Wherever you’re headed for the Labor Day weekend, we’ve chatted up some of our favorite authors, publishing peeps and fans for their must-reads for the long weekend.
It’s the end of
summer and, hopefully, you’re planning on a fun getaway or chilling with friends and family!
What book peeps are reading
Bethanne Patrick, managing editor of The Book Studio, a project of WETA-PBS, and known on Twitter as The Book Maven recommends:
Julie & Julia by Julie Powell
“You’ve seen the movie, now read the book already! You should also read My Life in France by Julia Child, written with her nephew Alex Prudhomme,” says Bethanne.
“If you have these two books, your Labor Day beach bag is set.”
Bethanne also recommends:
That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo – full of sly humor and slimmer than his other novels.
Prospect Park West by Amy Sohn
Bethanne says “This is a delicious send up of Mommies Who Think Too Much.
This book has it all: Sex, celebrity and…Real Estate. It’s been optioned by Sarah Jessica Parker for HBO. Read it now so
you can critique later!”
Kristin
Zimmermann, assistant editor of Barnes & Noble.com, recommends these books for Labor Day and after:
Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater by Frank Bruni
This is a memoir about a chubby boy with a hearty appetite from a food-loving family who battles disordered eating and goes on to become the restaurant critic for the New York Times
– without any food-writing experience.
“It’s a true story—uh, what’s not to like?” says Zimmermann.
How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World: The Art of Living with Style, Class, and Grace by Jordan Christy — “I chose this because it looks interesting and cute and it just came
out,” she says.
And Zimmermann recommends pre-ordering these two highly anticipated books which come out just after Labor Day:
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (available on 9/8/09)
“Sparks is a best-selling author for a reason. I can’t think of a book of his that I didn’t like and I’m looking forward to his latest,” says Zimmermann.
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (available 9/15/09)
“Sure to be huge—there’s already tons of hype. I loved Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code, so I’m dying to get my hands on this!” she says.
What other
authors are reading
Megan McCafferty
Author of teen chick lit Sloppy Firsts and four more Jessica Darling books, picks these books for Labor Day:
Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick:
“An unflinching look at one teenage soldier’s experiences in Iraq. It should be read alongside classic war novels like
Red Badge of Courage or April Morning,” says McCafferty.
Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan:
Another book about a heavy subject: 9/11. “But if it’s like Levithan’s other books, the characters will be so much like people I know in real life that I won’t be able to put it down,”
she says.
Andromeda Klein by Frank Portman:
McCafferty says, “This book about a teenage occultist promises to be as inventive and entertaining as Portman’s first novel,
King Dork. And yet, it’s totally different. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.”
Jane Green:
One of our all-time favorite Chick Lit novelists, Jane Green (and one of our 7 fab authors to follow on Twitter) recommends:
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper:
SheKnows Chick Lit agrees with Lady Jane on this incredible book — which we gobbled up in mere hours. It’s the laugh out loud story of one hilariously dysfunctional family. After the
patriarch of the family dies, the rest of the family — the mom and the somewhat grown kids grant his dying wish and spend the week together sitting Shiva to mourn his death. You
will laugh, you will cry and you will love this book.
The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan:
This is a wry, smart and sometimes heart-wrenching memoir about a newspaper columnist who is a mother, a daughter and a strong woman who faces cancer – her own and her father’s.
Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke:
From the popular Chick Lit is Not Dead blog and authors of I’ll Have Who She’s Having, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke are
reading these delicious books over Labor Day weekend:
Twenties Girl by Sophie
Kinsella:
“Kinsella’s books make any vacation complete. They’re so good, you forget to feel guilty for refusing to swim with your kids in the pool,” said Liz and Lisa.
The Embers by Hyatt Bass:
“We’re very excited to read Hyatt Bass’s debut novel if for no other reason than she has a fabulous name! Well that and her book is also endorsed by our favorite girl, Allison Winn
Scotch.”
The Divorce Party by Laura Dave:
“We just can’t get enough of this book and want to read it a second time now that we hear it’s being made into a movie!” says Liz and Lisa.
What Chick Lit Fans Are Reading
Fans of the Chick Lit is Not Dead Facebook page wrote in with what they’ll be reading for Labor Day weekend.
Among the most common titles:
Hope in a Jar by Beth Harbison
Gone to the Dogs by Mary Guterson
Love of Her Life by Harriet Evans
Hens Reunited by Lucy Diamond
The Embers by Hyatt Bass
Names My Sisters Call Me by Megan Crane
I’ll Have Who She’s Having by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb
Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
About You by Julie Buxbaum
Time of Your Life by Allison Winn Scotch
The Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux
Candy Girl by Diablo Cody
So, SheKnows Chick Lit Fans — pick up one or more of these fabulous books and get to reading…and happy Labor Day!
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