Field Trip Friday: Summer Reading!

A book, a chair, and a cold drink -- that's my idea of a vacation. Sure, it would be great if that chair offered views of a beach, a pool, or perhaps a mountain range, but the chance to read uninterrupted is a good enough vacation for me these days.

But, what to read . . .

A few random suggestions for travel and escape chosen from MEP's bookshelf:

Travel back to Chicago in 1893 and try to fathom how much wonder and awe the World's Fair inspired in its visitors. Read about a mass murderer who did his business there while you're at it. Erik Larsen's Devil and the White City.

Travel back to the summer days of a teenage girl in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares. Yes, the movies are pretty bad, but the books are delightful.

Travel from Texas to Montana with the most lovable group of cowboys ever. It's a long journey, but Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry is completely worth the trip. Trust me.

Travel to horse tracks around the country and into the minds and hearts of all the various characters who populate the racing world (including one of the horses) with Jane Smiley's Horse Heaven.

On my to-read list this summer are:

Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

Cakewalk: A Memoir by Kate Moses

How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley

The Passage by Justin Cronin

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (the only good reason to wish for August to get here already)

For more book ideas, check out my best books of 2009 or my 2010 reading list.

What are you reading (or hoping to read) this summer? Answer in the comments or link up your post below: