I’m not a big fan of summer, but one thing I do like about the season is the chance to be a little lazier and read more.  Since I still don’t have huge amounts of free time, I have to be somewhat selective about my reading list.  The other day I perused my shelves and assembled two stacks of books, one fiction and one non-fiction, that I’d like to try to make some dents in this summer.  Will I read all these books?  Probably not.  Will I read books that are not in this stack?  Probably.  But, regardless, this gives you a pretty good idea of what I’ll be doing with a little of my free time this summer.

Fiction…

Glimpses of Paradise by James Scott Bell

I just picked this one up at Good Will the other day.  It looked like it had an intriguing plot line.  It’s set around WWII, I believe, and I’m a sucker for good historical fiction.  I didn’t even realize this was a Christian author until I got it home and gave it a closer look.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

The last time I read this book was when Bonny Annie was an infant and did nothing but nurse and sleep.  I was bored out of my mind, and I loved this dark, brooding, romantic novel.  But it’s been so long since I’ve read it that I can’t even remember the main characters’ names.  Okay…Catherine and Heathcliff…but still, it’s been a long time, and I’ve been meaning to reread this for a while.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I guess I’m on a bit of Bronte sister kick.  Again, it’s been so long since I read this, I barely remember the plot line.  And this time I seriously don’t.  I also have a wee confession about this book:  I didn’t actually read it.  I listened to an unabridged audio tape.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

If I end up not reading one of these books, this one is the most likely.  I have intended to read this one for years.  YEARS.  As a former English teacher, it’s probably some kind of crime (get it?  CRIME?) that I haven’t read this one.  But it looks really nice on my shelf…

Darcy and Elizabeth:  Nights and Days at Pemberley by Linda Berdoll

This is one of the hundred or so Jane Austen knock-offs.  This one supposedly takes up where she left off in Pride and Prejudice.  I’ve purposely avoided these types of books because I feel pretty strongly about Jane Austen, but I read a few pages standing in the store, and thought the voice of this one sounded more authentic than most.  It was in the bargain book section, so I thought, “Oh well…why not?”  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Cane River by Lalita Tademy

This was another Good Will find.  It is an Oprah’s book club pick, and over the years, these have been hit or miss for me.  To be honest, mostly miss.  This one, however, intrigued me in that the author loosely based the plot on her genealogy research of her own family and their Louisiana slave roots.  I read about three chapters last night, and so far, it’s pretty good.

The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

This is another that has been on my “must read” list for too long.  I doubt that I read the entire thing this summer, but I plan to get through a few of the stories at least.  I’m already almost finished with “A Study in Scarlet,” and I’ve enjoyed it a lot.

Non-fiction…

The Journal of Charles Wesley by Charles Wesley…duh

A couple of years ago I read the journals of Jim Elliot and found myself extremely blessed and encouraged by a more personal look at one of the saints.  So, when I found this on our shelves I quickly added it to my stack.

Jane Austen by Peter Leithart

I’m actually almost done with this little biography.  It’s one that I’ve agreed to review for Thomas Nelson publishers here on my blog, so you’ll here more about this one shortly.

The Back Door to Your Teen’s Heart byMelissa Trevathan and Sissy Goff

A friend picked this up for me at conference that I had to miss a couple of years ago.  Seeing as how Bonny Annie is already thirteen, and I sometimes struggle with finding the front door to her heart, I figured it was high time I digested this material.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss

I read this humorous little gem about the importance of proper English and grammar a couple of years ago.  I want to reread it once more before I add it to Bonny Annie’s language arts curriculum for next year.

Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot

I started this last summer, I believe, but for some reason, never finished it.  I think I’m familiar enough with this classic missionary story to just pick up where I left off.

Wild Things by James and Thomas

This one is about raising boys.  Seeing as how I have two now, and they  are still somewhat a mystery to me, I figured this one better go in the stack.

Word Press for Dummies

I read this one last summer, but I didn’t completely “get it.”  I think I probably need to be reading Word Press for BIG Dummies, but that one hasn’t been written yet.

Real Simple:  The Organized Home

I’ve thumbed through this one about a dozen times, but I think I’m going to start going room-by-room and actually apply some of their practical principles.

And that about does it.

What are YOU reading this summer?