Summer is FINALLY Here!

After the long awaited break, teachers around the state can finally shout "Summer has arrived!"  This year, more than any other recent year, summer break is a true blessing for educators.  I hope that each colleague will be resting this summer as a rigorous new school year awaits. 
Because teachers need such a break from school work, students, and even administration, I have compiled some ways that I will be relaxing this summer.
First and foremost - is a reading list. Each year I create a summer reading list and my goal is to complete all readings before the end of summer.  For some, this may seem like a task, but for me this is serious relaxation.
My reading list this year consists of:
1.  Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - finished earlier this week and recommend it for everyone!
2.  Toxin by Robin Cook - a medical thriller about corporate malevolence and bacterial poisoning
3.  Tan Lines by J. J. Salem - a novel full of scandal, sex and murder.  Some have even called it a "bitchy beach read". 
4.  The Testament by John Grisham - A 78 year old billionaire outfoxes his heirs with his last will and testament and a surprising death.
5.  The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - A story of a librarian who involuntarily travels through time and falls in love
6.  The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell - the 17th book in the Scarpetta series, a forensic science novel - PS if you haven't heard of Patricia Cornwell or her character Kay Scarpetta, I ask - "Have you been living under a rock?"  Pick up a book and start reading!!
7.Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwartz - An Oprah's Book Club read, this novel discovers two sisters and the factors that bond them and tear them apart.
And the last book on my reading list for summer? 
Drumroll Please.............
8.  Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich - Also, book 17 from another author whom I have followed closely - New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum once again finds herself trying to chase down the bad guys, uncover a murder mystery and figure a way out of her ongoing love triangle with two hot, hot men!
Once you have your books determined, it is necessary that you pillage the ABC store, pack up swimsuits and sunscreen and park your toosh in a lounge chair.  You can now begin soaking up the rays and drinking a toast to your favorite characters while the new school year awaits.
Cheers!