Vacation reads

Packing up for a lakeside vacation with my family can be a tremendous amount of work, and when the truck is finally loaded it probably looks to the neighbors like we're moving--Pak n Play, kid size table and chairs, fishing poles, suitcases, my favorite coffee mug....and books. Lots and lots and lots of books. I have started to pack mine in a laundry basket, because the sides of my suitcase are looking a little weepy. And of course, it's fewer actual books than it used to be due to my occasional Kindle use, but I still like a good hardback from the library. Oh, and then there's the magazines. I definitely read my share of celebrity gossip magazines while on vacation. With all that reading, it's amazing I got in the lake at all. 

Here's what I read:

I finished Books 4 and 5 of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. They are super engaging and I feel better prepared to teach my Honors Social Studies class, since all those brainy kids have read these books and know all about the Greek gods because of it. But darn Rick Riordan went and wrote a series about Egyptian mythology so now I've got to read those, too. Good thing they're pretty enjoyable (and quick). 

I also read Explosive Eighteen of the Stephanie Plum series. She did NOT choose between her two ridiculously attractive boyfriends in this installment, so I absolutely REFUSE to read number nineteen. Unless I have nothing else to read, or it just sounds good, or.... ok, maybe I'll read it. They're fun. Also, my mother in law says I really need to read the first one because it just sets the tone for the others, even though I saw the movie and they all seem kind of the same to me. We'll see.

Because I like to know what to expect when I read, especially on vacation, I brought three other books by authors I already knew. The first one I picked up was Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner-- a vacation favorite of mine. But actually, this wasn't the typical story I've come to expect from her.  For one thing, it was about multiple characters rather than one main female character. Also, it didn't seem to follow her stages-in-life style of writing: her first few books were about single life, then marriage, then kids. Maybe the kids stage is lasting so long that she needed to branch out. This one was about four women--an egg donor, surrogate, adoptive mother, and step-daughter of the adoptive mother. The interaction between them is interesting, and there is a poignant ending, but it didn't feel very real or relatable. I think Weiner's attractiveness in her earlier writing is that every woman has at one time felt the way her characters feel. These women just weren't as well rounded as her other characters, maybe because there were more of them. However, I usually really like a story with multiple intersections of characters, so even though it wasn't classic Weiner, it was still good read, especially on vacation.

Next in the pile was a book by Sara Gruen. If you don't know that name, you surely know her bestseller, Water for Elephants, which remains one of my favorite books and top recommendations of all time. This book, Riding Lessons, was actually published before Water and you can kind of tell. The writing is less subtle, the characters not especially endearing, even the main character. When Annemarie's marriage falls apart and her daughter is in total rebellion, she returns to her family and their stable/riding school, only to find her father dying of ALS, which might make you feel sorry for her. But Annemarie is like an older, American version of Bridget Jones. She continuously makes assumptions, speaks before thinking, and attempts to cover up mistakes that have near-disastrous consequences. I was a little annoyed with her at times. But I think Annemarie's saving grace is her relationship with her horse, which is beautiful and intriguing. Interestingly, learning to love a horse is also what saves her daughter. There's the expected happy ending (thank you, Sarah) and though the back of the book talks about a sequel (Flying Lessons), I'm not sure I can handle any more screw ups by Annemarie. I'd rather leave them where they are--happy with their horses.

Near the end of the trip I had two books left (good planning), and I chose House Rules by Jodi Picoult. I used to read everything she wrote but it all started to seem the same--multiple voices (one per chapter, with their own font) telling a story that revolves around a current issue such as repressed memories, school shootings, abortion, etc. I knew this wouldn't be a light read, obviously, but I also knew basically what it would be about. And unlike the previous two, this one met my expectations. Knowing who the narrators are kind of tells you the plot--a mom, a 15 year old boy, an 18 year old boy with Asperger's, a cop, and a lawyer. In other words, the boy with Asperger's is accused of murder. To me it was a fascinating study of Asperger's, which is on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum. I had a student with Asperger's one year, and while he seemed even more adapted to life than this boy (Jacob only wears clothes and eats foods of certain colors on certain days), it made me wonder how much more was going on inside him than I knew. Of course, this is true of all people, and that was the mom's point in the whole book--Jacob is different, but aren't we all? 

So what was the last book, the one I brought home? The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I may be the last person on the planet to have not read this book, but I'm a little scared of it. I couldn't say why. But the library loan on my Kindle has almost ended, so I'd better get reading.