Summer Reading

[Jbo]

Hey CP:

As it is the dog days of summer and I am away on Vacation, I am looking for some good suggestions on books to read. Really open to anything. The last few books I have read have been "The Road" "World War Z" and "Playing with fire"

Looking for some good suggestions and if there is already a thread for this I apologize in advance...could not find anything.

[FlamesGirl]

I've been on a Victor Hugo kick lately. I just finished "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and am halfway through "Les Miserables". Absolutely amazing books...both rank as some of my favourite reads.

[Mirajj]

I'm re-reading my way through George RR Martin's "A Song of Fire and Ice" books, in the hopes that he'll put out the 5th one sometime soon. If you aren't familiar with the series, start with "A Game of Thrones".

[HPLovecraft]

Non-fiction, or only fiction?

It's always good to read some classics. "A Tale of Two Cities" is a fantastic book if you like Dickens, historical fiction, or just love reading for the sake of the words themselves as much as the story.

I have "Shades of Grey" by Jasper Fforde around. It's about how everyone is descended from a certain colour, and can only see those colours, and some similar shades. The families of these colours inter-marry in order to obtain other hues. It's great allegory.

[peter12]

Reading "I Drink Therefore I Am" by Roger Scruton as a fun summer read along with "The Dangling Man" by Saul Bellow.

In regards to strict summer reading, I've been working on getting through Locke, Burke, Montesquieu, and Tocqueville.

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by HPLovecraft

Non-fiction, or only fiction?

It's always good to read some classics. "A Tale of Two Cities" is a fantastic book if you like Dickens, historical fiction, or just love reading for the sake of the words themselves as much as the story.

Coincidentally, "Great Expectations" by Dickens has just been turned open in front of me on my desk.

"Travels With Charlie" by John Steinbeck was just purchased by my Kindle, along with Tortilla Flat" and "Sweet Thursday." Those are next for hammock swinging under the poplars on a summer afternoon.

Finishing up some Sci-fi . . . . I've found Singularity Sky" by Charles Stross and "Use of Weapons" by Iain M. Banks to be pretty good. No particular reason for choosing them and they're older I believe, also easy to find on Kindle.

Cowperson

[sclitheroe]

Guitar: An American Life is a good read. It is the story of a guy whose lifelong instrument was destroyed by baggage handlers working with a luthier to handbuild a custom replacement, intertwined with a history of the guitar and its rise to prominence in American culture.

I really enjoyed it.

[JohnnyB]

Factory Girls - A book about the life of women who are migrant workers in China, but telling their stories largely through their eyes and sharing their perspective on what it means to leave their villages and go to cities with endless factories and difficult working conditions. The author, Lesley Chang, worked for the Wallstreet Journal in China for ten years before writing this book and her style is fluid, journalistic story telling, not academic or dry. It has certainly changed the way I look at the migrant workers I see on a daily basis.

The Geography of Bliss - Another book by a journalist, Eric Weiner. He sets out to travel around the world's happiest places and learn about why people are happy by looking at their lifestyles and environments and trying to experience some of what it is in each place. Also goes to Moldova, as the least happy place. It's also written in an informal, journalistic sort of style and avoids giving the topic an academic treatment. Also, doesn't preach about what we should do, but just makes a few enlightening observations about the simple conditions that surround happiness in different parts of the world.

The Element - If you are familiar with Ken Robinson (possibly from his TED talk "Schools Kill Creativity") then you will probably already be familiar with his ideas. If you're not, go watch his talk on TED to decide if you'd be interested in him, I believe it's among the most popular ever on TED. This is basically his book about how people find things they're passionate about and what effect that has on their lives. It's an enjoyable read and deals with the topic in a lighthearted and humourous way.

[Northendzone]

i would suggest "where men win glory" by jon krauker - it is the story of the life and death of pat tillman.

if you have not read it, i'd also suggest into thin air by jon k as well

[Jbo]

Thanks everyone...looks like some good suggestions ... gonna hit the bookstore tomorrow and see if I can't find a few of these

[Redliner]

"Whistling Season" by Ivan Doig. an well-written look at rural prairie life and education around in the early part of the 20th century, as well as some interesting character study.

"Tamar" by Mal Peet. A decent read about deception, jealousy, and the WWII resistance movement. I quite liked it.

"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies". Just because it's awesome.

[McG]

i read alot of fiction...

right now i am reading "the complaints" by ian rankin. i really liked his rebus books; he isn't in this one but so far so good!

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by J-bo09

Thanks everyone...looks like some good suggestions ... gonna hit the bookstore tomorrow and see if I can't find a few of these

A few more . . . .

If you want some fun . . . . "Zorro" by Isabel Allende. A modern version of a classic tale.

Spent one summer reading all the novels and short stories pertaining to Sherlock Holmes from Arthur Conan Doyle, wrapped into one, massive, illustrated volume. Weird but interesting.

If you're 40 or more, you'll probably find "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz" uproariously hilarious. If you're under that age or in your 20's, you might be just confused. You're refreshed looking back at the somewhat extravegant anxieties and ambitions of your youth. Basically, it will help you remember what a dumbass you were when you were 20.

"The Boys Of Summer," the classic baseball book by Roger Kahn, admired as much for it's prose as for it's content, is probably also best appreciated over a certain age of experience and regret. A wonderful summer read.

For sheer, waste of time and there for only pleasure, The Jack Reacher novels of Lee Child are impossible to put down from the first page. The more ethereal Inspector Allan Banks novels of Peter Robinson are more thought-provoking but also a guilty pleasure.

The end of last summer . . . .



Cowperson

[SeeBass]

Freakenomics-malcolm gladwell

[habernac]

currently reading:

The Masked Rider - Neal Peart
Tour De Lance - Bill Strickland
Moby Dick

[MJK]

Maxim.

[IliketoPuck]

Here's a few suggestions:

1. The Lost City Of Z
2. The Power of One
3. The Doomsday Key

[Mazrim]

For some light reading, Jay Mohr's book No Wonder My Parents Drank is actually not bad. Don't expect some mind blowing writing, but some nice stuff and some freaking hilarious stories.

[Coys1882]

I'd suggest reading the Genghis Khan historical fiction series by Conn Iggulden. I also started reading Stephen King's The Stand again - classic.

[Flames Fan, Ph.D.]

Given the political climate, Animal Farm and 1984 by Orwell are good re-reads.

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

Grab a short story collection from Gogol... a collection that contains "The Overcoat" would encompass a perceived time of strength for his writing.

Orhan Pamuk's Snow is quite good.

Death of a Salesman was much better than I could have imagined.

Really anything by Vonnegut if you just need a quick read but with depth and humour.

... and so it goes.