and now...it is time...

I'm considering hiring an announcer to follow me around. Forget that two adults and a baby subsisting on a grad student's stipend is a creative monthly effort, I like to think I could find the mulau to do this. Maybe they'll let me pay them in cookies? (PS-I'm not sure I can forgive my father for imparting his expensive food tastes onto me. My tongue craves decadent and costly morsels and have I mentioned the grad student stipend?) Anyway, back to my announcer.

I'd have him follow me around, alerting everyone to the presence of a local celebrity. He'd say things in his deep announcer voice like, "And now, it is time, for the midwest to experience the awesomeness that is Audrey!" I need you to envision this with me. It's very important.

Now that you have that picture in your mind, imagine my announcer saying, "And now, it is time for the summer 2011 reading list!"

(It really is!)

It's a little small this year. (Bummer deal.) But oh! Does it have potential! And while I said I'd start on May 14th, I decided to start earlier because it's finals week and I needed the pick-me-up. Here, in all its glory:

• The Book of Other People by Zadie Smith
• The Female Quixote by Charlotte Lennox
• The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
• The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain
• Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn
• Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer
• Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
• Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
• Light Can Be Both Wave and Particle by Ellen Gilchrist
• The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan
• Novelties and Souvenirs: Collected Short Fiction by John Crowley
• Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
• The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
• Maia by Richard Adams
• Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry
• Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
• The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy

The other book I've devoured of late is The Evil B.B. Chow by Steve Almond.