Book Club: Summer Reading List

It's that time again—I've exhausted my bookshelf and Amazon keeps showing me so many options for what needs to be inhabiting my purse/beach bag/hand when a free moment declares itself. The old grad student in me still feels slightly guilty when I'm not using free time to catch up on my reading.

What I've confirmed my credit card number and shipping information for:

1. Paris Was Ours, by Penelope Rowlands: A book of 32 short memoirs capturing that special allure of the City of Lights. Some funny, some somber, and topical of everything from how Parisian women stay so thin to the reasons Parisians capture that certain je na sais quoi. Probably not great for fueling my obsession with getting to this city, but it sounds perfect for lazy days of lounging on the Seaside lawn. Added perk: perhaps I'll brush up on my French in the meantime.

2. It's All About the Dress: What I Learned In Forty Years About Men, Women, Sex, and Fashion, by Vicky Tiel: An It girl of the 1960's turned fashion designer. I mean, do I really need to say anything further? I "splurged" for the hard copy on this one because paperback isn't yet available.

3. Fairy Tale Interrupted: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Loss, by RoseMarie Terenzio: The title was originally what reeled me in to exploring this but further review revealed this memoir, written by JFK Jr.'s personal assistant and publicist, accounts their close friendship during the last five years of this American royalty's life before his tragic end.

4. Tender Is the Night, by ole F. Scott: I know what you're thinking—"Surprise, Ainsley has something by Fitzgerald on her reading list." Well, girls, I won't apologize for the obsession, I'll simply say I've never gotten around to reading this one yet, and considering it's based on the dynamic duo (Scott and Zelda)'s own marriage, I'll be finishing this one rather quickly.

5. Steal Like an Artist—Ten Things Nobody Ever Told You About Being Creative, by Austin Kleon: This little book, craftily littered with fun charts (is that an oxymoron?) and graphic art, is taking the creative industry by storm. A "manifesto for the digital age," young writer Austin Kleon delivers a positive message that perfect creativity is all about tapping into one thing: yourself. Perfect for the self-help junkie inside me.

6. The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genius, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris, by Alicia Drake: Essentially, this should be renamed Yves Saint Laurent vs. Karl Lagerfeld: How They Divided Paris Into Two Fabulous Fashion Halves. However, this book may not be for everyone—we all know I'm a not-so-closet nerd, so the research-based scholarly writing was a perk, not a pit, for me when picking this book.

And there we have it. If you see me stretched out on a park bench or perched in the sand with a book covering my face, don't say I didn't warn you.