Summer book recommendations on the Bradbury-o-meter

The measure of a good book can be summed up by this quote from Fahrenheit 451:

Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores. It has features. This book can go under the microscope. You'd find life under the glass, streaming past in infinite profusion. The more pores, the more truthfully recorded details of life per square inch you can get on a sheet of paper, the more 'literary' you are. That's my definition, anyway, telling detail. Fresh detail. The good writers touch life often. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her. The bad ones rape her and leave her for the flies.

I get chills every time I read that. Few books can go under the microscope like Fahrenheit 451, but many have managed to entertain me through the long, lovely days of summer. Here are some of the ones that I've enjoyed since my last book recommendation, listed in descending order of truth per square inch of paper.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption: This book. It will haunt you. Unbroken is the story of Louie Zamperini, an Olympic runner and World War II hero. If this books wasn't told in such rich detail with such obviously meticulous research, I would never believe Louie's journey from juvenile delinquent to long-distance runner in the 1936 Berlin Olympics to Air Force Bombardier to stranded castaway to P.O.W. to PTSD survivor. Talk about texture; this book is sandpaper, velvet, and shark skin rolled into one. Everyone should read this book.

The Glass Castle: A heartbreaking memoir about a girl who grew up in a neglectful family with an alcoholic father and (probably) bipolar mother. Through the book you come to see that her parent's nonconformity shape and scar the author and her siblings in a myriad of ways. What sounds completely depressing is actually a fascinating book about the resilience of the human spirit (Am I sensing a theme?). Highly recommend.

Confessions of a Latter-Day Virgin: Far more lighthearted than my two suggestions above, "Confessions" was a razor-sharp memoir about the trials of being a single woman in the LDS (Mormon) Church. Since my move to Utah, I have been totally fascinated with the LDS culture and this book was an awesome birds-eye view of what it's like to be a single, thirty-five year old woman (and by extension, virgin) in a religion that puts family and motherhood on a pedestal. Having grown up with similar values, I related to the author's internal struggle with retaining and defining your faith as you grow older. When I finished the last page, I looked at Robert and said, "I'm just so sad that it's over." Don't be fooled by the chick-lit cover. This book is quality.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: I guess it has been a summer of non-fiction. I didn't even realize that until I started making this list. Immortal Life was about the woman behind the HeLa cells that are widely used in medical research. This book explores questions of race and medical ethics in a completely fresh way. A true story that reads like a novel.

A Dog's Purpose: Two words. Freaking adorable. My sister-in-law made me read this book because she loves dogs more than humans. But guess what? In this book, I loved dogs more than humans too. At least the one dog who we get to see live several lives to find and fulfill his purpose. Starts a tad bit slow but just gets better and better. Plus, my whole book club loved it, so there you go.

Where We Belong: Emily Giffin of Something Borrowed, Something Blue wrote another book about the choices we make and why we make them. I liked this book. Was it Unbroken good? No. But I read it in two days and found the characters relatable and interesting. If you want a summer book to read by the pool or on a plane, this is it.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns): You may have noticed a common thread in my book recommendations thus far. Tears. With the exception of Confessions of a Latter-Day Virgin, every book above will make you bawl your eyes out. This book will make you laugh until your sides hurt. I loved The Office and liked Mindy Kaling's character Kelly Kapoor, but after reading this book I adore her. Seriously, I wish I could hang out with Mindy Kaling in real life. For girls especially, get this book and brace yourself for some extremely smart comedy.

Dad is Fat: Good Lord, I read a lot this summer. And I'm only even talking about the books I liked. Forget about the books I got halfway through. Conceptually, Dad is Fat is a lot like Mindy Kaling's book but in execution it was not quite as good. Sorry, Jim. If you've seen Gaffigan's stand-up comedy, he repeats a lot of that material in the book. However, if you are in the raising kids part of life (Gaffigan is raising five kids in a two-bedroom apartment in New York City with a saint of a wife) you will enjoy this book and the daily indignities and absurdities that raising children entails.

Elizabeth Smart: My Story: I don't think this book was especially well-written, but since I am currently obsessed with all things LDS, I had to read it. The story is crazy, of course. Sweet LDS girl gets snatched from her bedroom by a delusional man who keeps her as a sex slave for nine months in the woods only a few miles from home. And, FYI, only a few miles from my home. **Shiver** The story is ripe for intrigue, and yet, Smart is not a storyteller and the book lacks texture on the Bradbury-o-meter. I never felt as if she allowed the reader to see her own flaws, only the flaws of her captors. However, IF, like me, you are obsessed with all things Mormon and IF, like me, you want to be culturally relevant in Utah, you may get all the way through the book as well.

Those were my reading highlights from the last couple months. I'll touch base this fall with more suggestions.  If you've read something good, make sure to tell me in the comments!