Anyone reading anything interesting these days or have any recommendations for summer reading/beach books?

Oh yeah... I've just finished two of David Sedaris' books. Naked and Me Talk Pretty One Day. They are a HOOT. I think you may need a bit of a peculiar sense of humour to properly appreciate them.

I LOVE Sedaris Ellis!!!! Have you ever read his story about being an elf at Christmas? "The Santaland Diaries."

Oh Den, isn't he just too funny!? Jim loaded me the books. (I told you you'd like him. heh heh)
I just downloaded the audio tape of "The Santaland Diaries" from the Internet... haven't listened to it yet.

DS16 just finished reading Dante's "Inferno", and then wanted some reading suggestions. he thought the books I suggested were BENEATH HIM!! I told him to go to the library and pick his own d@mn books out!!!!

heh heh. I still haven't finished Inferno. I should have read it at his age when I was "doing" that kind of thing. Now I'm at an age where I think, "If I don't enjoy this, I ain't readin' it!" Life is just too damned short.
I was ploughing my way through Dickens and thought, "Screw this! It's sheer misery!"
There are still a few fine classics out there that I haven't read yet, though. A few.

I loved Me Talk Pretty One Day . He is such a funny writer. The one about the poop is my favorite. My boyfriend and I read to eachother and I could NOT get through the story, I just kept laughing and couldn't get it out. Such a good book.

My Summer Reading:

Rosemary's Baby - Yuck. not scary at all. Kinda boring. Maybe in it's day it was a scary book but now, it's not.

Animal Farm - It's Orwell's 100th birthday so I'm trying to read all his books this summer. I've never read this one and everyone raves about it so it's going on the plane with me to Cincinnati on the 23rd.

Sybil - You know, the book about the crazy lady with a million personalities. Very old but kinda interesting.

Odd Girl Out - Non-fiction. About girl on girl aggression in schools. Very insightful.

Small Gods - By Terry Pratchett. Very funny. Very cute. About a God who decides to come down to earth but ends up as a tortise instead of a bull.

I'm also reading this book that I don't remember the title to.... I got it because it was in the horror section and it was about the first female exorcists in the Anglican Church. It sounded scary but it's not and it's a bit frustrating in the "how many loose ends did you want to have in this book" sort of way. Anyway know of any scary books that are NOT scary gross (Like Hot Zone) and don't say The Shining because I'm not into tomes.

I'm in mindless mode at the moment - almost finished the new Harry Potter.

I was in the middle of the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. But then Harry came out and I haven't gotton back to my series..... Book 8 comes out this month so I better get reading so I am not too far behind! lol

I highly recommend V.C Andrews, I just got done reading the Shooting Star series and it was great, all of her books are awesome. I read almost all of them.
Also Anne Rice The Witching Hour and Lasher are great. they are kind of creepy but I love them

Animal Farm is great, Jessica.

I've got a few books on the go right now. Among them a P.G.Wodehouse (I LOVE his stuff... he's a hoot) and The Greening of America, by Charles A. Reich. An oldie, but I need to read it.

Oh, and I've just read The Three Faces of Eve and several other book on multiple personalities. Sorry. Make that, "Dissociative Identity Disorder".

Jessica- I don't know if you are into horror erotica but several anthologies of short stories are :

"I Shudder at Your Touch" and " I Shudder Again" edited by Michelle Slung - Penguin Books -They include stories by Stephen King, Ruth Rendell, Clive Barker, Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman etc. etc.

"Dark Love" edited by Nancy Collins et al -Penguin Books-stories by Stephen King, Kathy Koja, Ramsey Campbell, etc. etc.

"Little Deaths: edited by Ellen Dartlow -Bantam books-stories by
Ruth Rendell, Joyce Carol Oates, Clive Barker, Kathy Koja etc.

"Dying for it" edited by Gardner Dozois-HarperPrism-stories by Ursula K. Le Guin, Tanith Lee, Robert Silverberg, etc.

Also "Love in Vein" and Love in Vein II" edited by Poppy Z. Brite -HarperPrism which are vampire erotica stories including authors
Neil Gaiman, Christopher Fowler, Lucy Taylor, Jean-Daniel Brecque etc. etc.

They are mostly spooky, weird stories but not bloodthirsty grossness!

Hi! I'm new here. I've been lurking on you gals site for quite some time. I often find that I can relate to the things you say, but I haven't quite found my way out of lurker-ville.

BUT, all that just changed. David Sedaris is one of my very favorite authors!!!! I got to go to one of his readings in April and it was great. We had fourth row seats. He was wonderful.

Let's see...my favorites in Me Talk Pretty one Day? The poop one is definitely great. I also like the line about the Grand Canyon being male against all reason. That is probably my favorite line in the book. Its just subtle enough that if you're not paying attention you might miss it.

So, anybody who likes David Sedaris find any other satirical authors you like as much? Also, have any of you seen any of the Mr. Show stuff from HBO a couple of years ago. I've found that people who like Sedaris have a tendency to like their humor.

Ok, enough rambling. Just had to jump in on this one!

Kelli

For me it's Harry Potter. I just _had_ to have the whole set two years ago for Christmas, and then I never ever read them. I tried a couple of times but I could never get into the first one at all. But then I was bored and started again, and I'm halfway through the third one. I've been reading about one a week, so I should be up to the new one soon. I just got really sucked into them finally. I am glad I am not the only adult reading these. I don't even have any kids or anything. heh.

I have some others that are waiting for me, including "The D'oh of Homer: The Simpsons and philosophy" and a few others I've neglected for a year or so.

Lizzi, I love the Harry Potter books. I just bought my daughter the latest. I wish she'd hurry up and finish it so I can get my hands on it!

Kelli, lurk no more! We want you to join us!!
Do you like Garrison Keillor? My favourite is Leaving Home. Funny and sweet. I love his characters.
Yeah, I could totally relate to the "poop story".