The first person to respond this year was our vice president, Jen Schwartz. She shared: “I’m reading The Paris Wife, by Paula Mclean, right now for my book club. It’s the story of the love affair and marriage of Hadley Richardson to Ernest Hemingway. It’s pretty good…”

 

Carol Brault our Publisher wrote: “I am reading; One Summer – set in, guess where, Charleston, because I like the south.”

 

Our director of marketing, Stuart Bonner shared that he was reading: In The Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larsen. “I’m a huge Erik Larsen fan and this book was as good as his others. It’s the story of the American ambassador to Germany during the rise of the Nazi regime prior to World War II. It was really interesting to read about this man (and his family), who was a secondary choice for the post, yet ended up playing a pivotal (though somewhat unsuccessful) role in relaying to the American government the impending danger of Hitler and the Third Reich.”

 

Stuart also shared another of his past reads: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. He wrote, “Everyone had probably read this by now but it’s a fascinating story of survival and resilience through a series of bad circumstances. The main character was an Olympic runner who went to war, was lost at sea after his Navy ship sank and then ‘rescued’ by the Japanese, only to end up in a deplorable POW camp surrounded by sadistic guards (one of whom had a torturous obsession with him). It’s a wonderful story.”

 

Richard Scott, our managing editor shared that he just finished: As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. “Dark humor abounds as we follow the story of a family searching for the burial ground of their recently deceased matriarch. Not the lightest read, but powerful. Perhaps a better summer reading choice is one I just started – Adventures in the Skin Trade by Dylan Thomas. It’s an unfinished novel presented along with a dozen or so additional short stories, so it makes a good book to pick up and spend some time with at any moment. Thomas’ writing is extremely colorful and his characters are memorable – and complex. Fantastic scenes throughout the piece.”

Emily Mullin, the newest member of our team, shared “that lately, I’ve been knee-deep in George R.R. Martin’s thrilling fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire. If you’ve seen the HBO show ‘Game of Thrones,’ which is based on the series, you’ll understand why the books are so addicting. I’d recommend this series even to readers who aren’t regular fans of fantasy. Martin has a knack for character development and intertwining plot lines that constantly leave you turning the pages wondering what will happen next.”

 

I also put the request on my favorite social media sites: Facebook, and two of my favorite LinkedIn Groups: The Case In Point Peer Group and Beyond the Bedside. From those venues, I received these suggestions:

 

The first is from Linda Leekley, who shared a few of her recently finished books: Split Second by Catherine Coulter – “one of her fast -aced FBI stories, strong female characters, and good tales. I am also going back and reading some of the classics: Swiss Family Robinson, Treasures Island – such rich and well-written tales from the past and more entertaining than the movies. As Auschwitz Crumbles – an interesting view about the upkeep involved in the site and possible solutions to the task. For pure summer laugh-out-loud reading, I recommend one of my favorite books: Handling Sin by Michael Malone. It's a riotous homage to Charles Dickens set in the South. The poor ‘hero’ gets into all sorts of trouble just trying to do the right thing. I first read Handling Sin in the 1980s and reread it every few years!”

 

Another good book that was suggested was The Chaperone byLaura Moriarty: “A captivating novel about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922, and the summer that would change them both.”

 

Lee Reed shared that she is currently reading Robin Cook's Death Benefit, “just because I like his writing. Strongly recommend Stephen King's Wind through the Keyhole. I am a rabid King fan, and this is one of his best.”

Linda wrote: “Mine is more related to business ownership and trends, but it's an excellent book for entrepreneurs. The name is The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.

Sheryl Nodeland wrote: “I read Moloka'I, it is historical fiction. I enjoyed it because I learned about leprosy and some U.S. history.”

 

Thea Burke, co-owner of the Millionaire Nurse Blog, told me that “I read for work all the time, newspapers and blogs. For pleasure, I just finished newest with his incredible Mitch Rapp character. I'm almost finished reading Lee Child's newest Jack Reacher novel and plan to move onto Alex Berenson's newest novel; The Shadow Patrol. These choices are not deep, mind altering reads, just good, relaxing, late night escapes.

 

Colleen Morley Wines shared her summer reads and recommended Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. “It was just named as 'must read for nurses 2012'. The main character, Claire, is a WWII nurse who time travels to 1700's Scotland. Uses her skills and ingenuity as a nurse to improve lives and treat the valiant Scottish rebels. Besides being inspiring, it was an awesome love story.”

 

Deborah Ault, from Ault International Medical Management LLC, said she recently read A Tribulation Force by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHayr. “This is a good book because it gets us all thinking ‘what if, all of a sudden, everything changed?’ and that is something we should all give some thought to.”

 

My sister-in-law Tricia wrote me to say that she looked back on her shelf and put out two of her past reads: One was The Choice by Nicholas Sparks, and As a Dog Lover; another favorite was A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

Sandy Greenawalt, a friend and colleague who works for URAC, shared a few books she has read over the past few months. They include theEmperor of all Maladies, Steve jobs, Defending Jacob, and Unbroken.

A friend from Quota International and a fellow baseball fan, Gwenn Jackson is reading ‎Calico Joe by John Grisham...”a baseball story that says more about life than the action in the game.”

A few other suggestions from friends are The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer written by Siddartha Mukberjee and The Litigators by Grisham – especially interesting summer read for those in healthcare. Currently working on The Paris Wife.

 

Many people shared that they are reading the popular trilogies Shades of Gray and the Hunger Games. I think it was a close tie between which was the most recommended. A few commented that they were challenging to read but for the most part the consensus was that they are great summer reads.

 

Thanks to all who contributed and hope you pick up one of these great summer reads.

 

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!