# It's Almost Summer! What Are You Reading? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 4, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490 "2003-06-04T01:43:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/1 "2003-06-04T01:43:19Z")
There haven’t been enough book threads lately to suit my taste. And I’m heading to the library tomorrow and I need some good ideas. Right now I’m re-reading _The Shipping News_; it’s a good book but I need something new and delicious. I hope **jarbabyj** wanders in because she had a pit thread a while back about a book she adored and was really mad the sequel was so bad. I want to read the original book, but I can’t think of any keywords to help me resurrect that thread. So, jar if you’re here, please post the book and author! ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/2 "2003-06-04T02:18:02Z")
Just finished re-reading Tolkien’s **Lord of the Rings** , as well as reading **The Silmarillion** (for the first time). Now for something lighter, I am currently on two books: Re-reading **Good Omens** – Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Also reading **Basket Case** – Carl Hiaasen. If you like mysteries, especially with a fun and light tone and some humor mixed in, the Hiaasen book is pretty fun so far. I have about 1/3 to go on it. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/3 "2003-06-04T02:58:06Z")
Right now I’m reading _The Mists of Avalon_. I bought it about ten years ago but it only recently ripened. Next up is Sharon Kay Penman’s _Falls the Shadow_, the middle book in her Welsh trilogy of the 13th century. I’ve read Edith Pargeter’s (Ellis Peters-the Cadfael books) quartet titled _The Brothers of Gwynedd_ set in approximately the same time period. It’s interesting to see how different authors handle the same subject. Plus I really like historical fiction as long as it’s set a few centuries ago. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/4 "2003-06-04T03:03:31Z")
Right now, I’m reading _Iron Lake_ by William Kent Krueger (which I got from the SDMB Book Swap) and _The Rose and the Yew Tree_ by Mary Westmacott (Agatha Christie). Once I finish one of these, I’ll probably start in on _Guards! Guards!_ by Terry Prachett. **Monstre** , I have a Hiaasen book on my to-read list right now. _Double Whammy_ (also from the SDMB Book Swap). ---
**Author:** ![fizgig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@fizgig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizgig)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/5 "2003-06-04T04:26:48Z")
I’m reading _If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor_ by Bruce Campbell. Enjoyable “fluff” read. I’m enjoying reading about what they had to go through to get shots, and the practical jokes the cast and crew would play on each other. I am also going to start _Portrait of an Artist as an Old Man_ by Joseph Heller on the first night I manage to tear myself away from the internet before bedtime. ---
**Author:** ![Necromancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ac91a4/32.png) [@Necromancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necromancer)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/6 "2003-06-04T04:32:36Z")
Last night I finished The Poet by Michael Connelly and I started the first chapter of another book, The Magician’s Tale by David Hunt. **Kat** , Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett is a very entertaining book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/7 "2003-06-04T05:28:12Z")
I’m just about finished with **Twenty Years After** , the sequel to **The Three Musketeers**. I already have the next in the series, **The Vicomte de Braglonne** , but I’m thinking of taking a break to read **Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers** on the advice of my mother. ---
**Author:** ![Nate\_the\_Great](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ea924/32.png) [@Nate\_the\_Great](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nate_the_Great)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/8 "2003-06-04T06:10:40Z")
I’m reading _The Hitchhiker’s Guide_ for the first time. I was reading it in the State Transportation Building and a guy saw me reading it. He said that if I liked it, I would like _Good Omens_, which is what Monstre is re-reading right now. So, Monstre: perhaps the converse is also true: if you like _Good Omens_, you might like _The Hitchhiker’s Guide_ by Doug Adams. Assuming you haven’t read it already. I don’t know what kind of stuff you like, but a good book for light summer reading is _The Red Tent_ by Anita Diamante. Any particular topic or genre that interests you? If we had this information, it would be easier to recommend things. Great books (some variety): _Native Son_ by Richard Wright Malcolm X’s autobiography Asimov’s _Foundation_ trilogy Anything by J. D. Salinger (who I think is the greatest!) ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/9 "2003-06-04T06:54:39Z")
_Q is for Quarry_ by Sue Grafton ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/10 "2003-06-04T07:05:06Z")
Hiaasen seems popular. I borrowed (stole) from my parents _Paradise Screwed,_ a collection of his best columns for the Miami Herald, organized by subject matter. ---
**Author:** ![lilbtagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4491bb/32.png) [@lilbtagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilbtagna)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/11 "2003-06-04T07:15:53Z")
My light reading right now is _The Orchid Thief_ by Susan Orlean. If you saw and enjoyed the movie _Adaptation_ for the true parts, I think you’d love the book. I’m also making my way through _Don Quixote_ by Cervantes. It’s really fun to read, but it’s a huge novel. Summer classes are getting in the way of my reading time. I think next on my list is _The Count of Monte Cristo_ by Dumas. I read _The Three Musketeers_ and _Twenty Years After_ years ago, and both are among my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/12 "2003-06-04T07:32:49Z")
