Summertime is my absolute favorite time of year.   Nothing makes me happier than spending an afternoon in complete silence, laying in my lounge chair on the back deck, reading a great book – and yes a real book.  Even though I have an iPad, its virtually impossible to read it laying in the sun.  (yeah, that Kindle commercial is dead accurate on that one)

Lately I have gotten in the habit of checking out CouponCodes4U.com to see if they have any new coupon codes out for the things I am looking to buy.  This week I was excited to find some Barnes and Noble coupon codes that I was happy to put to use right away.  Here is my Summer Reading List for 2012:

1. 50 Shades of Grey

Yes, it is #1 at Amazon and #1 on my list too.  Truth be told I am already 5 chapters in to this one and so far…I’m not impressed.   Maybe it is because I am not a fan of women being portrayed as weak, impressionable muses for the big, overbearing why-does-no-one-think-Christian-Grey-is-a-stalker kind of guy.   I can tell you this, if I met a man and three days later did a drunk dial, and he showed up and escorted me out of a bar… he would be slapped with a restraining order before my hangover was even gone.  But alas, my friend Ivette swears to me it gets better… so I trudge along…

2. You Can’t Drink All Day If You Don’t Start In The Morning

I figure after 528 pages of Grey I will need some mindless Chick Lit to recover.  You Can’t Drink All Day If You Don’t Start In The Morning is written by Celia Rivenbark and showed up on my “suggested reads” after I purchased Good Christan Bitches.  (Since the show GCB is getting poor ratings and rumors have it that its on the chopping block for being canceled, I absolutely must read the book to find out what happens.)  Celia’s other titles include “You Don’t Sweat Much for a Fat Girl,” “We’re Just Like You, Only Prettier,” and “Bless Your Heart, Tramp“… I may have to add Celia Rivenbark to my “people I want to have lunch with” list.

3.  Worth Every Penny: Build a Business That Thrills Your Customers and Still Charge What You’re Worth

Not every book I read is mindless – in fact I love a good inspirational business read like “Worth Every Penny” sounds to be.  Every day I work with women all over the globe who struggle with charging people what they really feel they are worth – both in the Party Plan Industry AND in the Blogosphere.  It saddens me daily how people struggle with this, and they belittle themselves and sell themselves out for pennies.  I hope to get some inspiration on how to help these ladies – because screaming from the rooftops “Dammit you are worth more than that!!”  doesn’t seem to be working well enough.

4. Guilty Wives

I love James Patterson.  I read the first three books of the Women’s Murder Club in 4 days.   This is a shorter novel than Patterson normally writes, and the reviews are quit mixed – making me want to read it even more to judge for myself.  James Patterson has sold more books than any other Author ever according to the Guinness Book of World Records, so I cant imagine this is less than fantastic.

5. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: (A Mostly True Memoir)

Jenny Lawson is better known as The Bloggess, and truly one of my absolute favorite bloggers in the whole world.   I can spend hours perusing her site literally laughing out loud to every single post.   I truly cant wait to get my hands on this book – complete with pictures of course – and just devour it.  I am sure this will make for many laughs during my Monthly Fondue Nights with my besties.

What is on your Summer Reading List?