The Love Sponge here.
I've had a fantastic reading summer. Not only did I travel the country, but I read all over it. I read in hotel rooms, in parks, in Midwest cornfields, in the Pacific Northwest mountains. I read in my car (not while I was driving), in independent bookstores, in coffee shops, in our nation's capital, and on Florida beaches. I read in doctor offices, in a hammock, in a pool, in a loft, in a cabin. I read while hiking, while playing disc golf, while waiting for the wife at the airport. It seemed every free moment I had this summer--no matter where I was--I read.
I read fantastic books. Books that have stuck with me for days and weeks and months, even now, when the semester's trucking along.
I read without a pen. I read without judgment. I read for enjoyment, which has been the Clever Title's mission for the last three years. Read because we want to, because it makes us feel good, because it awakens something within us.
I'd like to share three books I enjoyed and where I read them.
1) Cheryl Strayed, Torch
How does a family keep it together after the loss of a mother? How does this loss effect everything they do? I was swept way by the lushness of Cheryl's prose and how she gets into the brains of her characters' and their vulnerabilities. A fantastic read.
Where was I when I read this? In Sparta, WI, in a log cabin, where outside, two llamas slept.
2) Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Always a big fan of Alexie's work, I picked this YA novel expecting more of the same brilliance. All I can say is this book exceeded my expectations. The balance of humor and seriousness is what makes this book special. A quick read that will keep you on your toes from page to page.
Where was I when I read this? In Los Angeles, sitting in the Westin Bonaventure lounge, completely absorbed in the book, while everyone else was watching the Chile versus Spain World Cup soccer match.
3) Craig Thompson, Blankets
Don't let the size of this graphic memoir fool you. Once you start, you don't ever want to stop reading this story about a boy who is trying to find himself in love, family, and religion. Though expertly drawn, what is compelling is the writing of this book, the minimalistic style that still hits hard on the heart.
Where was I when I read this book? Most of Blankets was read in the car with the a/c on, waiting for the wife to get her allergy shot in Brandon, FL. This little excursion took much longer than anticipated, which I was thankful for because I didn't want to stop reading this book.
Other books read:
Joe Meno, The Great Perhaps, Memphis and Atlanta
Paul Guest, One More Theory About Happiness, Carbondale, IL (getting a tattoo)
Joan Wickersham, The Suicide Index, Bellingham and Spokane, WA
Haruki Murakami, After Dark, Fort DeSoto Beach in Florida
Kevin Sampsell, A Common Pornography, In a plane from Seattle to Tampa
What I find intriguing about reading a good book is not that it takes us somewhere else--which of course it does--but it makes us remember where we read it. This is a reminder that reading can be an experience, just like the big events in our lives. We remember our first kiss, our tragic moments. We recall what we were doing and where we were physically and mentally in our lives. Reading has become like that for me. It cements me to the world. It marks the road I have taken.
We, at the Clever Title, want to know your best summer read and where you read it. Please share!
3 comments:
I've spent my summer cramming my poor little brain with lit pills, devouring everything the Hillsborough County Libraries would put into my paws. The one that stuck most with me? David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas. I read it over three sunny days spent in the backyard, sequestered off with the dogs while the AC repairmen went hogwild in the attic. Each day they'd have to come and retrieve me to lock up after them, rapping on the glass until I tumbled back out of the bookmind to sweltering reality. I understand now why the guy has a cult following. I'd drink his Kool-Aid morning, noon, and night.
I've heard really good things about Cloud Atlas; it's now on my list of books I need before I die, which is as long as two lifespans put together.
I read mostly kids books this summer, due to a Children's Lit class I took. It was awesome because it gave me a newfound appreciation for this genre; somehow, growing up, I missed every important literary classic for children that every little kid needs to grow up reading. I used the class to catch up with everything I've been missing all these years.
The one book that stuck with me the most was Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree. I read it right there, in the Barnes and Noble back home in Merritt Island. Just picked it up and sat on the tiny little kids chair at the tiny little kids table and really slowed down and read it.
I cried.
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