I always look forward to the end of the school year because it means that I'll have time to do a little reading. Books that I have piled up so far include:
- The Last Stand, by Nathaniel Philbrick. When I was a kid, George Armstrong Custer was a tragic hero, massacred by the savage Indians. The around 1970 he became an imperialist, racist killer. Now, he's somewhere in the middle -- an egotistical product of his time.
- Caleb's Crossing, by Geraldine Brooks. Set in Martha's Vineyard in the 1640's, this novel features a 15 year-old narrator who is chafing under the religion and sexual restrictions of her time.
- Baseball in the Garden of Eden, by John Thorn. I'm a big baseball fan -- Red Sox in particular -- and this is about the very early days. Did you know that Hartford once had a major league team, the Dark Blues? Their star pitcher, Candy Cummings, invented the curveball. That was back in 1876 (the year that Custer was killed at the Little Big Horn).
So what about you? I hope that I'm not taking up all your summer reading time. (
Moon is short, and
Goldengrove should be a relatively quick read. Return of the Native is the only one you might have to grind through.)
Yesterday I finished reading an English translation of Dante Alighieri's Inferno. I understood most of it, but I'm unsure why he (Dante) referred to it as a "Comedy" (or rather, "Commedia")
ReplyDeleteMatthew Shanks
Now that we're out of school, and I have time to read, I'm going to finish JD Salinger's Nine Stories (because I loved Catcher in the Rye so darn much) & Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray - both of which I started during the school year.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's summertime again and to me that means rereading the Harry Potter books. This is a tradition that I've had ever since I was eight or nine and I'm still completely in love with Harry and his whole wizarding world. Can't wait for the new movie - only one more day!
ReplyDeleteAlison Farrish
Ali, I couldn't approve more! I'm going to read Jerk, California and Water for Elephants (because I have to read it before I watch the movie) from the extra credit summer reading list. I have also wanted to read Tuesdays with Morrie for a while now, so maybe I will read that one too.
ReplyDeleteThis summer I read a really great book called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, which is a novel composed of letters in post-WWII Europe. I also read Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. It was a really moving story, and of course Mrs. Picoult always has a twist at the end, and naturally I was outraged. And lastly, I just read a book called One Day, where two people's lives are followed one day over the course of 20 years. Again, the ending greatly upset me, but I really enjoyed the book.
ReplyDeleteI can honestly admit that I am usually not a summer reader, but one book that I have read multiple times over the past few summers has been "Beyond Belief" by Josh Hamilton. This is a memoir written by current baseball player and Major League superstar, Josh Hamilton. The main focus of this book is his overcoming of drug addiction. Although the book isn't the most well written, it is compelling and a must read for all sports fans or those looking for a good, inspirational story.
ReplyDeleteJeff Gilcreast
Ali, I love the way you think. I'm re-reading some of the Harry Potter books too!
ReplyDeleteAnd Katie, wasn't Nineteen Minutes great? I read that last summer and I loved it!
As for me, I'm not sure yet what I'm going to read. I want to read Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls, who also wrote the memoir The Glass Castle, which is an amazing book. I read another book that I didn't enjoy very much and I'm looking for some good reads. Any suggestions anybody?
Wow I'm glad I'm not the only one who rereads books! I am rereading the Twilight saga because those books always entertain me no matter how many times I read them. The final Twilight saga movie "Breaking Dawn Part 1" is coming out on November 18th so I also want to refresh my memory with that one.
ReplyDeleteI also just finished Along For the Ride by Sarah Dessen that I read while I was on vacation. It was a fast read and it was about a girl named Auden spending a summer transferring herself from a studious, anitsocial bookworm to a more outgoing and socially accepted teenager. It was a journey of self-discovery and coming of age. I definitely recommend it!
Meghan Pugliese
I've heard The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is a really good book, so I think I want to read that too! It's a love story about a man who time-travels and how his wife copes with his absences. I'm really looking forward to reading it. It's also a movie, so I will have to see that afterwards!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the suggestion Meghan, that sounds like a really good book!
Other than our required books, I haven't read too much so far. I did read Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney. Or rather, I reread it. I've gotten it from the library at least twice or three times before, and I really like her writing. Code Orange is an easy read for us now, but it's a good story line. It's somewhat of a mysterious book, but I wouldn't say it's a full fledged mystery novel. The main character comes across some scabs from a smallpox epidemic in the early 1900s while desperately searching for a topic for a biology paper. He gets engrossed in researching them and ultimately finds himself in a sticky situation with the FBI and a kidnapping terrorist group. It didn't turn out the way I expected when I first read it, but I thought it was really clever. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who wants an easy read for the beach or out at the pool :)
ReplyDeleteCarolyn Sireci
I will be reading "The Diatand Mirror": 700 pages of exciting 14th century European history. Not the most engaging of books, but interesting all the same. (And required for European History.)
ReplyDeleteCasey, I will also be delving into the super fun world of required European reading! My original idea of this summer involved a lot of reading for fun, but alas, that has not really happened. But I have been able to finish Great Expectations (which was wordy but hilarious), and read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (intriguing), and avoid the stack of H.P. Lovecraft that my brother's been pushing me to read. And re-reading the Harry Potter series is definitely in order.
