25th Jun 2007
many summer reading lists are stupid –
One of the things I follow very closely in the blogosphere (and the web more generally) is lists of book recommendations. Maybe at some point I’ll write about who recommends what to whom and why — all of which I find extremely interesting. One thing about summer reading lists (as opposed to other reading lists most of the time): they often have really freakin’ stupid suggestions. Don’t put Kite Runner on the damn list. If I haven’t read it, it sure as hell isn’t because I haven’t heard of it but because I have chosen not to read it. Ditto for anything on the Booker, Pulitzer, and National Book Award Lists. Or the second book from the author of the Kite Runner, anything chosen by Oprah, and absolutely anything involving Rachael Ray (yes, I actually read cookbooks from cover to cover and maybe I’ll talk more about that another time).
And really, in particular, don’t put together a list for a prospective college student that lists nothing but the classics that all of these prospective students have been hearing about and being taught (forced) to read for years. It’s summer, you idjet. Give the kids a break and recommend something worthwhile, relaxing, fun, escapist, or unusual and if you can’t, start reading more than the Today Show Book Club picks.
Rant over. And just to show I can pony up and play, here’s my list of stuff I hope to read this summer although right now, I seem to be reading everything not nailed down but with text and/or images. Not sure about the nailed-down part either.
Dr. Dana’s Summer Reading List (of stuff she wants to read):
- Anything by Kingsley Amis
- Anything by M.F.K. Fisher
- Ruth, by Elizabeth Gaskell
- The New Thought Police (about political correctness)
- Sentimental Education, Flaubert
- Michael Ondaatjie’s new one — Divisadero, I think it’s called
- The Emperor’s Children, Claire Messud
- Case Histories, Kate Atkinson
- Older Joyce Carol Oates’ work I haven’t yet read
- Dakota, Kathleen Norris (a lovely poet-writer whose work I love)
- Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott’s memoir on writin
OK, that’s what I have for you right now. Feel free to make other suggestions and I’m sure I will add to this list as the summer progresses. But — don’t. suggest. mitch. albom. ever.
Gracias.
Ok, I have this great summer reading recommendation for you… Tuesdays with Morrie… jk…I’m nto a big Mitch Albom fan either…to put it “elegantly,” he is CHEESY.
You definitely have to read Augusten Burroughs’ books… his memoirs are hilarious…skip his first novel, Sellevision…ugh… All of the memoirs are hilarious…I like Magical Thinking a lot though…
I also agree with you about summer reading lists that schools supply… I work in a public library part-time and the high school’s reading list for seniors was HORRIBLE… classic lit, of course…but no selections that guys would really be into…Why not let them read Fight Club or some Chuck Klosterman pop culture essays or …something “fun”??
I *loved* running with scissors, but have not read the others. Will check them out for sure.
Fight Club is a great book — we definitely need to be reading more like that!