Summer is officially in the air which means the beginning of vacations, camping trips, 4th of July celebrations and trips to the beach! It also means the end of the Spring Reading Thing challenge which is hosted annually by Katrina @ Callapidder Days.

This Spring I challenged myself to read seven books (you can click here to read my original post for the challenge). While I didn’t read all of the books I’d originally selected for the challenge, I did manage to read seven books – actually I read nine, which I think is pretty great in and of itself, don’t you?

The only book, actually, from my original selection that I read this Spring was:

The Lightening Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Book One) by Rick Riordan – Finished May 19, 2010 – This series is becoming very popular and I can see why. It combines a lot of very cool themes and ideas, some trendy, some slightly more novel. I think it’s a really cool way to introduce kids to Greek mythology and it touches on a lot of other cool, interesting things, too. Great for kids ; for adults, I would warn that it can feel a little predictable sometimes and in the beginning especially, it might feel really obvious that you are reading a book intended for kids, but it definitely sucked me in at the end and I plan to read Book 2 soon.

But I also read…

1. Never Tell Our Business To Strangers by Jennifer Mascia – Finished April 2, 2010 – This is the memoir of Jennifer Mascia who tells the story of a childhood on the lam, intricate family secrets and betrayals and the incredible power to love. It’s strangely relatable when you are not expecting it to be – and more powerful than I anticipated. I laughed, I cried… clichéd but it’s true. – full review –
2. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert – Finished April 16, 2010 – This book has sat on my bookshelf for years, waiting for me to read it. I can’t believe it took me so long, looking back – it is incredible. I loved every page, every paragraph. Gilbert is an incredible writer and her story was just as good – I almost can’t believe it’s nonfiction. I look forward to reading her other books. – full review –
3. The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz – Finished April 25, 2010 – I always love a good Spellman Files book and this one was no exception. Lutz’ series is like nothing I’ve ever read before and it’s quite an indulgence. Couldnotputitdown. Quite possibly her best one yet! – full review –
4. Sweet Life by Mia King – Finished May 8, 2010 – This was my first Mia King book and I really enjoyed it – a good old fashioned chick lit book that made you laugh, cry, etc. It touches on a lot of topics that I think any mother can relate to and even comes with some yummy recipes! – full review –
5. Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat by Michelle May- Finished May 19, 2010 – I really enjoyed this book – it’s not necessarily new information but it’s definitely something I think a lot of people should read and know. This is not a diet book – it will not tell you how much of whatever to necessarily eat or do or not eat or do. It’s about relearning how to eat instinctively and to not feel guilty about your decisions. I’d definitely recommend it. – full review –
6. The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan – Finished June 9, 2010 – I really enjoyed this memoir. It describes Kelly’s battle with breast cancer but also talks about that middle place in your life where you are both a child and a parent, and has a lot of stories from her childhood up to present date. Really beautifully written.
7. What Your Preschooler Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch – Finished June 18, 2010 – I really enjoyed reading through this book with my son. He loved the poems and some of the history stories the best.
8. The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson, Book 2) by Rick Riordan – Finished June 20, 2010 – I’m really enjoying this series. I still feel like the main character sometimes seem a little, um, stupid or maybe just dense? But I love the story, the occasional comments on environmentalism and the Greek mythology references. A great series so far, overall.

I think the best book I read this Spring would have to be Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert but I really enjoyed all of the books I read this Spring and I’m looking forward to my summer reading. I actually haven’t decided which book I will pick up next, but I’m sure it will be fantastic!

How did you do with your Spring reading?