Summer Reading Recommendations - Jog outside in 100% humidity or curl up in front of the window unit with a compelling read...hmmm....

It's not quite as cozy as the fireplace; however, if you manipulate the temperature control, the system will produce a cool enough gust to cause the need for a cuddly fleece blanket. Everyone has access to a fleece blanket in the beginning of August, right?

Reading is a wonderful and relaxing activity, unfortunately, we tend to only have a few moments here and there to catch up with all of those neatly stacked books biding their time on the bedside table. There are the moments before we pass out at night and we convince ourselves that we can knock out a chapter or two - right. Usually, it's a one paragraph deal, depending on the events that occurred prior to sleeping. There are the Metro and Bus moments - you hop on-board thinking about the ten minutes of bliss, just you, your book and your headphones. Instead of solitude and enjoyment, you find yourself elbow-to-elbow with every other soul in DC who commutes to work. Sometimes, it really does feel like 1/2 million people are crammed onto the metro car that you swear looked completely empty and free of madness. This is not what I would call an ideal reading environment.

When you finally make it to a vacation destination or, you have a few hours on a Saturday, here are some recommended reads:

• Thank You for Smoking by Christopher Buckley
  Some of the best satirical writing ever! I could not put this one down!
  
  
• Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates
  It's as if she's inside the head of Mary Jo Kopechne.
  
  
• Villa Incognito by Tom Robbins Just plain weird and wonderful and completely fantastical.

Just can't quite bring myself to get into the world of Harry Potter - I have made it 3/4 of the way through the first book, but I'm not salivating for more. I believe I may be the only one in the world - apparently, some people live and breath "Harry". My co-worker took a day off of work to read the new book, in it's entirety. I don't think the children of Rwanda are waiting in anticipation for the next Harry Potter book - but then again, I still think that "Where's Waldo" is still a trendy thing.