Years'. What makes summer so amazing for me is that suddenly I have all this comely free time to do things I never had time to do during the school year--and that includes READING. :D

So what's on my Summer Reading List? My goal is to read eight out of the twenty-four.

1) Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin--a nonfiction account that grinds out the details of the 2008 primary and general elections; I have less than 100 pages left to read!! Yeah!

2) The March by E.L. Doctorow--a fictional novel creatively told from various points of view during the Civil War of 1861-1865

3) A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini--a contemporary novel by one of my favorite authors that tells the compelling story of two young women; the book takes place in Afghanistan in the midst of war

4) Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert--after watching the awesome movie based on this novel and reading/hearing so many good things about it, I knew I just had to get this book for myself! This book follows a middle-aged woman who sets off to "find herself" on a journey in which she travels to Italy, India, and finally Indonesia; My copy ships within the next week, and I can't wait to start reading...

5) I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max--a good friend recommended this book (adventures of Tucker Max himself as he goes about being an asshole) to me, and I am really curious to see what my reaction will be since all the reviews I've read have basically told me that it's either a you-love-it-or-you-hate-it deal; nonetheless, it's thought to be a must-read for college students so sounds perfect for me either way ;D

6) But Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody--I watched this film in AP Comparative Government in my senior year of high school and it really made my eyes pop at Iranian culture and the way women are treated there; the story is of how Betty tries to escape with her daughter from under the grasp of her abusive husband and his family in Iran

7) On Writing by Stephen King--I won this book from Tessa Conte's Outside My Blogontest and I am finally able to make time to read it! Yay! From what I've heard, this book serves as an awesome memoir of Stephen's adventures as a writer as well as a sort of sage guide for other aspiring writers on the craft

8) Nine Rooms of Happiness by Lucy Danziger and Catherine Birndorf--Danziger is the Editor-in-Chief of one of my favorite magazines, Self, and after reading brief excerpts I decided I wanted to read this book at some point; thankfully, it was on sale at the local Borders (before the store regrettably closed)! Now I am a firm believer that we ultimately create our own happiness, but no harm in reading up on a few tips on feeling felicitous, right?

Have you read any of these books or heard of them? Do any of these sound like books worth reading to you? (no spoilers please)

30-Day Challenge 22: Summer Reading List

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