Whatcha readin' this summer?

[Leigh]

I finally finished Gaiman's Sandman series, so now I'm excited to go back to prose. I just read Elegance of the Hedgehog, and Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is on deck.

You?
There are almost 100 members in this group. Let's get some discussions going!

[Amy B]

I read quite a few books this summer...I count my summer as the time I wasn't at work/school. So that would be June 1st thru August 10. So here's what I read:

The Diary by Eileen Goudge
After the Rain by Norma Fox Mazer
Extras by Scott Westerfeld
Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo
Chicken Chicken by R.L. Stine
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paula Danziger
House Rules by Jodi Picoult
The Golden Horseshoe by Frances B. Gunter
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

[Bradley]

I ventured into some Hemingway for the first time, reading "For Whom the Bell Tolls." I finished it on the beach, so that made it all the more enjoyable.

Also read "A Country of Vast Designs," a book about the James K. Polk presidency, the Mexican War, and the annexation of Texas, Oregon and California.

Just finished "Gods and Generals," the phenomenal follow-up to the great Civil War novel, "Killer Angels." Am currently reading the "Memoirs of Robert E. Lee," like a good Virginian.

[Mary]

The Merlot Murders by Ellen Crosby.
I confess . . . I only read this book because it was set in Virginia and frankly, I didn't expect it to be anything terrific. After I'd read the first two pages, I knew I'd underestimated the author. The writing is superb. As I got further into the story, I realized the plot was compelling, the story well-paced, and the characters' dialogue believable--features that are, I am sad to say, seldom seen in a single book. I immediately ordered the second in the series.
The story is set in the wine country around Leesburg. Very accurately, I might add. And as a wine drinker, I enjoyed the many references and explanations about winemaking.
Has anyone else read this series?