And the Winner Is.....

THE TEEN PICKED THE NUMBER OF THE WINNING COMMENT. Congratulations to Bella of Mama Muses!

I wish I had a goodie to give each and everyone of you!

And before I post such a request for books again, I must remember to be careful what I wish for! I thought I had my summer reading all in place, but after these wonderful suggestions of  authors new to me, books I'd forgotten about, and books new to me by favorite authors, my list has grown and I will have to read a book a day to keep up with itBut you know what is the best part about summer reading lists? They easily morph into fall reading lists and winter reading lists and on and on. The day I am "finished" with my reading list is the day I will take my last breath. And spit - spit - may it not be for many years! (Avoiding the mal'occhio!)

There were a few other books I've read recently that were fabulous and entertaining.

• The Unlikely Lavender Queen: A Memoir of Unexpected Blossoming by Jeannie Ralston -
  A freelancer for national magazines, living a life most of us will only dream about, marries the love of her life, a National Geographic photographer,  who promptly transplants her to the hill country of Texas and involves her against her will in starting a lavender farm.  It's an interesting read, not the least of which for me is the behind the scenes of how freelancers get published in national magazines - boy, am I doing things wrong! And I was also fascinated by how they began a lavender farm and turned it into a profitable business they ended up selling and retiring to live in Mexico with their children.
  

• The Glass Castle - On my wish list for a long while, I ran across it in Stop and Shop of all places and bought it along with the groceries. A memoir written by  national journalist who works for MSNBC,  she was raised by two parents who lived in utter poverty by choice and addiction. Extraordinary, perplexing, and most importantly, told by a gifted storyteller.
  

• How the Heather Looks: A Joyous Journey to the British Sources of Children's Books by Joan Bodger - another Cornflower recommendation, I bought this book used and expected to skim through it.  Can you imagine having the wherewithal and time to take your two very young children to England for an extended period of time in order to visit all the places they've read about in English literature - Wind in the Willows, Camelot, etcetera? My heart was racing as I read  their adventures of finding the settings for many of the major novels, legends, and stories familiar to all who have been brought up on the classics of children's literature. The entire book reads like a fantasy of travel, family time, and tracking down mysterious haunts and rivers and camps where their favorite characters and stories came to life.  Granted, this was in the early 60's when trips could be afforded through the use of guest rooms in farmhouses and campers for rent, but what an incredible adventure!

• The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff. I loved this book. It has all the elements of an old-fashioned gothic novel set on the leatherstocking trail in upstate New York, one of my favorite places, this edgy fable is replete with legends and ghosts and contemporary issues and mores.