summer reading 2011
May 24, 2011 10:53 AM Subscribe
Quick! I need the most entertaining, delicious, absorbing, and distracting list of summer reading ever.
This week sucks, and I want to lose myself in a few good life-affirming books. Some things I've liked recently: Jane Austen, Jane Eyre, cheesy self-help books, Kay Ryan poems, Lionel Shriver (but with happier endings), and (randomly) Gary Will's biography of St. Augustine.
This week sucks, and I want to lose myself in a few good life-affirming books. Some things I've liked recently: Jane Austen, Jane Eyre, cheesy self-help books, Kay Ryan poems, Lionel Shriver (but with happier endings), and (randomly) Gary Will's biography of St. Augustine.
The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers. Really fun fiction about writing and reading.
posted by princelyfox at 10:55 AM on May 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by princelyfox at 10:55 AM on May 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
maybe some Tom Robbins? I would personally stick with the older stuff, but he's generally a fun, playful, upbeat and wacky story teller.
posted by supermedusa at 10:59 AM on May 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by supermedusa at 10:59 AM on May 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
I don't know if this would fall under the category of "life-affirming", but I recommend Christopher Moore books. In particular, Lamb:
The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. His books are hilarious, feel-good reads.
posted by Kimberly at 11:14 AM on May 24, 2011 [2 favorites]
The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. His books are hilarious, feel-good reads.
posted by Kimberly at 11:14 AM on May 24, 2011 [2 favorites]
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber.
posted by mattbucher at 11:22 AM on May 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by mattbucher at 11:22 AM on May 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
Dare I suggest a historical romance? Specifically Georgette Heyer. Lots of clothes, carriages, Victorian or older slang, and happy endings. So kind of like Jane Austen. I particularly recommend Devil's Cub and Frederika.
posted by hydrobatidae at 11:55 AM on May 24, 2011
posted by hydrobatidae at 11:55 AM on May 24, 2011
Cheery:
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Bossypants by Tina Fey
The Princess Bride (the book's maybe even better than the film) by Willaim Goldman
The Commitment by Dan Savage
Life-affirming(ish):
Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams
Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen
posted by you're a kitty! at 11:57 AM on May 24, 2011 [2 favorites]
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Bossypants by Tina Fey
The Princess Bride (the book's maybe even better than the film) by Willaim Goldman
The Commitment by Dan Savage
Life-affirming(ish):
Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams
Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen
posted by you're a kitty! at 11:57 AM on May 24, 2011 [2 favorites]
You can read Enchanted April this instant at Project Gutenberg.
posted by gubenuj at 12:03 PM on May 24, 2011
posted by gubenuj at 12:03 PM on May 24, 2011
As ever, I recommend Terry Pratchett's "The Wee Free Men" and its sequel, "A Hat Full of Sky," both delightful YA books which are also thoughtful, funny, well-written and surprisingly moving. The audiobooks, read by Stephen Briggs, are a treat.
Farm girl and cheesemaker Tiffany Aching, 9, is not a witch. Yet. But when a supernatural force kidnaps her little brother, she discovers that her many native talents--her love of big words, her keen observational skills, her willingness to do the job in front of her--might just qualify her as a heroine, mousy brown hair or no. Along the way, she has help, of course, if you consider a mad tribe of six-inch high drinking-fighting-stealing Pictsies as constituting "help."
Don't let the YA label put you off--it's fantastic. And the closing paragraph of "The Wee Free Men" will make your heart rise.
posted by MonkeyToes at 12:06 PM on May 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
Farm girl and cheesemaker Tiffany Aching, 9, is not a witch. Yet. But when a supernatural force kidnaps her little brother, she discovers that her many native talents--her love of big words, her keen observational skills, her willingness to do the job in front of her--might just qualify her as a heroine, mousy brown hair or no. Along the way, she has help, of course, if you consider a mad tribe of six-inch high drinking-fighting-stealing Pictsies as constituting "help."
