In elementary school, I always participated in the public library’s summer reading program. You know the drill; you read some books and then earn prizes based on how many pages you can burn through.

Well, call me nerdy or call me blessed, but I love reading (thanks Mom and Dad) and have always been speedy. I typically completed the entire summer challenge within a few weeks, feeling a pang of disappointment at the lameness of the prizes, and for having to defend the fact that yes, I had really read that much in a month.

Old habits die hard. Here I am, 20 years later, still plowing through a summer reading list. A few friends have asked for recommendations lately, so here’s a list of what I’ve enjoyed this summer:

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected–A Memoir by Kelle Hampton

The Birth House by Ami McKay

The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain

Midwives  by Chris Bohjalian

Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed  by E.L. James *only slightly ashamed about these

The Space Between Us  by Thrity Umrigar