Summer Reading In Autumn (And About 20 Years Late)

It's all about literature here in the Welsh 'town of books' - Hay-On-Wye

PLEASE COMMENT...
and write the name of the book you are reading (or one that you would recommend)!

The Welsh sure do love their 'Fifty Shades of Hay'!

As I mentioned in previous posts, I have long neglected my studies with regards to literature. I was never much into books as a young child. I would pretend to read them by memorizing some basic facts. As a result, I performed half as well as I could have in all my Literature classes. I fell quite behind my peers in knowledge of great works. It wasn't that I couldn't read. I could read very well. I have always had excellent vision and comprehension skills. I knew what I was reading, but I wasn't at all interested! Why would one read a fiction book anyway?! The story contained therein isn't true. So what could one learn from it? Oddly enough this mentality followed me all the way to college at the University of California Berkeley, where I continued to dive primarily only into works of non-fiction - books on language, psychology, cognition, neuro-science and the like.

What changed? I came across a little-known book called "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." What started off as a little diversion to desperately escape the pain of my life at that time, turned into a succession of books that has not stopped since. (Although I am not the fastest reader...) I would read fiction and non-fiction. I would alternate genres. I would even read a couple books at the same time. Typically I would read a fiction/fantasy book before bed, a mystery or classic book while traveling, and a non-fiction or historical fiction book on vacation.

I have often felt somewhat deprived for not having read "the greats." I may have actually read through a decent number of them, but hardly remember the stories at this point. Of course I cannot blame my English Lit teachers as they tried their best to encourage me. The truth is, I had to learn to love reading. That never happened until after college. I never picked up a book for fun unless it was to learn a language or learn something interesting or practical. What I didn't know growing up was that not only could one benefit from reading with regards to overall English comprehension but also benefit through the development of one's critical thinking skills. I also didn't know that reading could be, like, fun!

Here's my list of so-called "summer reading" list that I have assigned myself. It is a growing, living list that will hopefully wax and wane as I finish each work and learn of new ones to add. Without further ado, THE LIST (currently at 25). Please feel free to add your suggestions in the comment section.

Here's the queue (in reverse order):

25. Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
24. Victor Hugo - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
23. Oscar Wilde - The Importance of Being Earnest
22. Margaret Atwood - Alias Grace
21. James Joyce - Ulysses
20. Neal Stephenson - Seveneves
19. Virginia Woolf - Mrs. Dalloway
18. Tea Obreht - The Tiger's Wife
17. Chris Cleave - Little Bee
16. George Orwell - Animal Farm
15. Toni Morrison - Beloved
14. Allison Levine - On the Edge
13. Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Notes from the Underground
12. Plato - The Republic
11. Friedrich Nietzsche - Thus Spake Zarathustra A book for all and none
10. Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra - Don Quixote
9. H.G. Wells - The War of the Worlds
8. Sunzi - The Art of War
7. Sir Saint Thomas More - Utopia
6. James Baldwin - Giovanni's Room
5. Yann Martel - Life of Pi
4. Stephen Coryelle - Elves In Oregon
3. Christopher Isherwood - Christopher and His Kind
2. Ismail Kadare - The Siege
1. Muriel Spark - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Currently reading: George Orwell - 1984

Last read: The Stranger by Albert Camus