I Love My Anythink discussion

In college, I used to try and read one long major work of literature each summer. Since I wouldn't have course reading to contend with, I thought this was a great idea. Inevitabily, I would start something, race through the first 150-200 pages, then get mired in the middle and pick up something else. Some I eventually finished such as Love in the Time of Cholera and the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, but I doubt I'll ever revisit others like Paradise Lost.

I mention this because, as summer approaches, I'm thinking about trying it again. The Brothers Karamazov has always beckoned me for this type of project. It's both an exciting and potentially daunting idea.

So what does summer reading look like for you? Do you take on the big ones or is it a time for lighter and/or fast-paced titles? Or is it like music where you want to read something that reflects the weather outside?

Incorporate your goals with our summer programming at Anythink!
http://www.anythinklibraries.org/mysu...
No reading is required, but part of the fun!

Summer reading is George Orwell, at least until I complete all of his books. Road to Wigan Pier, here I come!

This is totally boring, but I'm going to try and finish this Using Drupal book I started last summer. I have so many books on my to-read list that if I just put a tiny dent in it, I'll be happy.

In the past, though, summers were always for Faulkner and Russian lit. The Brothers Karamazov is one of my favorite books of all time!

As far as mySummer programs go, there are a few that are not to be missed. Project Runway: 2050 at Bennett or Brighton will both be amazing. Live CLUE, where people actually get to be the characters in the game, will be a lot of fun. And our favorite wizard rockers, the Whomping Willows, will be playing at Anythink Huron Street on June 30. They put on an awesome show, whether you're a Harry Potter fan or not.

Lots of good times to be had - and summer programs aren't just for kids anymore. mySummer is appropriate for ages birth to 100, so we have some really cool stuff for teens and adults, as well as kids. I know I'm biased, but I pretty much want to go to everything.

Sean - That's a fantastic goal. Confession time. I've started 1984 twice without finishing. Not because I didn't enjoy it, but something always came up that I had to read instead. Maybe that should be my first goal for the summer.

1984 was a tough one for me, so different from most other Orwell and it just never grabbed me. Try out Burmese Days or maybe Coming Up for Air. Even Keep the Aspidistra Flying is an insteresting poet-angst ridden book that I loved.

I love the simple stories and language he uses. To me it is very engaging, whereas 1984 is too sci-fi and abstract I think. While the story is a good one, I enjoy the realistic aspect of most of his other works. That is why I have come up with this goal, I may never make it through all the essays and such, but I will read all his novels!

OK - back to the C'YAAL gathering!

I really like Animal Farm. I've heard good things about Burmese Days. I'll add it to my reading list.

I find my reading flutuates between dense, complicated prose and simple, minimalist storytelling. I just finished a David Mitchell book which represents the former and I'm always astounded by books such as McCarthy's The Road and what he can do with such simple dialogue.

Oh my word, The Road was one of the best books I've ever read. Love that minimalist writing. Another author that writes that way is Kent Haruf. Have you all read Plainsong or Eventide?

I have not read those, The Road has been on my list for a while... One book I read last summer that I loved was Gilead by Marilynne Robinson - Her first novel, Housekeeping, I read many years ago and was happy to see her second book was just as amazing. Maybe I will put her third book on this summers list!

The list just keeps growing.

The Road is one of my favorites, too - the audio version is unbelievable.

Who's the reader, Stacie?

If you're reading George Orwell this summer, take a look at the title, Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin. Orwell/Blair's time serving in the Indian Imperial Police in Burma/Myanmar is thought to be the inspiration for 1984. Larkin visits the places where Orwell was stationed and the book gives you a stark and realistic view of the current political climate. The jacket flap hooked me with the idea that when Larkin interviewed people in Myanmar about George Orwell, the response was, "Oh, you mean the prophet".

I do own that book, and will hopefully read it sometime, in hindsight I wish I would have read Burmese Days and Finding George Orwell together.

Maybe Finding Orwell, and then re-read Burmese Days ...

Melissa - It was Tom Stechschulte. Sounded just like Tom Waits.

I think I am going to attempt to tackle Dante's Divine Comedy finally. I've been meaning to read it for years, and I come across so many references to it. Also I am taking a trip to Italy this summer and what better place to read it than on the train ride from Rome to Florence?

I forgot to mention something in regards to Paradise Lost, I heard this news blurb on NPR.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...
Seems impossible!

Hey Stacie, How is the Using Drupal book. I am not the greatest at intense tech but am interested in learning more about Drupal...

do you suggest Using Drupal?

Thanks!

Yes, very much so. I'm not a techie myself, but I manage our website which is built in Drupal, and this book has been extremely helpful. Drupal has its own language, and the book's helped me navigate some of that. It has case studies and hands-on scenarios too.

From what I hear from Drupal folks, this is one of the best books out there for beginners.

On a completely separate note, I'm reading All I Did Was Ask, a collection of Terry Gross' interviews from Fresh Air, and have decided to read Updike's Rabbit series for my summer reading. The Updike interview in this book is incredible. Actually, all of the interviews so far have been incredible.

s.

i'm finishing Dan Brown's Inferno now, and i usually like to try to read a classic piece of literature that i've never read previously each summer. I'm interested in reading The Divine Comedy after reading Inferno.