summer reading

i've gotten more into reading lately. i blame my english major friends. and the library is just down the street. literally, like half a mile on the street i live on. it is unavoidable. so, my opinions on several books:

* The Virgin Suicides - i started thinking about reading this book after it was brought up by one of the english friends (whom i think i will now refer to as the Surprisingly Southern Girl or SSG for short). both of us enjoy things that are heartbreaking, which this book is. it is also short & has lovely imagery.

* The Memory Keeper's Daughter - i listened to this on cd when i drove to FL & back. i found myself skipping multiple tracks after a while. it was boring. and once characters have affairs b/c they are bored/depressed/unsatisfied with their perfectly adequate suburban lives, i pretty much hate any book. sorry, that was a spoiler. but you shouldn't be wasting your time on this book anyway.

* The House on Mango Street - the title itself is so appealing to me. i first heard about this one when i was blog-stalking The Manorexic's "friend in Korea" & wanted to read it. but i am lazy. so i didn't. but then SSG read it & lent me her copy. it has an interesting style - it is a bunch of short vignettes that together tell the story. i highly recommend it.

*Stiff - finally, a non-fiction option. RationalThought gave this one to me. it is all about what happens to bodies when they die - medical research, forensic research, various burial/cremation options, etc. sounds weird, but it actually quite entertaining. seriously.

Next on my list: Night, Memoirs of a Geisha, & The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Any suggestions?