Are You There Judy? It’s Me, Jen.

With summer almost upon us, I must prepare for the season by compiling my TBR list. I like to keep books in every room of my house, in each bag or purse, in the cars and next to most of my appliances. This way, if I ever have a moment where my eyes are not supposed to be on something else, like children or the stove, I can scan the immediate area for a book and squeeze off a scene or chapter before something else needs my attention. I get quite a lot of reading done this way.

Of course, nothing beats a long, leisurely read, but I only get those on birthdays and anniversaries. Any other day and I’m too laden with guilt to enjoy what I’m reading. If I wait until night, I’m lucky to get one cheek under the sheet before I’m dead to the world.

Shhh, I'm trying to sleep.
Shhh, I’m trying to sleep.

I asked my friends for suggestions for the TBR pile. Boy, there are some good ones:

All the Light We Cannot See

Bossypants

The Good Lord Bird

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

I just mailed this one to mom: The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America’s First Serial Killer

It looked so chilling I also sent along this blanket:

 

Brrr. My mom and I love anything about serial killers!

Then there’s this terrific list from Publishers Weekly.

I think the TBR mountain is coming along nicely.

One of my friends asked me what was my favorite summer read. That’s easy.

Look at the cover! A beach, waves, straw hats. Adirondack chairs! That’s how you know you have a summer read winner. Can’t go wrong with a cover of Adirondack chairs.

I have to read this book every summer. It’s about two friends who grow up together. One is from a wealthy family and one is from a working class family. IT’S SO GOOD. And chock full of WTF moments like when the girls discover their “power,” buzzing from between their legs or how Caitlin doesn’t bathe for an entire summer. Crazy. But it’s so good that you don’t even skip a beat to think about how weird that is until the end when your endorphins are pumping and you look up to focus on the wall across the room and then you think, “did Caitlin really just make out with the movie star renting down the street from her after he paid her for babysitting his kids while he took his movie star wife out to dinner?”

Yes. Yes, she did. Caitlin’s the rich one.

Judy Blume is my favorite all-time writer. From Super-Fudge to Wifey, I’ve read ’em all. I’ve learned a lot about life and, ahem, other things from reading her books. Forever immediately comes to mind.

Did you know that maxi pads used to come with little belts that you wore around your waist? That was way before my time. But, weird, right? Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret was all about it.

Sadly, Ms. Blume (my favorite all-time writer) is coming to my town and I didn’t hear about it until it was too late. All the tickets sold in hours. I wish she would bottle her writing mojo and send it to me as an apology for not personally reaching out to her number one fan (me) regarding her visit to my city.

Perhaps, I could find her hotel. This is a small city. There are only about half a dozen I’d need to steal a maid’s uniform for call. Then I would just simply camp out in the lobby and wait for her to come down. I know what she looks like because I have pictures of her wallpapered all over one wall of my office. I have even attached my face on  her body on some of them so it looks like we are one person. So cute. Try it. It’s one of my Pinterest Boards. Then we could have coffee together and talk like the old friends I think we are. If she doesn’t want to do that, then I’ll have coffee and talk to her through the top of the trunk of my car.

KIDDING.

Totally kidding. Would. Not. Do. That.

So…where were we?

Yes. Send me your reading suggestions. Thanks, that’d be great.

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Jen

Texas author, Jen Sako should have songwriting awards in both rock n' roll and country music but she can't sing. Instead she uses her storytelling skills to write novels involving a heroine who is a work in progress and usually sets beautiful people around mountains, lakes and oceans. Although she believes folks should always fight for what they want, she also likes peace and quiet. When she is not exercising or eating sugar-free, she can be found with one or more of the following: wine, chocolate, bacon, French fries or a good Spanish cheese. Her romance stories are funny, emotional, sexy and probably contain exotic cars. Her motto is everybody makes mistakes and she strives to give and seek forgiveness. Otherwise, her inner teenager loves a hot rockstar and juicy celebrity news. She wants a maid for her house and is insanely jealous of smart people.

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