Summer Reading

It's been a little while since I've dedicated any amount of time to just pleasure reading. I guess I'm always keeping up with current events and politics, and sports, but there's nothing like just sitting down with a good book and getting all wrapped up in the story and characters. School has a way of interrupting my normal flow.

Then this past week the power went out in my neighborhood, I couldn't work on any school-related stuff, so I took to reading, and oh, how good it was. I've been working on The Book Thief for a little while now, and I finally got to a point where I've become very involved in the storyline. The writing is unique and engrossing, and the plot is thoughtful. I kind of have very little idea about where everything is heading, and I really enjoy that about the book. Throw in the fact that chapters are very short, about 5-7 pages a piece, and it's easy to get caught up in just trying to finish the next one.

Other books I'm putting in my Bookflix cue will include:

• The Merchant of Venice - ever since I saw a stage performance of As You Like It in March, I've been been wanting to read another Shakespeare play. I'm even thinking I'll take the class here at school because why not? I'm paying tuition and I get it for free after that. I love that about school. Nobody is better than the Bard. I can't believe how witty and thoughtful that guy is. The man can write and create stories and humor that lasts for centuries. It's amazing.
  
• Dandelion Wine - this is a Bradbury novel that Amy really loves. I've only read two other Bradbury's, Farenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes, and I love them both so I figure it's worth a shot.
  
• Churchill - biography by Paul Johnson. I like that it's short, less than 200 pages, I think, but Johnson is a renowned conservative biographer so I think it should be really interesting.
  
• Born To Run - this one has just recently popped up on my list, but most runners are very well aware of it. Some of them consider it their own kind of bible, they love it that much.
• Willful Blindness - this is written by the prosecutor of the 1993 WTC bombers, and how people are turning a blind eye to the terrorist threat.
  
• Cocktail Economics - this book talks about investment principles using everyday ideas.

That list is a pretty wide swath of reading. I try and keep some variety to it. It doesn't always keep me as engaged as I'd like, but I think it helps broaden me. The last couple have been in my library forever, but I've just never gotten around to reading them. I'm kind of an idiot in the sense that I always have no problem buying more books, but don't always get around to reading them right away.

I think that's a pretty good starting point, maybe that will take the whole summer even. Do y'all have any recommendations? For my own part, I highly, highly recommend The Book Thief. It's very good.