Summer Reading?

[penandpaper67]

For those of you still in school, I was wondering what your assigned summer reading was like! Even if you're not, feel free to comment on the books posted here. For English (American Lit) we have a choice out of six (I think) books, but I'm reading Empire Falls by Richard Russo. I don't know what else is on that list, but I think The Grapes of Wrath is one. For AP US History, I have to read Bitter Fruit, on the American coup in Guatemala by Stephen Schlesinger and Stephen Kinzer (same first name, who knew?). Finally, for a general book that the whole school has to read (but few people ever do), Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. So how about you guys? Mine's not very exciting, unfortunately...  

[Celi Beli]

I'm in a community college so I'm only taking an art class for the summer. I've read Grapes of Wrath, and I think it's an amazing book.

On my own time, though, I will attempt to finish reading This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

I love sleep. My life has the tendency of falling apart when I'm awake, you know?
-Ernest Hemingway

 

[Ferocious Rabid Weasel]

I have to read "Alas, Babylon" and "The Secret Life of Bees."
I'm currently reading "Alas, Babylon." I'm sure it would be a pretty good book, but the fact I have to annotate and all of this other stuff just kills it for me. =[  

[penandpaper67]

The Secret Life of Bees is good. It's a relatively quick read too, even with annotations it would only take a couple of days. I hate annotating books. I mean, yeah I get that it helps you when you write papers and stuff, but like you said, it just ruins it.  

[Ferocious Rabid Weasel]

penandpaper67

The Secret Life of Bees is good. It's a relatively quick read too, even with annotations it would only take a couple of days. I hate annotating books. I mean, yeah I get that it helps you when you write papers and stuff, but like you said, it just ruins it.

How fast you read it depends on how you read if you ask me. I'm a fast reader, but a slow writer. I'm a procrastinator as well. So it will probably take me a few weeks to read. I'm only on page eight in "Alas, Babylon." stare
The thing about me though, is that I analyze what I read after I read the whole book. I don't consciously think about their characters trait or think "is this person a protagonist or antagonist?" I know what is going on, but I don't even of that type of stuff. I just automatically understand. If I don't, THAT'S when I analyze and maybe reread part of the page or book. confused  

[irock708]

Beowulf and Grendel.

That's only for school, though.
My own summer reading list for myself consists of thirty books, most of which are classic pieces of literature. Some, though, are comics and others are just novels that I've wanted to finish and such.  

[Trinity of Light]

Before school started, I too, had summer reading, and I had to read two books and then do a whole book of vocabulary. It was tedious, since my teacher wanted a summary every twenty five pages based on specific themes he gave us, but well worth it. The two I had to read were
'In Cold Blood'
This book is on my favorite's list. It's most possibly in my top five (if I were to ever lay out and list my favorite books). The sense of mystery in which Capote entrices his readers in is amazing and the amount of sympathy he has for two criminals astounds me. Of course, I love books about weird psycological ideals, soooo I think I knew it would be interesting to me
And
'Death of a Salesmen'
This was a play, but it had so many flashbacks in the most random bits of the book, that I wasn't as fond of it as I thought I would be. Not only that, but the ending sucked : p  

[Silverblackjack]

I've read beowulf and grendel. thats a good one. i've also had to read Dantes inferno. i was reading those beacuse i was in the library. but the only summer reading book that i've really enjoyed was the Great Gatsby. that was a good one.