**First Place Grand Prize Winner for Non-Fiction books at the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Awards!! Congratulations Mary!!**

For some people, teenage rebellion lasts a bit longer than the actual teen years. For the seventy-something Lola, the spirit, independence, and attitude of youth last for life.

The "recognized master of poor performance" demolishes every motivational myth ever conceived in this humorous book which invites readers to embrace their Inner Sloth.

The publishing phenomenon of summer reading, often focused on novels set in vacation destinations, started in the nineteenth century, as both print culture and tourist culture expanded in the United States. As an emerging middle class increasingly embraced summer leisure as a marker of social status, book publishers sought new market opportunities, authors discovered a growing readership, and more readers indulged in lighter fare. Drawing on publishing records, book reviews, readers' diaries, and popular novels of the period, Donna Harrington-Lueker explores the beginning of summer reading and the backlash against it. Countering fears about the dangers of leisurely reading—especially for young women—publishers framed summer reading not as a disreputable habit but as a respectable pastime and welcome respite. Books for Idle Hours sheds new light on an ongoing seasonal publishing tradition.

Filled with funny, biting observations on today's reality-TV culture, this novel shares one not-so-perfect woman's struggle to find happiness, love, and success in the very unreal world of entertainment.