Don't let the YA label put you off--it's fantastic. And the closing paragraph of "The Wee Free Men" will make your heart rise.
posted by MonkeyToes at 12:06 PM on May 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
Anything by Elizabeth Berg but this is my favorite
Weetzie Bat and Necklace of Kisses by Francesca Lia Block.
posted by noxetlux at 12:24 PM on May 24, 2011
Weetzie Bat and Necklace of Kisses by Francesca Lia Block.
posted by noxetlux at 12:24 PM on May 24, 2011
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
Here is why: http://www.rudhraigh.com/tag/thenameofthewind/
posted by rudhraigh at 12:44 PM on May 24, 2011
Here is why: http://www.rudhraigh.com/tag/thenameofthewind/
posted by rudhraigh at 12:44 PM on May 24, 2011
If you're looking for a lighthearted brand of entertaining, try Joy in the Morning by P.G. Wodehouse. It's a Jeeves and Wooster novel and is my favorite Wodehouse. It's delightful and silly and fun and makes you feel great.
Another very engrossing and very entertaining book that often gets recommended here is A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. If all education were this fun, there would be nobody to scrub the toilets.
posted by Askr at 12:58 PM on May 24, 2011 [3 favorites]
Another very engrossing and very entertaining book that often gets recommended here is A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. If all education were this fun, there would be nobody to scrub the toilets.
posted by Askr at 12:58 PM on May 24, 2011 [3 favorites]
I tend to turn to classic children's books at such times.. The Secret Garden (both Jane Eyre-y and self-helpy), The Railway Children, Anne of Green Gables, Kidnapped (entertaining, absorbing), Wind in the Willows (life-affirming).
posted by Erasmouse at 1:30 PM on May 24, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by Erasmouse at 1:30 PM on May 24, 2011 [3 favorites]
I've been in a comfort-reading mood for many months now, so I hear you! Be sure to check out these threads if you haven't already: here, here, here, here, here... okay, I'll stop, but I've found some fantastic stuff in all of those.
L. M. Montgomery has waaaaay more than just the Anne books (although they do tend to run together, I'll admit!). The Emily books (Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs, Emily's Quest), Jane/Kilmeny/Pat/Whoever of the Wherever books, the short story collections, etc. are great to have around and give you that warm feeling that even if times are bad, people are spunky and there is apple butter to be made or something ;) If you're stuck at work and need a life, there are many available on Project Gutenberg.
in the same vein, Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series (particularly the eponymous book) is very comforting and old-fashioned. I like the intrepid nature of the characters, even though they're quite young and don't actually go that far.
Cold Comfort Farm is a very funny book in the sort of Wodehouse tradition, but I especially like it because it manages to satirize the blindingly cheerful "pick yourself up by the bootstraps and dust yourself off" books while still getting that message through.
If you're okay with "better" romance novels* you might check out Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I liked Match Me If You Can a whole lot, and then This Heart Of Mine turned out to be even more satisfying. They're fun and deftly plotted; the characters are relatable even in weird situations, and the dialogue/scenes are great.
I loooove MM Kaye. You may be familiar with The Ordinary Princess from your youth, but I just finished The Far Pavilions. Took forever but had all sorts of sweeping exoticism and drama that somehow still reminds me of Austen and Bronte in its characterization.
Among the often-recommended that I didn't get around to trying for too long: Neil Gaiman and Diana Gabaldon. Stardust is sweet, American Gods and Anansi Boys are funny but also draw you into the things you remember from studying myths and legends in school and have almost -- but not quite! -- forgotten. Oh, and Good Omens with Terry Pratchett, too. I'm not much of a fantasy reader, but Gaiman is just wry and sarcastic enough to keep me in. As for Diana Gabaldon, Outlander is so rich and yummy. Mmmm, big ginger Scotsmen. (I'll say it again: mmmm.)
I am also just getting into David Mitchell and wondering why I didn't do it sooner. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet was just fabulous, and now Cloud Atlas has me looking forward to getting home and reading another chunk. I wouldn't call both of them "uplifting" per se (though they're not TOO dark), but breathtaking? Unquestionably. I sat there with the last page of Jacob de Zoet open in front of me for a good five minutes.
