Summer Reads

I am not sure what else I will 

read this summer,

but I feel confident in saying,

THIS one is my 

favorite of the summer.  

This is a multi generational family saga,

ranging from the 1930s to present time.

The author moves from time period

to time period often and with

great effect.

The story is about secrets,

American privilege, entitlement 

and prejudice.

I love the author's elegant writing style.

The themes of privilege and prejudice

struck a cord with me in light of

our own current political atmosphere

right now.

Have you given much thought about 

racial prejudice in other cultures?

This book struck a strong note

of how prevalent it is elsewhere,

namely in South Korea.

This book follows 

four generations of 

a Korean family living in Japan

after Korea was annexed by Japan

in the latter half of the 20th Century.

The theme of the family's

 constant and never-ending 

situation as despised "outsiders"

also caused me to 

consider the situation of many

people in America today.

This book is  the epitome of  a

summer, beach read.

Not a lot of substance,

kind of like watching a movie

on the Hallmark Channel.

(Remember when Hallmark movies

were thought provoking, well done,

REAL movies???  I digress....)

This is a story about divorce, its effects,

a tragic teenage accident and growth.

So so.

I do not purposely search out and read 

"Christian" fiction,

and that theme seemed a little forced to me.

This was an interesting

story about second chances.

It deals with some ugly

people and situations.

The main character

is complex,

but I found the story

a little predictable.

I just finished this one yesterday,

just in time before seeing the movie

when it's released next week.

This is a dog story, what's not to like?

It is told from the perspective of

and in the voice of Enzo, 

whose owner has more hardships

to deal with than anyone should ever have.

That being said,

Enzo is such a wonderful 

representation of all dogs,

the story is good.

His perception of life

is so right and true, 

you cannot help but love this dog.

Make sure you have some hankies handy.

You will need them.

How do I choose what to read?

I am an audio "reader"

so the first criteria is that 

a book be available in that form

from my library.

After that, I keep an eye out 

for recommendations from

friends on social media

and on most Sundays

I go through the paper's list

of new releases.

If it sounds interesting,

I add it to my queue.

What are you reading this summer?

I'm always open for suggestions!