In high school, I was one of those kids that looked forward to receiving the summer reading assignment. I rushed to the library, checked the books out, devoured them and had the papers written within the first month of summer. Perhaps I also wanted to get it out of the way so I could move on to my own personal summer reading list. There is something about long days spent by a pool or on a porch that makes me want to get comfortable in a lounge chair and get lost in another world.

On my list for this summer:

Looking for Alaska by John Green

With The Fault in Our Stars coming out this weekend, I'm in a John Green mood. And everyone has told me that Looking for Alaska was their favorite of his.

Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

I couldn't get enough of The Secret History, also by Donna Tart. Mystery, murder, prep schools and teenagers with trust funds make for some of my favorite reading. Goldfinch is another book that has been on almost every "must read" list lately. I've heard that it is a little tedious to get through and it most likely not a pool read.

Longbourn by Jo Baker

This is the Upstairs Downstairs version of Pride and Prejudice that tells about the orphaned housemaid in the Bennett household. I will not pretend nor get my hopes up that this will live up to Pride and Prejudice, but it's nice to read about one of my favorite stories from a different point of view.

For previous book reviews and recommendations, click here.

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I want to start this review off by saying that if you are looking for a fun, lighthearted book to skim while lounging by the pool, then don't pick up "The Storyteller." If you have read any other of Picoult's books, you know what I mean. (Anyone remember "My Sister's Keeper"? They should have sold a box of Kleenex along with it.)

"The Storyteller" centers around one elderly man's wish for forgiveness. Joseph Weber has a long-buried secret that he has to get off his chest. He befriends Sage, a solitary baker who prefers the nocturnal schedule of baking bread and pastries for the early morning customers to dealing with people. After they meet at grief counseling, they strike an unlikely friendship because they both have baggage they would rather not share.

Joseph confesses that he was a Nazi soldier working in one of the concentration camps. Because he knows Sage is a Jew, he believes that her forgiveness of his actions sixty years prior can absolve his sins for the thousands of others that watched murdered. So what is Sage to do? Does she forgive this frail 90 year old man for the heinous crimes that he committed in his youth? I will not spoil any more of the plot, because there are several major twists and turns. 

In high school, my English class did a large unit on Holocaust history and read the classics, Night, Anne Frank, and watched several movies. Never have I read an interpretation from the point of view of a Holocaust survivor's grandchild (Spoiler: Sage's grandmother survived living in Auschwitz.) While not based on a true story, "The Storyteller" faces the issue of forgiveness head on.

Sage is faced with deciding to forgive Joseph, even though she is not the person who truly has the right to forgive; they are all dead. Joseph also begs Sage to help him die. He has lived a long life, survived cancer, buried his wife and believes that he is being punished by continuing to live. Sage is faced with a moral dilemma: Is helping Joseph die the same as what he did to countless Jews? Does he deserve to get his way? 

Have the tissues on hand for this one. The recount of Sage's grandmothers experiences in the concentration camp were the most difficult part to read, however knowing that she ultimately survives, makes it bearable. "The Storyteller" will make you stop and consider the limits of forgiveness and who has the right to forgive whom.

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After spending six months trying to work my way through a comprehensive narrative of Paris' history, I decided that I needed to lighten up the reading material and take a pick off of Lauren Conrad's summer beach reads list. In all fairness to her list, Mindy Kaling's book and "The Paris Wife" were on there so I thought that all of the books were safe bets. I wasn't looking for a literary masterpiece, just something to keep me entertained while I try and ween myself off of binge tv watching. 

Even after reading mostly negative reviews of "Girls in White Dresses" on Amazon, I decided to download it anyways because I had heard people talking about it a lot. Let me save you the $9.99 and beg you not to buy it.

The plot centers around a group of college friends who are trying to cope with their love lives while watching all of their other friends get married and have kids. And after 5 people I know got married the other week, I thought, "Maybe I can relate to this." 

No. I vow never to be as whiny or as dependent on alcohol as these girls. I would say 80% of the book took place at one bar or another, even as several of them became new moms. {Which reminds me of the line from "Sweet Home Alabama" when Reese is all like "You brought a baby...to a bar." Hilarious.}

And then there was the schizophrenic writing style. I'm still not sure exactly who all of the main characters were because Jennifer Close kept jumping from one story line to another like the characters jumped from one desperate relationship to another. 

Anyways, you may be wondering why I took the time to make it to the end. Maybe it is some sort of innate need for closure, or maybe I was just desperate for some event to really bring all of the girls back together and unite all of their stories. But sadly, no. 

The positives about this book: you can read it in about two days. And if you need motivation to stay on the elliptical, but know everyone around will hate you for turning Bravo on, then this is the perfect gym read. It takes about zero concentration.

So the first Summer reading attempt was a bust. Up next on my list is "Z: A novel about Zelda Fitzgerald." I have high hopes for this one. If you are on the lookout for another book, you should definitely read "Tigers in Red Weather" by Liza Kaussmann. It was recommended on Elle. Actually, I'll put together my own summer reading list for you. But only of books that I've read and think are worthy of your time spent away from summer reruns. 

And apparently you can check out e-books from the Valdosta library now? This town and went all high tech while I've been gone. If this is true, I'm going to be one happy camper.