Laurie R. King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes books are quite entertaining: rich detail, satisfying banter. Just don't read them at the same time as her Kate Martinelli books; she can get on certain themes and you'll see her repeating herself across very different eras :P
*"Better" is a relative term; romances are great! Especially if you have a Kindle or other digital device, you should consider the whole gamut, including category romances -- the Harlequins/Silhouettes. Most are guaranteed to have a happily ever after ending, even if the drama took its damn time getting there. I didn't even think I'd be into historicals/Regencies, but there are some darn good ones. Some awful ones, too, but go check out Smart Bitches, Trashy Books to get started.
posted by Madamina at 2:54 PM on May 24, 2011 [7 favorites]
L. M. Montgomery has waaaaay more than just the Anne books (although they do tend to run together, I'll admit!). The Emily books (Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs, Emily's Quest), Jane/Kilmeny/Pat/Whoever of the Wherever books, the short story collections, etc. are great to have around and give you that warm feeling that even if times are bad, people are spunky and there is apple butter to be made or something ;) If you're stuck at work and need a life, there are many available on Project Gutenberg.
in the same vein, Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series (particularly the eponymous book) is very comforting and old-fashioned. I like the intrepid nature of the characters, even though they're quite young and don't actually go that far.
Cold Comfort Farm is a very funny book in the sort of Wodehouse tradition, but I especially like it because it manages to satirize the blindingly cheerful "pick yourself up by the bootstraps and dust yourself off" books while still getting that message through.
If you're okay with "better" romance novels* you might check out Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I liked Match Me If You Can a whole lot, and then This Heart Of Mine turned out to be even more satisfying. They're fun and deftly plotted; the characters are relatable even in weird situations, and the dialogue/scenes are great.
I loooove MM Kaye. You may be familiar with The Ordinary Princess from your youth, but I just finished The Far Pavilions. Took forever but had all sorts of sweeping exoticism and drama that somehow still reminds me of Austen and Bronte in its characterization.
Among the often-recommended that I didn't get around to trying for too long: Neil Gaiman and Diana Gabaldon. Stardust is sweet, American Gods and Anansi Boys are funny but also draw you into the things you remember from studying myths and legends in school and have almost -- but not quite! -- forgotten. Oh, and Good Omens with Terry Pratchett, too. I'm not much of a fantasy reader, but Gaiman is just wry and sarcastic enough to keep me in. As for Diana Gabaldon, Outlander is so rich and yummy. Mmmm, big ginger Scotsmen. (I'll say it again: mmmm.)
I am also just getting into David Mitchell and wondering why I didn't do it sooner. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet was just fabulous, and now Cloud Atlas has me looking forward to getting home and reading another chunk. I wouldn't call both of them "uplifting" per se (though they're not TOO dark), but breathtaking? Unquestionably. I sat there with the last page of Jacob de Zoet open in front of me for a good five minutes.
Laurie R. King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes books are quite entertaining: rich detail, satisfying banter. Just don't read them at the same time as her Kate Martinelli books; she can get on certain themes and you'll see her repeating herself across very different eras :P
*"Better" is a relative term; romances are great! Especially if you have a Kindle or other digital device, you should consider the whole gamut, including category romances -- the Harlequins/Silhouettes. Most are guaranteed to have a happily ever after ending, even if the drama took its damn time getting there. I didn't even think I'd be into historicals/Regencies, but there are some darn good ones. Some awful ones, too, but go check out Smart Bitches, Trashy Books to get started.
posted by Madamina at 2:54 PM on May 24, 2011 [7 favorites]
Okay, 1. I forgot the link to Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.
And 2. that should be "if you're stuck at work and need a LIFT," not a "LIFE." (Though it applies for me some days... like today...)
posted by Madamina at 2:56 PM on May 24, 2011
And 2. that should be "if you're stuck at work and need a LIFT," not a "LIFE." (Though it applies for me some days... like today...)
posted by Madamina at 2:56 PM on May 24, 2011
I am a terrible slacker, so don't hold your breath, but memail me your address, and I'll send a selection of books. Probably sheer crap, but, hey, free books from an invisible friend.
posted by theora55 at 4:15 PM on May 24, 2011
posted by theora55 at 4:15 PM on May 24, 2011
Life affirming - Year of Wonders (a Novel of the Plague) (seriously) by Geraldine Brooks. It is so so good. I cannot recommend her enough.
And seconding Connie Willis! I have one of her books on hold at work to take on vacation.
Also seconding Neil Gaiman - American Gods, ESPECIALLY if you like mythology. It's one of my all time favorite books ever.
posted by bibliogrrl at 4:20 PM on May 24, 2011
And seconding Connie Willis! I have one of her books on hold at work to take on vacation.
