Summer Reading for enjoyment

Pre-College Issues High School Life
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<p>Let's start a list:</p>

<p>1) The Shadow of the Wind
This book was amazing. It was translated from Spanish, but the translation is impossible to tell. It's about a boy and in his family there is a custom to go to a place called the graveyard of forgotten books and pick a book out and cherish it. The book he picks out is called the shadow of the wind, yet someone in Barcelona (where he lives) is going around systematically burning all of the works of the author. Takes place in post-civil war 1950~ Spain.</p>

<p>2) The Kite Runner
This is a book about a boy and his servant in Afghanistan. His servant is his best friend. The premise is basically about their relationship as the years pass.</p>

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<p>What I've read so far:</p>

<p>1) "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime" by Mark Haddon-- cleverly written from the viewpoint of a brilliant, autistic young boy living in England.</p>

<p>2) "Nickle and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich-- undercover journalist moves around America, working low-paying, laborious jobs (waitress, hotel maid) to find out what subsisting on an extremely low pay is like in America</p>

<p>3) "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Phillippa Gregory-- historical fiction told in the viewpoint of Anne Boleyn's beautiful older sister, Mary Boleyn (also a mistress of her sister's future husband King Henry VIII).</p>

<p>4) "The Rule of Four" by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomson-- set in Princeton, four brilliant seniors try to crack the hidden codes and messages in the Hypnerotomachia, a Renaissance text about a man named Poliphilo "searching for love in a dream."</p>

<p>What else I am planning to read in my free time this summer: </p>

<p>5) "The Ha-Ha" by David King-- supposed to be beautifully written; about a Vietnam vet</p>

<p>6) a biography of Lucrezia Borgia by Sarah Bradford-- a thoroughly researched, more sympathetic take on the life on an infamous illegitimate daughter of a pope, rumored for being power-hungry, incestuous and a poisoner.</p>

<p>7) "Kafka on the Shore" by Haruki Murakami-- Japanese fictional novel, translated; very complex and literally dream-like in narrative</p>

<p>8) "Spice: a History of the Temptation" by Jack Turner-- well. What else? About the history of spices.</p>

<p>9) "The Geographer's Library" by Jon Fasman-- supposed to be a puzzle book, along the lines of "Da Vinci Code" and "Rule of Four", this time dealing with an international fine art smuggling ring</p>

<p>These books were all either reccomended to me or were found from scouring Critic's Top Novel lists from this year and last year.</p>

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<p>I just got "The curious incident..." today and I'm starting it tonight :)</p>

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<p>"Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom. About a man who visits his dying mentor and learns lifes greatest lessons. Sappy? Yes. Great Read? Absolutely.</p>

<p>"Anthem" by Ayn Rand. A look into how the future will be, like most of her books. Similar to "1984", "Farenheit 451" and books of that nature. "farhenheit 451" (Ray Bradybury) is great, too.</p>

<p>"Harry Potter"... </p>

<p>"Wit: A Play" by Margaret Edson. Not really a book, but whatever. Its about an older woman dealing with advanced cancer. I love this book/play/thing.</p>

<p>"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger. A boy coming of age in New York City. Most of you have probably read it, and if you haven't, you should.</p>

<p>"Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant" by Anne Tyler. Its another depressing book... kinda really depressing... but its a great book about a family destroyed because of internal conflicts and a missing father.</p>

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<p>"gone with the wind" - a real 'feel good" book. i loved it.
"twenty years after" - sequel to "the three musketeers", but really wasn't as good as the original. i wouldn't recommend it
"the count of monte cristo" - the unabriged version, baby! fantastic. can you tell i love dumas?
"the divine comedy" - i read "the inferno" for school this past year, so i read it again along with "el purgatorio" and "el paradiso"
"emma" - i'm about in the middle, and it's very loverly</p>

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<p>pride and prejudice. but i'm not yet done with it and i've had it for about 2mths now. too bad i can't renew it anymore so i have to finish it in like a week. it's sooooooooooo boring.</p>

<p>who agrees w/ me?</p>

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<p>it's so good!! in the middle, it gets really good. that book is good in plateaus, i suppose. most of austen's work is, but that's just how i feel.</p>

<p>trust me, it's fabulous. i've read it seven times since january and i'm feeling like picking it up again.</p>

<p><3</p>

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<p>i'm still on like page 9tysomething. guess i'm not yet in the middle of it.</p>

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<p>4th of July - James Patterson....I wouldn't recommend you reading it if you haven't read the first 3.</p>

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<p>lol. ist of july
2nd of july
3rd of july
...........lol.</p>

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<p>i like smut.. </p>

<p>sorry..</p>

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<p>no it's </p>

<p>1st to Die
2nd Chance
3rd Degree</p>

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<p>Curious incident was pretty good - I read it last year.</p>

<p>This year I've read the Bourne trilogy by Robert Ludlum, numerous John Grisham, Tom Clancy, and Dean Koontz books, and Harry Potter VI.</p>

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<p>"The DaVinci Code" by Dan Brown. great book, you have to read it and even though its been quite controversial, you have to remember that it is fiction.:)</p>

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<p>Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix (reread)
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince</p>

<p>To read:
Pride & Prejudice (about a quarter through)
the Awakening (half through)</p>

<p>but first I still have to finish my summer reading. Any tips on how to get through 100 Years of Solitude?</p>

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<p>Yea I have to read Guns Germs and Steel, a book for US, a poetry book, A Lesson Before Dying, Heart of Darkness, and A Tale of 2 cities. :(</p>