Summer Reading Woes

Hullo dear readers,

Apologies for not writing sooner. You see, I replaced you with a two-day retreat to my family's lake house in the middle of nowhere Tennessee. No Internet, no phone service, etc. Instead of reading (GASP), I spent my days fishing, riding in a boat and helping my dad rearrange some of the lake house duds. 

 

A view from the most comfortable couch in the world.

But no fear, this Book Borrower has found WiFi at last and in no better place than my mother's front porch. Have I ever mentioned that our house shares a yard with the Robertson County library? Fret none, readers; I've attached photos to verify my tale. 

Library on left and our house on the right.

Another view. 

Yet, even with these fantastic locales, I find myself facing the one problem all readers face this time of year: the summer reading list. The guilt that comes from making a list that you know you'll never finish; the fear of starting a book only to loathe it 10 pages in; or the overwhelming sensation of simply not knowing where to start. Well, in the past 45 minutes of attempting to compose my own list, I've experienced them all. It's a yucky feeling. 

Here's my work-in-progress reading list:

1. The Passage by Justin Cronin (recommended by my mom, plus who doesn't love a vampire lore)

2. Middlemarch by George Eliot (recommended by the most interesting man in the world, Jeff Jeske)

3. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (that I borrowed from a friend over a year ago)

4. The Kings and Queens of Roam by Daniel Wallace (you know, the guy that wrote Big Fish)

5. The Memory of Old Jack by Wendell Berry (because Berry is a fabulous hippie)

6. IQ84 by Haruki Murakami (apparently it's beautifully written and compelling)

7. Southern Cross the Dog: A Novel by Bill Cheng (recommended by Ann Patchett and I have an autographed copy)

Here's the problem: these are all novels. I need some non-fiction and poetry in my life. Do send me your suggestions, recommendations and methods of avoiding the summer-reading-list woes.