# Time for the annual "Your Summer Reading List" thread! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 3, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221 "2002-07-03T17:36:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/1 "2002-07-03T17:36:00Z")
So what are you reading this summer? To get things started, I’m currently reading _In Harm’s Way_ by Doug Stanton, an account of the sinking of the U.S.S. _Indianapolis_. I’ve always been curious about the true story ever since I first saw _Jaws_ (23 years ago!) and now seemed like as good a time as any to get acquainted with it. After that, the next two books on my nightstand are _Choke_ by Chuck Palahniuk (author of _Fight Club_) and _The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay_ by Michael Chabon. What do other Dopers have lined up? ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/2 "2002-07-03T17:44:46Z")
I ordered the second volume of Harry Turtledove’s American Empire trilogy, **the Center Cannot Hold** , and I’ll read it as soon as I get it. It’s set in a parallell universe where the US has just whipped the Confederacy after a punishing WWI has been fought, and now that world’s Confederate version of Hitler is getting ready to seize power. At the moment, I’m re-reading Terry Pratchett’s **Mort** –just the first paperback I put my hands on so I’d have something to read as I rode the Metro to work this morning. ---
**Author:** ![SisterCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/3 "2002-07-03T18:06:38Z")
The Glasswright’s Apprentice by Mindy Klasky I just finished The Bourne Identity Next up - I dunno. The stack next to my bed is pretty high. ---
**Author:** ![monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monster)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/4 "2002-07-03T18:15:24Z")
Well, I know it is really light reading, but I just got the first four Kinsey Millhone mysteries by Sue Grafton. They are small enough and don’t require 100% mental concentration to read at the beach. I figure I can get them all in over the summer. I just finished “A is for Alibi” and am now on “B is for Burglar”. Does anyone know if they go all the way to Z, and if not, what letter is she on? ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/5 "2002-07-03T18:19:59Z")
[ul][li] **A Drink With Shane McGowan** , by Victoria Mary Clarke (Mrs McGowan) and Shane McGowan.[/li]Shane McGowan’s life story, as told to his wife. I dislike The Pogues, but he comes across as a fascinating, and surprisingly switched-on chap. Very enjoyable so far. [li] **The End Of Time** , by Damian Thompson.[/li]An overview of how millennial events have been handled by societies in 1000AD and in the run-up to 2000AD. It looks like heavy going in places, so it’s not highest on my to-read list.[/ul] I also plan to re-read Jon Ronson’s entertaining (if disturbing) **Them: Adventures With Extremists**. ---
**Author:** ![SisterCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/6 "2002-07-03T18:23:44Z")
**pld** - you might also want to try this book for information on the Indianapolis: [Fatal Voyage: The Sinking of the Uss Indianapolis](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0767906780/qid=1025720353/sr=12-3/102-2341194-2080921) by Dan Kurtzman. I read it - excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Globe-trotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cab0a1/32.png) [@Globe-trotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Globe-trotter)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/7 "2002-07-03T18:38:58Z")
I have a few piles of books waiting to be read (does that stop me from buying more? Of course not). 😃 I think I’ll go on a Pratchett binge (I’m currently reading **Moving Pictures** ) and whatever else strikes my fancy (I can’t remember what books are in those piles to be honest, except for Neil Gaiman’s **American Gods** ). ---
**Author:** ![JessEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cdc98d/32.png) [@JessEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessEnigma)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/8 "2002-07-03T19:33:16Z")
I have all my books that I have to read for English class next fall, but the one that I have right now that I want to read is _One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest_. I’ll get around to it eventually. Otherwise, I’ve been slowly working my way through _Lord of the Rings_ and picking up Terry Pratchett books wherever I can find them. I just finished _Ender’s Game_ a few days ago and I think I will try to pick up other books from that series. jessica ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/9 "2002-07-03T19:43:42Z")
