One of my proudest accomplishments this summer is the fact that I read four books (and counting…).  This is actually a big step for me because I rarely read for pleasure.  I mean, why read when you can watch TV (kidding, sort of).  Since I did not have a TV in my summer apartment, I went old school and actually found some good books.

When I do read for pleasure I actually tend to stick to a lot of memoirs and biographies.  For whatever reason, I find solace in knowing that the stories being told are true.  This summer I read three non-fiction books, and I strayed for the last selection and read a novel.

First up was Bossypants by Tina Fey which was pretty funny.  It’s about her life growing up and the trials and tribulations of an aspiring comedy writer.  While it was really funny, I was slightly put off by the overwhelmingly self-deprecating tone. I was looking to this book for a little girl power inspiration and I just wanted to yell at her:  “You’re a super successful woman, get some confidence!”

Next up was a recommendation from my mother: Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl who is a famous food writer/reviewer/chef  type person.  This was pretty good, and I enjoyed reading about her crazy life and career path, but there was a little bit of a disconnect for me.  While I connected to her interest in food, she grew up in the seventies which made for a much looser atmosphere.  She tells stories about traveling abroad on whim and living with her husband in a house in California with five other people who come and go as they please.  These are situations that would either not fly today, or I’m too Type A and they freak me out.  I get the nostalgia aspect, but I can’t really relate to that time period.I picked up Jeneration X in Target one night, sort of out of desperation for a new book.  I was pleasantly surprised with this one.  I’m unfamiliar with the author Jen Lancaster, but apparently she has written several books.  This book is a collection of short vignettes about her life, and little funny lessons she has learned as she is becoming an adult.  I could definitely relate to a lot of the stories, because I’m experiencing many similar lessons myself.  I think as an adult you have various experiences where you have to make real personal decisions and it’s great to find the confidence to make the right decision for yourself, regardless of the trends.  It’s nice and light hearted, I’m thinking about tracking down some of her other books.

Girls in Trucks is the wild card because it’s fiction!  I really stumbled upon this one by chance.  I was looking at Miss Bibliophile‘s weekly Friday post with a bunch of fun links.  She had a link to a website that recommended this book.  I promptly ordered it from BN and picked it up at the store.  I thought is was pretty good.  I liked it because it was similar to a memoir even though the point of view changes a few times.  It’s basically about a Southern girl growing up, moving to NYC, and deciding both consciously and unconsciously what Southern traditions to honor or ignore.

Hopefully I’ll get in one more book before it’s back the B-school literature…

What good books have you read this summer?