Thirteen Books I Bought This Summer

Hello, everyone! Ciao a tutti! It's good to be back, although I am still bit a jetlagged. Bleah.

In what is becoming something of a habit, now, I spent the summer months in the US while my handsome hubby stayed behind in Italy to work. While this isn't exactly optimal, it has to suffice until I become a multi-million-selling writer and he can retire early to ride his bike and become my full-time toy-boy.

In light of this fact, I needed alternatives to pass my time when I wasn't doing the final, final, OHMYGODI'MSOGLADIFINISHEDTHESETHINGS!!!! edits, or when I wasn't actively watching Le Tour de France on Versus (and silently screaming every time they mentioned that this was Lance's final Tour - we knew, guys, WE KNEW, ALREADY!!!).

In other words, I needed something to do when it wasn't July.

Anyway, this week, to ease myself back into the groove, I've decided to share

13 Books I Bought This Summer

I bought a lot of books for my mom, who, like me, doesn't read books, but eats them. I decided to turn her on to a couple of authors I admire, and she really enjoyed the selections I made. But I purchased the following titles on her behalf.

I started off with a bang - or four, actually - all of which were by my Critique Partner, the lovely and talented Nell Dixon:

1) Animal Instincts

2) Blue Remembered Heels

3) Crystal Clear

4) Just Look at Me Now (this was my first project with Nell, and I'm soooo proud of how well it turned out!)

5) Last Night in Twisted River (Actually, this was *my* copy, but Mom read it before I left the US to come home. It took her a few days.)

6) The World According to Garp (I couldn't let Mom go another day without reading this one! I couldn't believe she hadn't read it already.)

7) Whom Must I Kill to Get Published? (Another title by a friend, which I purchased for Mom. She really enjoyed it, too!)

The book-buying frenzy continued, of course. I need more books just for myself! And so, I purchased these titles:

8) Son of a Witch (The sequel to an old favorite of mine, Wicked - which I discovered by chance in 2001.)

9) A Lion Among Men (The second sequel to Wicked - I haven't read it yet, but I have high hopes for it.)

10) That Summer in Sicily (I haven't read this one, yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Marlena De Blasi writes with a wonderful balance between the bitter and the sweet when it comes to recounting her Italian life. I'm hoping it holds true here, where she's writing about someone else.)

11) Tulagi Hotel (Yet another book by a friend, I have already read this one, and I haven't. I got to read an early draft in book form, before it was heavily edited and had some revisions done. I think it'll be great.)

12) Die a Dry Death (Another Diiarts friend wrote this, and I'm looking forward to reading all the grisly and well-researched details of this novel. I read chunks of this in a preliminary draft and was captivated. I reckon I will enjoy the final product even more.)

And, finally, a two-fer! I was doing "research" by watching the Tour de France in July, and thought I'd like to have something besides my own notes to refer to when it was over. Luckily for me, I found two great titles for that purpose.

13a) Tour de France for Dummies (Yes, I qualify. I understand the sport, but this book - although a tad outdated - had tons of inside info I can use in 27 Stages!)

13b) Roadie - the Misunderstood world of a Bike Racer (I loved this one! It brought back so many memories of tagging along with my cousin when he raced amateur races in the US when we were teenagers. It's both informative and hilarious, full of great details about life in the amateur or semi-pro peloton, and breaks all the info down so even absolute beginners can understand what this crazy sport is really all about.)

So, there you go! 13 Books I Bought This Summer!









Yes, I know...











Not even a long break from routine can make me forget!















So, here you go:

And hey, he fits the theme! :)

Ciao for now!