_American Gods_ was a good read, although the stuff on the covoer disturbed me: “As good as Stephen King or your money back.” I Like SK, and I enjoyed American Gods, but the book was nowhere like SK at all. That said, I just finished _How to be Good_ by Nick Hornby. Not very good. In fact very un-good. I loved High Fidelity, being of Rob Flemming’s age and disposition. The whole read was a constant “Oh my God - yes, we men are that stupid, aren’t we!” About a boy was fine too, but How to be good left me cold. Without spoiling it, I’d say that Hornby is trying to hard to be a ‘real’ writer and getting an interesting perspective. Stick to comedy - you do that well. And I’ve just started _The Fourth Hand_ by John Irving. I have high expectations, since Irving is one of my all time favourites. His last four books, before this, has all been brilliant. About 50 pages into the book, I give both my thumbs up. Anybody remotely interested in recent American history should read _The cold six thousand_ by James Ellroy. If you haven’t read _American Tabloid_, do that first. If you do. You will start writing. Like this. The man doesn’t use commas. At all. Fascinating, weird, wonderful, great literature, provocative. The cold six thousand is easily the second best book I’ve read this year (_The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents_, being the best). A warning though. For those who’ve never read Ellroy - his philosophy is basically that there are no good people, anywhere, of any kind. Everyone is evil. ---
**Author:** ![lauramarlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a5b964/32.png) [@lauramarlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lauramarlane)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/10 "2002-07-03T20:01:32Z")
I’m in the middle of Dialogues of the Dead by Reginald Hill and am eagerly awaiting the next installment in the Dalziel and Pascoe series of British police procedurals–I’m addicted, I can’t help myself! But since I’m going to be road tripping across the U.S. very shortly, I picked up a copy of Eccentric America–Jello Museum, here I come! I’ve read Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, but haven’t gotten to American Gods yet–how is it? ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/11 "2002-07-03T20:03:48Z")
Seeing as most of my “To Look For” memo on my Visor is thanks to postings here & on the Unaboard: NOTE: I DO NOT expect to get thru all these this summer! **Fiction (available at the local library)** Coupland, Douglas – Microserfs FICTION Co 1995 Eggers, Dave – A heartbreaking work of staggering genius FICTION Eg 2000 Ellroy, James – American tabloid FICTION El 1995 Neil Gaiman – – American Gods : A Novel F Gaiman, N 2001 – Neverwhere FICTION Ga 1997 Lowry, Lois – The giver MAIN JUV BOOK FICTION Lo Matheson, Richard – I am legend FICTION Ma Russo, Richard – Empire Falls F Russo, R 2001 Rudy Rucker – Freeware SF Ru 1997 – Realware SF Ru 1997 Shea, Robert – The illuminatus! trilogy SF Sh 1988 **Nonfiction - available at local library** Le Guin, Ursula K - Dancing at the edge of the world : thoughts on words, women, places 814.54 Le 1989 Lord, Walter - The good years: from 1900 to the First World War 973.91 Lo - A night to remember 910.452 Lo 1997 c.2 - The night lives on 910.452 Lo 1987 c.2 Hofstadter, Douglas R. – Gödel, Escher, Bach : an eternal golden braid 510.1 Ho 1979 Diamond, Jared M – The third chimpanzee : the evolution and future of the human animal 573.2 Di 1992 Sagan, Carl – The demon-haunted world : science as a candle in the dark 001.9 Sa 1995 DUE 04-24-02 The forbidden zone – Michael Lesy - 306.9 Le 1987 An Hour Before Daylight – Jimmy Carter MAIN ADULT BOOK B Carter 2001 (On hold as of 3/13) “Disaster! The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906” by Dan Kurzman MAIN ADULT BOOK 979.461 Kurzman 2001 Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain MAIN ADULT BOOK B Bourdain 2000 Warriors of God : Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade by James, Jr. Reston 942.03 Reston 2001 (due back 8/7/01) Paul Johnson – Modern Times : The World from the Twenties to the Nineties KHCPL 909.82 Jo The Ancient Engineers by L. Sprague De Camp MAIN ADULT BOOK 620.009 De Jacques Barzun – From Dawn to Decadence : 500 Years of Western Cultural Life 940.2 Ba 2000 O’Rourke, P. J – Parliament of whores : a lone humorist attempts to explain the entire U.S. government 320.973 O’R 1991 c.2 Burke, James – Connections 609 Bu Circles : 50 round trips through history, technology, science, culture 609 Burke 2000 Krause, Jim - Idea index : graphic effects and typographic treatments 686.22 Kr 2000 Pinker, Steven – How the mind works 153 Pi 1997 – Words and rules : the ingredients of language 415 Pi 1999 * * * Just finished: _On the Beach_ Neville Shute. The last few months in Australia after WWIII decimates the northern hemisphere. Written in 1957 and (kind of) shows its age, but still quite good. Seemed very stiff-upper-lip to me… is that how you Aussies really are? _Stardust_ Neil Gaiman - a fairy tale for all ages. Kind of reminded me of _Princess Bride_ without all the asides. _Walk Through Cold Fire_ Cin Forshay-Lunsford. Think _The Outsiders_ from a female point of view. It apparently meant a lot more to me at 16 (multiple quotes in my journal) - just not the same more than a decade later. Working on: _Guns, Germs and Steel_ Jared Diamond – this is my “educational” book for the month. _Turn of the Screw_- Henry James – loaded on my Visor for reading at odd moments… proving to be VERY odd! (did this guy get paid by the word or what?) ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/12 "2002-07-03T22:41:39Z")
I’ve finished _A Passage to India_ by Forester, _The Light of Other Days_ and _The Songs of Distant Earth_ by Arthur C. Clarke, _Castle Roonga_ by Piers Anthony, _A Game of Thrones_ by Martin, _Ringworld_ by Larry Niven, and _The Eye of the World_, by Robert Jordan. I’m currently at page 250 of _Nemesis_ by Asimov. Before the summer is over, I hope to finish at least one more lengthy classic novel, probably _The Brothers Karamazov_. Other than that, I’ll just keep going back to the public library and picking out whatever SF and fantasy novels catch my eye. ---
