My husband and I are headed out of town over the long Fourth of July weekend and I’m trying to decide what book I want to read. I’ve been in book limbo since my book club wound it’s season up last month and it’s officially free reading time. Problem is, there are just too many good word-of-mouth books out there to pick from.

If I want to splurge on a hard back, it has got to be either “People of the Book” by Geraldine Brooks, “Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home” by KimSunee or “The Other Side of Life” by Salley Vickers. These books were raved about this past book season by industry insiders and booksellers that I respect so I feel I can’t go wrong.

For sheer fun and escapism, several friends have recommended Nora Ephron‘s “I Feel Bad About My Neck” a collection of essay’s about mid-life. Funny as this book sounds, if I go with a Nora book, I have to read her earlier book “Heartburn” first.

My practical side, however, is telling me to read a book that I don’t have to go out and buy. A book perhaps that is already sitting on my bookshelf unread i.e. Mary Karr’s “Liars’ Club: A Memoir”. I escorted Ms. Karr in Seattle on her book tour twelve years ago and loved her fiery personality. I read just enough then to acquaint myself with her painter mother (seven times married) and her feisty father who loved to tell tall tales with his buddies (The Liars’ Club). Entertainment Weekly just named “Liars’ Club” the number four top read book of the last 25 years terming it a new classic. Now there’s a guilt read staring me in the face if I ever saw one. Stay tuned.