My current reading will be a series I just discovered, the Desiree Shapiro murder mysteries by Selma Eichler. Each has a punny title about murder, my favorite thus far (which is sitting on my nightstand right now) is _Murder Can Spook Your Cat_. Lighthearted detective fluff, good for the summer. ---
**Author:** ![nefertari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7bcc69/32.png) [@nefertari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nefertari)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/13 "2003-06-04T11:15:37Z")
I’m reading ‘Middlesex’ by Jeffrey Eugenidies and so far it’s weird and good. Just finished ‘The Orchid Thief’, also after seeing the movie, and I really liked it! It’s strange, it’s not really history or fiction or anything. It’s a bit of everything. Next on the list is ‘The Gutenberg Revolution’. ---
**Author:** ![Bolverk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Bolverk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bolverk)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/14 "2003-06-04T12:54:43Z")
I just started on _The Palace of Dreams_ by Ismail Kadare. ---
**Author:** ![BigNik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/73ab20/32.png) [@BigNik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigNik)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/15 "2003-06-04T13:04:30Z")
Halfway through _The Songs of the Kings_ by Barry Unsworth, with John Birmingham’s _Dopeland_ and Hunter S. Thompson’s _Kingdom of Fear_ next on the list. ---
**Author:** ![shamrock227](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@shamrock227](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shamrock227)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/16 "2003-06-04T13:07:50Z")
_Avalon: The Return of King Arthur_ by Stephen R. Lawhead. This is my first Lawhead. If I like him he has enough books in the same vain to keep me busy for quite a while considering I only get 15-20 minutes a day to read during breaks at work (the rest of my free time goes to studying). I would recommed **fizgig** ’s read _If Chins Could Kill_ to **everyone** , not just fans of Bruce Campell himself. It really is a great book. And Bruce, himself, signed my copy 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/17 "2003-06-04T13:56:31Z")
**Nate the Great** , I wasn’t seeking recommendations specifically, only in that I love to hear what people are reading, and why, and from that make some selections. If you _are_ really interested in what I like, the answer is almost any fiction. I find history especially fascinating. **dwyr** I read _The Mists of Avalon_ not long ago and it had been on my to-read list for years! It’s very good. Going on the list: _Middlesex’ Avalon: The Return of King Arthur_ by Stephen R. Lawhead (because now you’ve got me thinking of Camelot); _The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_ because incredibly I too have never sat down and read the whole thing; and \* If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor\* because I’ve seen it recommended by Dopers often – and I loved the Brisco County Jr. series (that’s the same guy, right?). ---
**Author:** ![evilhomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/43a26b/32.png) [@evilhomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhomer)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/18 "2003-06-04T14:27:44Z")
I just started _The Silmarillion_ last night. I’ve read it before, but it’s been awhile. The profusion of Tolkien threads here a while back made me decide to read it again. Before that, I was reading _Freedom and Necessity_ by Steven Brust and Emma Bull. Steven Brust writes the Vlad Taltos series, which I like, so I picked this one up at the library. Although it was very different from his normal work (more of a historical/political mystery than a fantasy) I enjoyed it. Since you like historical fiction **Ellen Cherry** , you might want to check it out. As for what’s next, who knows. I have to return my books to the library this weekend (something tells me I’ll have to renew _The Silmarillion_), so I’ll have to see what catches my eye. I might look for some Carl Hiaasen books, based on **Monstre’s** recommendation. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/19 "2003-06-04T14:30:12Z")
I’m actually reading a book by a fellow doper: _Vamp: The Rise and Fall of Theda Bara_, by our own **Eve**. It’s more fun to read than I expected it would be. Will report as I finish. Also working my way through the novels of Adam Rapp–stunning stuff; will start a thread on him soon. ---
**Author:** ![cankerist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bc79bd/32.png) [@cankerist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cankerist)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490/20 "2003-06-04T14:35:55Z")
For better or worse, I’m reading **The Best American Essays 2002** right now. I was quite excited when I picked this one up mainly because it has an introduction by Stephen Jay Gould that I was really looking forward to read. [Tragically, SJG was seriously ill at the time, and died less than 2 months after writing it]. Anyway, I usually storm through each year’s BEA volume from cover to cover 'cause I really enjoy the breadth of topics covered and the incredibly varied styles of writing, but only halfway through this one I’m having trouble finishing it. The majority of essays are reactions to 9/11 or at least related in theme. I can’t really say I recommend it, except perhaps to Americans, and New Yorkers in particular, who are probably the only ones who can empathize truly with the 9/11 tragedy. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-almost-summer-what-are-you-reading/179490.md?page=2)