**Author:** ![Melon\_Farmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Melon\_Farmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melon_Farmer)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/13 "2002-07-03T22:51:22Z")
Sounds like I’m in good company. I just finished re-reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Corrections by Franzen. Right now I’m knee-deep in The Cold Six Thousand by Ellroy with Choke by Palahniuk to follow. I really liked The Corrections, but apparently people either love or hate that book. ---
**Author:** ![Melon\_Farmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Melon\_Farmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melon_Farmer)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/14 "2002-07-03T22:54:41Z")
Sounds like I’m in good company. I just finished re-reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Corrections by Franzen. Right now I’m knee-deep in The Cold Six Thousand by Ellroy with Choke%5 ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/15 "2002-07-03T23:06:38Z")
Still plowing through The Lord of the Rings, but I plan on finally getting through a copy of the Foundation Trilogy (by Asimov) that’s been sitting on my shelf for several years. If I get through those, I promised myself I will finally get through Dune and (possibly) all its incarnations. HA! ---
**Author:** ![Melon\_Farmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Melon\_Farmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melon_Farmer)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/16 "2002-07-03T23:15:45Z")
Argh. ---
**Author:** ![Banger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@Banger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banger)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/17 "2002-07-04T00:53:19Z")
I’m currently reading “The Shining”. I have the following nearby: “The Stand” “Foundation” “Of Human Bondage” “Resurrection” “Lolita” “Ivanhoe” Some short stories by Roald Dahl, H.P. Lovecraft and Nikolai Gogol “Brideshead Revisted” “The Bostonians” “A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” I am also considering picking up “Starship Troopers” and “Fight Club”. I’m a slow reader, so that should last me awhile:) ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/18 "2002-07-04T02:25:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by monster \* > \*\*Well, I know it is really light reading, but I just got the first four Kinsey Millhone mysteries by Sue Grafton. They are small enough and don’t require 100% mental concentration to read at the beach. I figure I can get them all in over the summer. I just finished “A is for Alibi” and am now on “B is for Burglar”. Does anyone know if they go all the way to Z, and if not, what letter is she on? \*\* 😉 Hey, thanks for reading my books! 😉 She is up to “P”, and I think “Q” is due out in the fall. Sue Grafton has said she plans to go all the way to “Z.” I just finished _A Fine Balance_ by Rohinton Mistry, and like many others, have quite a stack on my nightstand. It includes: _Memiors of a Geisha_, by Arthur Golden _Little Altars Everywhere_, by Rebecca Wells _Up Country_, by Nelson DeMille _Hard Eight_, by Janet Evanovich _Sea Glass_, by Anita Shreve And some books about Down’s Syndrome for work that have to come first. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-the-annual-your-summer-reading-list-thread/117221/19 "2002-07-04T03:25:07Z")
I don’t read a book at a time, since I get bored easily and pick up another after a few chapters…I also have a weak will when I try to convince myself not to start reading another book. I just finished re-reading **Strangers** by Dean Koontz and \*\* Harry Potter and the Sorcer’s Stone\*\* by Rowling; I also just finished \*\* Guilty Pleasures\*\* by Laurell Hamilton. Right now I’m reading: \*\* The Laughing Corpse\*\* by Laurell Hamilton, and re-reading \*\* Harry Potter and The secret chamber\*\* by Rowling, \*\* Turtle Moon\*\* by Alice Hoffman, \*\* Shadowland\*\* by Peter Straub and \*\* Mine\*\* by Robert McCammon. My to-read pile consists of: - books 3-6 of the \*\*Anita Blake series \*\*(prehaps the rest by the end of the summer if I like them a lot) since I bought two 3-in-1 omibuses of Hamilton’s. - \*\* Black House\*\* by Stephen King and Peter Struab - \*\* The Redemption of Althalus\*\* by David and Leigh Eddings - \*\* From Dust\*\* by Ray Bradbury (assuming it’s off backorder at some point) - \*\* The Enders series\*\* by Orson Scott Card -\*\* Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire\*\* (come out in pb this month) - and serveral **X-files** novels by various authors, as well as other “non-fiction” ones about the show. I also intend to re-read: -\*\* Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban\*\* -\*\* The Book of the New Sun\*\* by Gene Wolfe (actually a 4-in-1) -\*\* A Child called It \*\* and \*\* Lost boy\*\* by David Pelier (and maybe finally read the 3rd one) I probably will read all of them, and quite possibly more, before the end of the summer…I don’t watch summer re-runs on TV 🙂