I'm what you might call a "regular reader", if only because "regular" sounds better than "chronic", or "obsessive." I get pretty distressed if I don't have anything to read on hand, and tend to go through phases of style and genre. I might read nothing but hard sci-fi for two months, then crave Stephen King, then read comics for a couple of weeks, then take some light fantasy, some Napoleonic war fiction, and then nothing but history, current affairs, or theology/philosophy for a good stretch. I like a little bit of everything, except pure romances and "mystery" (but give me a great noir any day).
All this to say, ever since I was a bright-eyed schoolgirl saddled with a crappy summer reading list, I've never understood the concept of "summer reading". It seems (at least in my day; I haven't been to high school in nearly a decade) that high school summer reading is all about extreme gravitas. I remember being assaulted every year like clockwork with the likes of Graham Greene, Margaret Atwood, Spider Robinson, the occasional Hemmingway, and more books about teen violence, drug use, suicide, prostitution, and plain ol' Rebel Without a Cause-style ennui than you can shake a Molotov at. And now, as an adult, it seems that what I'm supposed to read in the summer is either all the unabashed, guilty pleasure, "this could be a novelization of the Hallmark Movie of the Week" that I can get my hands on; however, certain media outlets will recommend non-fiction tomes of incredible gravity and timeliness, which will render me officially informed.
Either way, there's this idea going around that summer is either the time for non-readers to read, to temper your happy fun vacation with something that would fill any healthy person with the desire to jump off the nearest bridge, or to gorge oneself on the literary equivalent of deep-fried Mars bars and Desperate Housewives. And my response to all this is...why? If you don't enjoy reading enough to make time for it in the first place, why squander your precious vacation time? And if you do enjoy reading, why reserve certain genres for one time of year? And, if you're one of Those! who assembles school summer reading lists, why not pick some serious books that don't blow, like Les Miserables or Dracula or (original/unabridged=freakin' awesome novel) instead of punishing your children with Atwood and Hemmingway?
I'm going to violate a personal blogging rule here and make a list. A list that would've prompted me to send Those! a thank-you gift, had I been granted such a list while in high school at summer reading time.
Official classics:
Les Miserables, Victor Hugo - unabridged, read the French if you can swing it, as some key comments defy translation to English.
Dracula, Bram Stoker - everyone's heard of it, few have read it, few know what an extraordinary book it is.
The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas, pere - unabridged, French if you can, etc. Hi-larious.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, unabridged. Not your Disney's Alice.
Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie, unabridged. Not your Disney's Peter. You want the kiddies reading something dark this summer? Here you go.
There is some good classic poetry out there. Much of it was written by Poe, Rimbaud, Blake, Tennyson, Frost, Spenser, Milton, Eliot, Gilbert & Sullivan, and, of course, Shakespeare. For those who "don't like poetry", that is one list of ridiculously different poets. I personally would add Edward Lear and Hilaire Belloc to the list of "poetry classics", but your English prof may disagree. ;) Roald Dahl's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" may also not make the "classic" cut.
Old(er) books your teachers may or may not consider classic:
Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein - a hallmark, landmark, sci-fi masterpiece. Hard to believe it clocks in at a mere 263 pages in the paperback edition.
Red Harvest, Dashiell Hammet. Sounds like something Mike and Joel would watch on Mystery Science Theatre 3000. Is actually the father of all detective noir.
Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, C.S. Lewis. The first two books of his "space trilogy". Strange, deep, musical, and did I mention strange? At the very least, read the second - it's a thing of grave beauty.
I, Robot, Isaac Asimov. No, the movie won't cut it for your book report, as the book is actually a series of interconnected short stories.
The Young Hornblower Omnibus, C.S. Forester. Napoleonic war naval fiction. Memorable characters, easier to read than Master and Commander (Patrick O'Brien). Though M&C is excellent, Hornblower is lighter and more fun.
Contemporary, i.e. not older than I am:
The Stand, Hearts in Atlantis, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, or The Gunslinger, Stephen King. Yes, folks, he's written more than trashy slashers, and stands an indisputable master of the writing craft. While these titles are quite low on or free of gratuitous R-rated content, I still wouldn't give 'em to the younger teens, or any kid you wouldn't let play Fallout 3.
Storm Front, Jim Butcher. Book one of The Dresden Files, a paranormal P.I. series with equally good senses of humour and gravitas, well-written, well-told, and it's mature about the supernatural, too. Unique!
His Majesty's Dragon, Naomi Novik. Like Horatio Hornblower, but with dragons, aerial combat, and feminism. Light, smart, and tons of fun.
Lost and Found, Alan Dean Foster. A short, smart, fun interstellar man-and-dog adventure similar to A Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, but more relaxed and less determinedly "look how ridiculous this is!" ridiculous (also, not British). Although, if you haven't read the Guide, I highly recommend it.
Century Rain, Alastair Reynolds. Hard sci-fi, classic-style noir, and alternate history all boiled into one of the best reads of the decade. Think Chinatown meets...Ghost in the Shell, crossed with Children of Men. Kind of. Small, mutant, fanged children, the likes of which are often seen in Japanese horror films, are also involved.
The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. Yes, comics. Also a strong story, good character exploration, interesting themes... Dark Victory is a continuation of The Long Halloween, so read that one first.
Assassin's Apprentice, Robin Hobb. For the requisite "disaffected teenager" book on your list, this was my personal favourite as a disaffected teenager, and I still like it as an adult. Book one of six.
The Dragonbone Chair, Tad Williams. The landmark fantasy classic of my generation, I'd go so far as to say the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy is our Lord of the Rings. Williams is an excellent storyteller, and the big twist of the story is devastatingly hilarious. Bonus: the teenaged hero is...a normal teenager! Crazy!
Dragon Wing, Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. Book one of a series that pulls out every fantasy trope in the book, recognizes its doing such, and is completely unashamed...and that's why it works, and is such an enjoyable read. If you want to teach the kids about tropes, this is a very fun place to start. And, with a 1990 publishing date, Dragon Wing may also be the first major, widespread introduction of steampunk to Western fantasy.
...and there you have it. Anna, I apologize for further burdening your "to read" list; you have my full permission to ignore this post completely. :D
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