Also seconding Neil Gaiman - American Gods, ESPECIALLY if you like mythology. It's one of my all time favorite books ever.
posted by bibliogrrl at 4:20 PM on May 24, 2011
My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey is a really cool read about a brain scientist who had a stroke. Amazingly uplifting story; I devoured it.
posted by goblinbox at 10:29 PM on May 24, 2011
posted by goblinbox at 10:29 PM on May 24, 2011
anything by Terry Pratchett
cheesy urban fantasy by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files), Simon R Green (Nightside), Elizabeth Bear or Charles de Lint
Rita Heyworth and the Shawshank Redemption - Stephen King. it's part of Different Seasons, which is mostly depressing. but what's more life-affirming than Shawshank Redemption?
any of Spider Robinson's 'Callahan's Crosstime Salon' books. spend a few hours in the company of the best bar ever
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 11:00 PM on May 24, 2011
cheesy urban fantasy by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files), Simon R Green (Nightside), Elizabeth Bear or Charles de Lint
Rita Heyworth and the Shawshank Redemption - Stephen King. it's part of Different Seasons, which is mostly depressing. but what's more life-affirming than Shawshank Redemption?
any of Spider Robinson's 'Callahan's Crosstime Salon' books. spend a few hours in the company of the best bar ever
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 11:00 PM on May 24, 2011
Seconding Georgette Heyer. I just finished The Grand Sophy, and am reading Frederica right now. Thirding Terry Pratchett. A friend recently got me started on Hogfather and Mort. I'm off to get a copy of Wee Free Men!) Recent fun read: Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.
posted by pimli at 12:14 AM on May 25, 2011
posted by pimli at 12:14 AM on May 25, 2011
I recently read Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate (combined into one volume) and was utterly enchanted. They're set in the 1920s and 1930s and are based loosely on the author's large and eccentric family of British aristocrats.
Extra Virgin by Annie Hawes: it's a memoir that describes in hilarious detail what happens when Hawes and her sister buy a...hut? a shack? (needs a lot of DIY, anyway) in a little Italian village and start learning how not to offend the locals.
Summer of My Amazing Luck by Miriam Toews: iIt's about the friendship between two single moms who live in a public housing complex in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Toews' other novels are good too, although this one, her first, is still my favourite.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:18 AM on May 25, 2011
Extra Virgin by Annie Hawes: it's a memoir that describes in hilarious detail what happens when Hawes and her sister buy a...hut? a shack? (needs a lot of DIY, anyway) in a little Italian village and start learning how not to offend the locals.
Summer of My Amazing Luck by Miriam Toews: iIt's about the friendship between two single moms who live in a public housing complex in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Toews' other novels are good too, although this one, her first, is still my favourite.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:18 AM on May 25, 2011
My fondest memory of a summer read is the time I took Les Miserables to summer camp. Don't be intimidated by the doorstoppishness of it; it's beautiful, moving, and deeply engrossing.
posted by Rinku at 4:56 AM on May 25, 2011
posted by Rinku at 4:56 AM on May 25, 2011
Nthing Terry Pratchett for humorous distraction.
Something completely different from Terry Pratchett, which I'm surprised I haven't seen here yet, is I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. Not exactly "happy" all the time, but definitely uplifting and life-affirming.
posted by SymphonyNumberNine at 7:57 AM on May 25, 2011
Something completely different from Terry Pratchett, which I'm surprised I haven't seen here yet, is I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. Not exactly "happy" all the time, but definitely uplifting and life-affirming.
posted by SymphonyNumberNine at 7:57 AM on May 25, 2011
Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters. Couldn't put it down once I had begun it...
posted by Diablevert at 6:20 PM on May 25, 2011
posted by Diablevert at 6:20 PM on May 25, 2011
I agree with reading some children's/YA classics. You can't go wrong with the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, start to finish, from Little House in the Big Woods to On the Way Home.
Others: Magister Ludi (summer between 11th and 12th grade), "And Ladies of the Club" (a week at the beach and a few re-reads plus dipping in here and there fairly often [it is verrry long]).
(My mouse is acting up and I can't ital the titles like a good literate person should!)
posted by jgirl at 6:25 PM on May 25, 2011
Others: Magister Ludi (summer between 11th and 12th grade), "And Ladies of the Club" (a week at the beach and a few re-reads plus dipping in here and there fairly often [it is verrry long]).
(My mouse is acting up and I can't ital the titles like a good literate person should!)
posted by jgirl at 6:25 PM on May 25, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Sticherbeast at 10:54 AM on May 24, 2011