summer reading book list

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl - i'm about 50 pages through this already and it's pretty intense. the author is a world war 2 concentration camp survivor, and he analyzes the ability for humans to define the meaning of their life, very existential and right in line with my thinking.

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger - i've read this before, but i have to read it again. there's something that smacks me in the face about holden caulfield's voice. pretty much everything i write aspires to be as intensely human as the thoughts and interactions salinger creates in this book.

The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac - again, i've read this, but i need to revisit. i remember when i first got into kerouac i devoured a lot of his works in a short span, i needed to get close to his use of language. in a similar way to salinger, he uses a natural language in his writing that i aspire to. and the dharma bum tale coincides with my desire to get out into nature this summer, rock climbing, camping, hiking, etc...

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn - i know very little about this book, but understand that it's a modern classic. it fits my goal for my summer reading: sort of short and diverse. i want to get through a lot of books over the next few months, so reading something like Infinite Jest and it's 1000+ pages just doesn't fit that description. i've decided my winter months will be for larger material, summer for the shorter, poolside stuff.

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri - she's the hot thing in literary circles, everyone of her novels received rave reviews, so i figured i would start out with her pulitzer prize winning book first. i just read the back and found out it's a collection of short stories, i thought it was a novel. well, short stories are cool, they feel like a one-night stand, exciting and new, but not a big commitment.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - i've started this book at least three times, but never finished. it's supposed to be an american classic, so i'm not sure why i can't get into it. it's never grabbed me, never held me hostage. the character that apparently sweeps most off their feet, gatsby, i've never connected with. but this summer, i guarantee i'll get through the whole of it and build a fully realized view of the book. the first 20 pages or so of The Fountainhead didn't grab me, but i stuck with it and it was one of the most pleasurable reads to date. so, i'll give it another try.

Why I am not a Christian by Bertrand Russell - my atheist ways have brought me this book. a friend a few months ago sent me Mere Christianity by cs lewis, he thought it would be an interesting read for me, so i told him the only way i read it is if he reads a book that comes from an opposing viewpoint. he agreed, so i did a little research and came to this. a lot of prominent atheists refer to this, and betrand russell's reputation in the philosophy/thinker community is very high. another reason i want this in the mix this summer is to continue reading varying categories. i read mostly fiction, but lately i've been into history and business literature.

No one belongs here more than you. Stories by Miranda July - i've read about 1/3 of this one already, but want to finish it. she's such a goofy person and writer and her way of thinking never ceases to amaze me. she is more quirky than anyone i've ever read, and it's a genuine, smart, wonderful frivolity that isn't pretentious or demeaning. it seems like she can still access the wonder that children experience, every day new and fresh and exciting. really fun reading.


so that's my list. maybe a bit ambitious, but it shouldn't be anything too tough to get through. i'll report back later in the summer for a mid-season report.