Sunday Notes on Monday 5/19/14

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that every Sunday I play a little game with myself. One of the first sections I read in the Washington Post is the Outlook section, which includes the book reviews. I flip straight to the last page to check out the Washington Bestseller list. This week’s list focused on paperbacks—it alternates between paperbacks and hardcovers. You can find my scoring system in the May 6, 2013 post. Oh joy! I’ve read half the books on the list, with Inferno by Dan Brown and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn holding the number one and two spots, respectively.

This week I also glanced at the New York Times best seller list. I was delighted to see that I’d read half of the books on their paperback list as well. Gone Girl topped that list too, followed by The Longest Ride. Both are great reads—and yes, I’ve blogged about them.

Last week, I mentioned I’d be compiling a list of some of my favorite recent reads and posting suggestions for summer reading. I went back through my notes and realized I’ve read quite a few books I’ve truly enjoyed. So, over the next week, I’ll be sharing my favorites—hopefully by category. I say “hopefully” because, well, I’m a Gemini. Doing things in an orderly fashion sometimes drives me a little crazy, so we’ll see how it goes.

I’ve also renewed my quest to find good books for summer that aren’t necessarily on the bestseller lists. As much as I love my little game and the thrill of scoring big by reading chart-toppers, I’m venturing into the world of lesser-known gems. Yes, I’ll sacrifice my score to boldly go where good books quietly live. I’m starting this week with The Apartment. I’ve just begun reading it, so I can’t say too much yet.

Wishing you a wonderful week—and happy reading!