What are you reading this summer?

I just read The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan. The narrator is Grace, a 22 year old newlywed who is likely now a widow and is adrift in a lifeboat with 38 other survivors from the wreck of an ocean liner.  Here is what author Tim O'Brien (The Things They Carried) has to say on the book jacket: "The Lifeboat is a spellbinding and beautifully written novel, one that will keep readers turning pages late into the night.  This is storytelling at its best, and I was completely absorbed from beginning to end."

What are you reading?  Take a moment to comment on this post so we can share book recommendations.  Thank you!

Else Holmelund Minarik

The wonderful Else Minarik passed away at age 91.  She wrote the the Little Bear books in her simple, beautiful prose.  She first took her manuscript to Random House (in the 1950s), and an editor there suggested the bears should be humans.  Minarik refused the suggestion because children of all colors would be reading her book and she wanted everyone to be able to relate to the story.  You can read more about Minarik in this obituary from the New York Times.

Public libraries and Kindle

Good news; you can now read free e-books on your Kindle! Any public library that subscribes to the Overdrive database of e-books provides access to free e-books from the library's website.  The St. Louis County Library system subscribes to Overdrive; other libraries in the St. Louis area probably do, too.  All you will need is your library card to access Overdrive from home.  Call your local public library if you have any questions.

Librivox

I was pleased to discover Librivox, a site that offers free audio recordings made by volunteer readers.  All recordings feature fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that are in the public domain so there are no copyright issues.  A small selection of fiction for children and young adults is also included.  Listen to a few sample recordings.  It is easy to download the audio files to your ipod or computer or mp3 player; here are the instructions.

Summer Picks

Have a look at what we read over the summer--the stories and subjects cover a wide range of ideas, histories, and genres.  Go to the source to find out more about a certain book (or if you want to tease them about what they read).  And remember that I can get almost any book for faculty, staff, students and family members from the St. Louis Public Library, with delivery to Crossroads every Tuesday. The Crossroads library owns some of these books, too.

Anne T-H read The Echo Maker by Richard Powers.  He is one of my favorite novelists, too.  I’ve read Generosity.

Michael’s favorite summer reads were Desolation Island by Patrick O’Brian, The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer, Toward a True Kinship of Faiths by the Dalai Lama, and The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Elaine enjoyed The Master and Margarita but would have liked “a guide to explain all of the digs on the Russian political figures that the author makes throughout the book.”

Sara C. read The Help, the bestseller that came out a few years ago and continues to be popular.  I ordered a copy from the public library for a student just last week. 

Amy also read a bestseller, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, which she read for her book club.  She was surprised by how good it was.  I think sometimes the label “bestseller” and the accompanying advertising hype can turn one off from books that have merit.

Martha found Three Cups of Tea inspiring “despite the recent controversy about certain editorial decisions.”  Hmm, I missed that news.  Can you tell us more, Martha?  She also enjoyed Whistling Vivaldi.


Howard read A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin.  He also enjoyed reading parts of the Harry Potter series as his wife was working through them this summer.

Gerry often reads about American history and recommends Grant: The Biography of U. S. Grant.

Brittyne says “I read three books this summer but my favorite was Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women by Nicholas Kristof.  The exploration of crises facing women around the globe was astounding.  The authors do a great job of showing how average people can make a difference!”

Nancy enjoyed Tinkers by Paul Harding, House Rules by Jodi Picoult, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

Here are some of Dave's summer reads.  (Dave posts a sign on his classroom door that says "What Dave is reading right now" and lists his current read.  This is a great way to promote conversations about reading with your students.)

Sharon, you know me.  I can't pick a favorite.  I'll submit 5 - which is still a big limitation.
Earth Abides by George R. Stewart - a very early (1949) "life after a worldwide plague" book - and a very gentle one by comparison to what one would expect
State of Wonder by Anne Patchett - her latest, a modern re-working of Conrad's Heart of Darkness, only in the Amazon instead of the Congo, and involving biotechnology instead of ivory
The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson - a fascinating look into the world of psychology and some of the strangeness and abuses that occur when tossing around the powerful label "psychopath"
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie - had to read it in preparation for teaching 9th grade; one of the best "had to read" books I've ever encountered
The Inverted Forest by John Dalton - St. Louis author creates a unique and memorable character, Wyatt, whose experiences as a summer camp counselor change his life forever


Mike also offers some interesting commentary on his summer reading:

Baseball

I read two nonfiction books about baseball: the first was October 1964 by David Halberstam-- most fans can recall a season when they first paid attention to batting orders and statistics and so on. For me it was 1964. It just so happened that 1964 was a pivotal season, as the racially integrated Cardinals faced the fading imperium of the NY Yankees in the World Series. Who knew that Johnny Keane, the manager of the Cards, was racially progressive? To a somewhat tuned-in 8-year-old he seemed like an old fogey. The book was an interesting journey into my childhood with a perspective I missed at the time.

I followed that up with Bottom of the 33rd by Tim Barry, a nonfiction account of the longest professional baseball game EVER! The minor league teams from Pawtucket and Rochester played deep into the morning of Easter 1981 due to an oversight on the part of the person in charge of the rulebook in the AAA league. The book was both interesting and forgettable.

 Brownshirts:

The bulk of my summer reading was taken up by Timothy Snyder's Bloodlands, a dark overview of  atrocities committed by both Stalin and Hitler in the lands between the Oder and the Dnieper from 1932 to 1944.  Dark, dark, and chastening.

Next was Ursula Heggi's prequel to one of my favorite books of all time, Stones From the River. In her new novel, Children and Fire, Heggi examines the ambiguity inherent in the response of ordinary Germans to the early rise of the Nazis.

Bigshots:

Who doesn't like Tina Fey? She's cute, she's smart, she's non-threatening. I read Bossypants and now I like her even more.

I followed that up with If I Stop Talking You Will Know I'm Dead by Jerry Weintraub. What can I say...guilty pleasure. the life and times of an entertainment mogul.

Brains:
I read Soul Dust: The Magic of Consciousness by Nicholas Humphrey. I'm still trying to understand how we understand what we understand...but am not getting much closer.

Summer reading

Welcome back to Crossroads, everyone.  I hope you all enjoyed reading over the summer.  I discovered The Curfew by Jesse Ball when browsing the new fiction shelves at the Clayton Mid-County library.  The Curfew is about a father and daughter who live in a city that has been taken over by fascists, yet we never know who the leaders are.  Everyone is frightened and paranoid, speaking carefully to their acquaintances and friends.  One night, the father takes a dangerous journey after curfew, leaving his daughter with the neighbors.  This is a sad but beautiful story and Jesse Ball is "an author to watch," as they say.

Soon I will post Crossroads faculty summer reading favorites.

Kindle for libraries

Good news in the e-book realm--Later this year, Amazon is planning to allow customers to download free e-books from libraries to their Kindle.  Here's an announcement from ebookNEWSER with more details.