GET THE LIST AS A DOWNLOADABLE PDF- click here (  ~262k)
	Need Acrobat Reader? Get it here . . .

Have you noticed how books, in just the past 12 months, have become almost quaint? Borders is closing stores right and left. Libraries are migrating to new platforms for sharing e-books. A gadzillion reading devices (Nook, Kindle, Kobe, iPad…) are in the hands of people who, until last summer, read ACTUAL BOOKS. And Amazon announced that e-books now officially outsell hard copy.

The fragmentation of readership is doing to bestseller lists what cable did to the networks. It’s tough to find a book that LOTS of people recommend, because there were a million new titles published last year, each with a readership of about 500 people. Yikes!

Since the world of reading’s gone all weird on us, I decided that this year is as good as any for changing the format of my Summer Reading List.

I decided this year to mix a bit of new with some classic old. Some titles come up year after year as new readers discover great works from past years, so I dug into my archives for the best of the past 11 years. Then I added in a few new entries, and I offer the list for your consideration.

How to use this list:

Immediately following the title are a mini-description and/or Notes submitted by the person(s) who recommended the title. [Jim’s Notes: My own comments, if any, are in brackets.] I hope that you enjoy this year’s list.

Enjoy your Summer Reading! In Happiness, Jim

CONTENTS OF THE LIST:

What I‘m Taking to the Beach This Year	pg. 2
What Else I Read During the Past Year (and recommend)	pg. 3
Happiness At The Speed of Life!	pg. 5
The Rest of the Best from the Past Decade	pg. 7

 

THIS SPOT SAVED, by ????
[Jim’s Notes: As of my writing, I’m still seeking that great escapist novel, like last year’s The Passage. If you know what it is, write me before July 1! J.]

 

GET THE LIST AS A DOWNLOADABLE PDF (  ~333k)

Download Last Year’s Summer Reading List (2010) (  ~266k)

Download Jim’s Tenth Annual Summer Reading List (2009) (  ~232k)