ReplyDeleteNina Barbero
Nina and Casey, I've been reading for A.P. Euro as well. I find Utopia to be an interesting book, but not one I would have read on my own terms.
ReplyDeleteOther than my required reading, I have been reading books such as The Sandfish, a story about a Saudi Arabian woman who is independent and often questions the integrity of her culture especially when she is forced by her brother to marry a wealthy man with multiple wives.
_Kelsey Gallant
Summer is almost over and I've bought about 15 new books, as well as reread some old favorites. But the one that really sticks in my mind is A Darkness Forged In Fire, by Chris Evans. This is a story that talks about civilization vs. native people, segregation, and retribution. While i was reading it, i was reminded of the wars that have been fought. When England made colonies in India and Africa, when civilization was forced onto them, were they really doing the right thing? I found this book to be really great, and one i would reccomend.- Nikki Halliday
ReplyDeleteI read the book Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver this summer. It was a about a girl who is forced to relive the day she died in order to change it. You would think the plot would get boring since it's basically the same series of events repeated, but the main character dicovers something new about herself and others each time she goes back in time. It's a struggle for her to figure out what she is supposed to fix. I raced through the novel in order to find out how she would change that day for the better and finally rest in peace. Oliver describes everything so vividly that you feel as if you were your own character in the book viewing what's going on with your own eyes. This story may not sound too interesting, but it was so hard for me to put this book down!
ReplyDeleteWith the power out yesterday, I got the chance to finish another one of Lauren Oliver's books titled Delirium. This book was even better than book I previously posted about, Before I Fall. Delirium is s a story about a world where love is a disease and everyone has to undergo a procedure to be cured. It's amazing to be put into a world where love is banned; actually it's almost scary. It soon turns into a love story that gets more exciting on every page. I definitely reccommend this book!
ReplyDeleteWow, I just realized there was a spot to post about the other books we have read this summer! I have read a lot. During the school year, the list of books I want to read gets longer and longer, and I never have enough time. I spent the whole first half of summer reading books off of my list. Like several other people, I reread the Harry Potter series in preparation for the last movie (which was awesome). Another book I reread was the most recent book by Christopher Paolini (Brisingr), because I found out that the last book of the series is coming out in November (finally!!). I read the book Rebel Angels by Libba Bray which was the sequel to a book I read last summer. My favorite book that I read this summer was Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. The book is all about the author's quest and discovery of information about a hidden tribe in Mexico. They are superathletes who can run hundreds of miles without rest to hunt deer. The author explores what makes them so good while investigating why the modern runner can't do what they do. It is a very fascinating book that definitely surprises you.
ReplyDeleteJust like a bunch of other people, I reread the Harry Potter series before the last movie. I also read The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, which I absolutely love and recommend to everyone. Its a little depressing a times, but is a really good book. I also read the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. I didn't think that I would like those books, but I actually really enjoyed them. Meghan, I love Sarah Dessen's books! I read her knew one this summer, What Happened to Goodbye? It wasn't one of my favorites, but it wasn't bad.
ReplyDeleteMegan Giangrande
Well alot of you guys sound like you're having a blast and a half reading enjoyable books. I, on the other hand, get tobread the A.P Euro books that add up to a thousand and some pages. They are: the prince, a distant mirror, and Utopia. I personally liked a distant mirror the best.
ReplyDeleteColton Bridge
To give a quick blurb on a book I finished earlier in the summer, "Year Million: Science at the Far Edge of Knowledge". As one would gather from the title, it discusses in length the situation of a wide variety topics as one might hope to see them in the Year Million. From the End of the Universe to the creation and use of Matrioshka brains (It’s Russian) and every (un)imaginable thing in-between. Damien Broderick, the editor of the book, and author of his own chapter within the book, does an excellent job of gathering together a collection of thoughtful, insightful group of futurists, each with their innovative ideas and critiques of present ones of the Year Million, and even how we reach said year. Even without apparent cooperation, the contributors often reference the same subjects, and even take opposing sides in their views. Whether there really is life among the stars, or if humanity will eventually nuke itself to death, Year Million gives convincing arguments to believe either side of both – to let you form your opinion! There’s certainly no shortage of information to allow you to do so, and not oppressively so. Carl Sagan would be proud, and in short, I’m glad I bought the book.
ReplyDeleteWith the power out, I was finally able to catch up on some books I had been wanting to read. I read One Day by David Nichols. It was pretty good and now I'm excited to see the movie. I also finished The Time Traveler's Wife, which I mentioned earlier. It was amazing! It was one of those books that I could not put down, and it was definitely one of the best books I've read in awhile. Now I'm about to start If I Fall, which Dory mentioned.
ReplyDeleteKelsey, I also think Utopia seems pretty interesting, but I don't think I would read it on my own terms either.
ReplyDeleteMy friend gave me the Hunger Games trilogy to borrow, so I read those while on vacation. Although they weren't my favorite, they were entertaining and I would recommend them.
She also lent me The Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson a while ago, as he is a favorite to both of us, and I've finally had some time to read some of it.
Another friend gave me Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher to borrow, and I read that while there was no power. It was sad but inspirational, and I really liked the ending. I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind a sad story.