Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: Late Summer & a Look at My eReader

What's with reading this summer?

Judging from my Twitter feed I am not alone in lamenting the slowdown in reading over the last few weeks. First we had week-long, back-to-back political conventions. Then, before we even had time to take a breath, it was time for the Summer Olympics.What's a reader to do?

My normal reading habits are to listen to an audiobook from the end of work until we sit down to eat dinner. Then I typically have a couple of hours for print/eReading until we cap off the evening with about an hour of TV.

Because we've just had about four weeks of nightly viewing, pretty much all my reading has been via audiobooks. I am soooo freakin behind in my print reading!

I plan to spend the next two weeks trying to make up some ground, but after Labor Day, I think I'll just move on to fall. Discouraging, I know.

Here's what's left on my eReader for August. Not sure what I'll tackle first.

The Book by Keith Houston: The subtitle says it all: "A Cover-to-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time." (nonficiton; Norton).

Carousel Court by Joe McGinniss Jr.: A much-praised story about a young couple who moves to southern California only to find themselves struggling in the economic downturn. Each secretly schemes to reverse their fortunes. (fiction; Simon & Schuster)

How to Party with an Infant by Kaui Hart Hemmings: This novel focuses on a single mother who tries to find her footing in San Francisco by writing a cookbook and pretending she isn't upset that the father of her child is about to marry another woman. (fiction; Simon & Schuster)

Tell me Something Real by Calla Devlin: This new adult novel is about three very different sisters who are juggling college and early careers with caring for their gravely ill mother. (fiction; Atheneum Books for Young Readers)

The French War Bride by Robin Wells: Set in contemporary Louisiana with flashbacks to occupied France, this book is about how two women, now elderly and once rivals, fared in the postwar years. (historical fiction; Berkley)

The Kingdom of Speech by Tom Wolfe: An exploration of the importance of speech as a driving force in human cultural evolution. This is supposed to be controversial. (nonfiction; Little, Brown)

Seven Skeletons by Lydia Pyne: A look the evolution of humankind through the exploration of what we know about the lifestyles of seven significant fossil hominids. Apparently I'm reliving my former academic life. (nonfiction; Viking)

The Peculiar Miracles of Antoinette Martin by Stephanie Knipper: Set in Kentucky, this is the story of two sisters and a young girl with autism who has a special gift for healing. The book explores family, being different, and making sacrifices. (fiction; Algonquin)