My Summer Reading List 2016

Friday, November 4, 2016
Comics/ Graphic Novels




Wonder Woman at Super Hero High by Lisa YeeWonder Woman Vol. 1: BloodWonder Woman Vol. 2: Guts This summer I wanted to inject some girl power into my reading. First I picked up Wonder Woman at Super Hero High on Hoopla which follows Wonder Woman during her first year at Super Hero High where her classmates include Harley Quinn, Batgirl and other DC female super heros and villians. It's the kind of book I would have loved in elementary school, but it's defiantly geared towards a younger crowd. However, this book inspired me to check out the new 52 Wonder Woman series which did not disappoint. I love how several Greek mythology characters are tied into the stories!

Lumberjanes Vol 1 & 2 and Issues #9-11. I stumbled onto this comic book series on a whim (I was attracted by the all-girl characters and fun illustrations) and I am so glad I did! This series is all about friendship, adventure and girl-power- all taking place at a summer camp. Once I started reading this series, I could not put it down! It's also suitable for all ages.

Jonesy Issue # 1 This was another Hoopla discovery. This comic follows Jonesy, a self described high school "cool dork" who has the power to make other people fall in love- if only she were able to get her crushes to fall in love with her! I found this character to be super relatable and the story lines and illustrations are bright, poppy and fun.

Patience by Daniel Clowes I've been a huge fan of Daniel Clowes' graphic novels since my undergrad college days. This is a psychedelic sci-fi love story about a man who travels in time to save his lady love. It was gut-wrenching!

Fiction



Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant I added this book to my 'must read' list before my trip to Paris last Fall but didn't get around to reading it until this summer. This book tells the story of an opportunistic young man corrupted by social status and power. Although it was written in the 19th century, the themes and storyline still feel modern.

The Vacationers by Emma Straub I'll confess that at one point during the summer I really wanted to go on vacation, but with searching for a new job and recently moving to a new place, that wasn't a possibility...so I picked up this book. It was a fun, distracting get-a-way, but the characters weren't super likeable or memorable.

The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney It seemed like everyone was reading this book over the summer, so when I saw it available at my local library I had to pick it up. This story follows the lives of the Plumb family a wealthy, dysfunctional family, as they attempt to come to terms and sort out the stipulations of their trust fund. Although I couldn't relate to their situation and didn't find any of the characters all that likeable, it was hard to put down.

Non-Fiction



Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to and Living in Portland by Bryan Geon My husband found this as an eBook on Amazon and I read it cover to cover over the course of a week. I found it very helpful to get oriented around the city- I only wish that I would have given it a look sooner.

The Pursuit of Perfect: How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Start Living a Richer, Happier Life by Tal Ben-Shahar Having recently read (ahem...listened to) Happier by the same author, I decided to check out another audiobook by the same author. The Persuit of Perfect had a lot of good and inspiring ideas, but this book was narrated by a different author whose voice frequently put me to sleep.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin I loved this book! I felt like Gretchen Rubin took the ideas and concepts from Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar and actually put them into practice which made the pursuit of happiness (or being happier) seem all the more achievable.

Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein This book was an Our Shared Shelf book club pick and, being a fan of Portlandia and the Riot Girl movement (albeit I wasn't big into Sleater- Kinney) I was super excited to read this. However this book turned out to be a huge disappointment for me. Not only was a large part of the book focused on Brownstein's Sleater-Kinney days (yawn), but I found her to be kind of a drama queen. This book won't keep me from watching Portlandia though.

Wildflower by Drew Barrymore Maybe it's the 90's kid in me, but I loved listening to Drew Barrymore's autobiography as told by Drew. She overcame a difficult childhood and addiction and has blossomed into an inspiring actress, director, producer and mother. Although, after listening to the chapters gushing about her husband, I was sad to learn that they were divorcing.
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