Books

I have a colossal appetite when it comes to reading.

My parents are both huge readers, and their love of reading trickled down to my siblings and I. Every year for Christmas, Santa would give us toys, and my parents gave us books. Stacks of books. I wasn’t allowed to have a television in my room until I was thirteen, and even then I only got extremely basic cable. I spent my time either playing, or reading.

My favorite game to play when I was little was “library.” I wish I was kidding. I would gather all of my books up in my bedroom, and start bringing them downstairs.  I then meticulously laid out every book in a circle around me, and took turns running around, selecting a book, and reading it while sitting in the center of the circle. I would play this for hours.

Thank goodness the 80s are over.

All summer long I read to pass the time while I work on my bronze glow. I have read every Mary Higgins Clark book at least four times (I’m not exaggerating) and we keep multiple bookcases well stocked at the lake house.

We also have access to the coolest library in the world IMO. This library has no library cards, overdue fees, locks, or hours. A volunteer librarian comes in every so often to straighten up; everything is on the honor system. The building itself is a cute old home that was donated to house the library. The key stays in the door, you go inside, look around, write your name on the card (usually the family’s name and the bay or point your lake house is located on) lock up, and leave. When you are done enjoying the book, you return it. There have been some unfortunate incidents in which I have found books years (like ten) after checking them out; no worries just return them, no harm done. The small size of the library and the population are also helpful when I try to figure out whether I’ve read a book before. This past summer I was mulling over a book, and decided to check it out. As I was writing my name on the card I found that I checked it out 10 years prior, to the month.

I am very picky when it comes to books I read. A safe bet is if it was on Oprah’s book club list, I won’t read it.

I enjoy crime/thriller/mystery type of books such as Sue Graton, Mary Higgins Clark, Patricia Cornwell, David Baldacci, etc.

There are always wild cards that I end up trying out and loving as well.

If you loved Judy Blume as a child, I highly recommend reading Summer Sisters. It is not my “type” of book, but it is one of my adult favorites.

Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City combines my favorite things, murder, mystery, and history. Huge thumbs up.

If you have any interest in social justice issues, or you have a soul, I cannot recommend enough Picking Cotton by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton with Erin Torneo.

One of the required books for my Economy and Society course in undergrad was Juliet B. Schor’s Born to Buy and I hated to admit it at the time, but it left a lasting impact on me. Marketing, commercialization, and values all wrapped into one. There are charts too which really get my rocks off.

Joyce Egginton’s From Cradle to Grave is a must read for anyone interested in Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy or the lack of interagency cooperation in the 1970s. It is a real life account of Marybeth Tinning’s nine children and their untimely deaths. It chronicles the case from the early years, to her suspicion of MSBP, and her arrest and trial.

I have a huge list of amazing books on the intersection of psychology and the law if anyone is interested.

But really, I need some new books. Any suggestions? Remember, nothing I would see on daytime television. Yuck.

*I need lots of suggestions because I am a speed reader.