A few weeks ago, on Instagram and Facebook, I posted this photo…
I thought I would run down this list and give you some links to where you can get a copy, if you’re interested.
Far From the Madding Crowd, by Thomas Hardy
I’ve finished this one. Be still my heart. It started out a bit on the slow side, but once I was about a third the way through this, I was hooked. For one, the film was coming out, and I was foaming at the mouth to see it. (Again, be still my heart. It was sooooo good.) Number two, I enjoy Hardy’s pastoral style of writing and vivid characters. Granted, this book is not for everyone. If you are not in the crowd that enjoys classics like Jane Austen or the Bronte sisters, then you probably won’t like this one either. I had read Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbevilles years ago and loved that one as well. This one has a cheerier ending than Tess, so if that one was a downer for you, then you might like this one better.
Love the Home You Have, by Melissa Michaels
I’m only a chapter or two into this one, but the whole concept is already resonating deeply with me. It’s all about contentment and making the best of where you find yourself currently. I don’t know about you, but I am often in need of a healthy dose of this kind of encouragement. I was given a gift card from one of my English students at the end of the year to Barnes & Noble, and I had in mind to track this book down. I was pleasantly surprised to find it in the Christian book section of the store. I in no way, shape, or form try to read just Christian material, but on a subject like this it is interesting to read it from a perspective of faith. Apparently, the author has quite a popular blog that you might be interested in checking out as well.
The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte, by Syrie James
This was an impulse purchase from B&N when I was buying the above book. It was on one of those ever-so-tempting tables as you head to the checkout that boasts older bestsellers for only $4.95…or something like that. They had me at Charlotte Bronte…and secret…and diary. It has good reviews, so I’ll let you know once I get a chance to crack it open.
A Good Man is Hard to Find, by Flannery O’Conner
This is actually a collection of O’Conner short stories. If you have never read anything by Flannery O’Conner, you are missing out. She is so Southern and spiritual and twisted. I’ve found that you can read her stories at numerous levels. You begin a story, and you quickly find yourself having to read to the end because you have to know how it turns out. Then you can go the next step, and read it metaphorically because…goodness gracious…they all mean something else, and not in a hidden, College English 301 kind of way, but in a hit-you-up-side-of-the-head-OF COURSE kind of way. She had this way of writing about people we all know. Sometimes it feels she’s writing about you or your family. It’s actually deliciously creepy…but I like it. And then the truths she writes of, without actually writing about them, are so raw. I’m sure God is pretty proud of ole’ Flannery and her parables. Thirdly, you can read it just for the pure, unadulterated good writing. She knows how to put words together in such simple, yet such complex ways (a paradox, I know). It is so direct. It is so, so good. If you love good writing, you will love and admire Flannery O’Conner.
The Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
I have wanted to read this for years, but, in all honesty, it seemed a little daunting to me. Recently, my future son-in-law pointed out that it has thirty-one chapters in it, so if you read a chapter a day, you could read it in a month, sort of like a devotional. So, that was my plan. I’ve read two chapters, and I can tell it is not going to work like that for me. It is too rich, and I’m usually a tad distracted in my reading. For me, this is going to take a lot longer, but still I’m already finding value in savoring a few pages at a time.
Bonhoeffer, if you don’t know, was a German and a Christian at the time of WWII, and he was eventually arrested by the Nazis. If you aren’t already aware of his story, I won’t spoil it, but even if you don’t read his own books, his biographies might interest you. Years ago Focus on the Family made a radio drama on his life, and it is excellent.
For the Love of Books, by Ronald B. Schwartz
I picked this book up at Goodwill a while back. I always love hearing about what other people are reading, and this book lists the favorites of 115 different writers. Some of my best book finds have been through others’ recommendations, so I am curious to what some great writers themselves recommend. Next year’s summer reading list, perhaps…?
Paradise, by Toni Morrison
This was another Goodwill find. I’ve read a couple of Toni Morrison novels before, and while she is an excellent writer, sometimes things get a little gritty for my taste. I’ve been compelled to try this one, however, because of the racial climate of late. I’m a person who tends to find and hit my emotional nerve through good, vivid literature rather than the latest news story. So, this is my way to stay empathetic in regard to current events. I’ll let you know how it goes…
The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt
I’m about a third through this one, and it is every bit as good and compelling as the reviews make it out to be. I’m hoping to find some time to finish this one by the end of this week. I’m at a point in the story where it is getting harder and harder to put it down, so I have to be careful about when I actually pick it up. My family wants to be fed, you know. Sheesh. My only warning is that it has some rather raw language in spots. It’s not prolifically throughout so far, but enough to make me wince a bit.
Willa Cather, Three Complete Novels, by Willa Cather
Actually, I’m only planning on the The Song of the Lark. I’ve already read O, Pioneers!, and I don’t know anything about the other one. I enjoy Willa Cather, but it’s been a while since I’ve picked her up, so I threw this one on the pile on a whim. If one gets left off this summer though, it will probably be this one. Sorry, Willa.
Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee (not pictured)
I was dumbfounded, literally dumbfounded, when I heard this book was being published this year. To Kill a Mockingbird is easily one of the best books I’ve ever read. I was assigned it in ninth grade English class and started it with a ho-hum attitude. I finished it in two days, exactly four weeks before it was due. I’ve probably read it five times since then. It is truly a masterpiece. So, now, decades after its publication, the sequel, which was apparently written first, is being published. I’m trying not to get too excited about it because I fear I am going to be disappointed. All sorts of questions are swirling about in my mind: Does it suck? What if I don’t like the adult Scout? Or Jem? Is Atticus in it? Is it uncomfortably controversial? Is that why it was shelved all these years? Does it suck? What about Boo? Where is he now? Does it suck? It is being released on July 14, and you can guarantee I’ll have a copy in hand on that day, and my schedule will be cleared for a few days. Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn’t suck…
So, that’s my rather ambitious reading list this summer. Will I finish? Maybe. Does it matter? Nope. All that matters is that some days it’s just too darn hot to do anything else but sip La Croix sparkling water and read a good book.
What are YOU reading this summer???
