Summer Reading Advice

15 years ago

My 17 year old son graduated from high school last week, and has been unable to pin down a full-time summer job in this economy. He doesn't turn 18 until the end of summer, by which time he will be off for college. He's doing odd jobs around the neighborhood, but time hangs heavily on his hands. We're looking into volunteer work--but that often has age restrictions, too.

Meanwhile, I told him I would rustle up a summer reading list for him, and he seemed grateful. I recall that an older friend did that for me after I graduated college, and I read a splendid array of literature (while holding down a full-time job) before I went off to college myself.

To give you some idea of his taste: He has enjoyed Heart of Darkness, The Great Gatsby, David Copperfield, The Road, and Slaughterhouse Five. He did not like Kate Chopin's The Awakening (assigned reading). He loves movies and has a vague and romantic notion of being involved in the film industry someday.

Thanks!

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Comments (17)

Chris_in_the_Valley
15 years ago
He might also enjoy Conrad's Youth which has the advantage of being a (rather long) short story. In fact, reading all of Conrad might be a good use of the summer. Or perhaps more Fitzgerald. I've heard Fitzgerald should be read young and I think I agree. After all, Fitzgerald did write for Hollywood, if I recall correctly.

Stupidly, I can recall the first line "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way." but for the life of me cannot recall the title of that Dickens novel, which your son may enjoy. (And point of pride, I refuse to look up something I know so well. To show what a complete brain shutdown I have, when I go searching for it in my head, my neurons supplied "Torn Between Two Lovers." Forgot to pick up my brain at the door this a.m.)Ah! A Tale of Two Cities comes to me just before I hit Submit.
connie_in_western_nc
15 years ago
You might also read something together that started as the written word (literature) and was made into a movie... then compare/contrast the two and WHY they made the cinematography changes they did. Good project to do together...
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I loved Me before you, I read it a year ago and I still think about it. I read From the Kitchen of Half Truths, someone had recommended the kitchen house to me and all I could remember was kitchen and I borrowed the wrong book. Anyhow I really enjoyed it, it was a quirky story and set in England, but I really liked it. My girlfriends and I started a trashy book club, so my current reading choice, I am too embarrassed to share. Lol. I also read The Fault in our Stars, the movie is being released this weekend. This was meant to be for young adult readers, but I must admit I really loved it. Now after reading this thread, I must go update my list on goodreads, I need to read a few substantial books in between my selections from the book club, hehe, to balance my brain a bit. Happy reading everyone!
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Ah, summer reading-my favorite topic. Well, except for autumn reading. Or winter reading. Or spring reading... This summer, alas, I got lost in Westeros. Although I haven't seen the tv version, I decided to give A Game of Thrones a try, since the reviews of both the show and book were so strong. Fantasy is not a genre I ever read but I figured what the heck, if I didn't like the first chapter I could just move on. Oh my. I started GOT on my summer beach vacation, then snapped up the next 3 books on Amazon and just finished A Dance with Dragons last night. What an incredible saga! The author created such an vivid evocation of a medieval world, which he based on the York and Lancaster era of British history. The characters, the plot, the intricacy of weaving together storylines, totally addictive. For a non-fantasy fan, the magic is woven into the plotlines in such a way that it is integral to the story. I don't know if I want to watch the HBO version; I tend to prefer to keep my own mental images of literary characters. I'll probably cave though, evidently HBO, and George Martin who was involved in the production's writing, did a great job translating the books to visuals so far. The relatively few other books I managed to fit in (each of those Song of Ice and Fire tomes are thousand page monsters) included 11/22/63, our summer book club assignment. Enjoyed it a lot. I quit reading Stephen King decades ago. A very skillful writer but the horror schtick got old--just when I'd get swept into the story oops there comes a ghost, or a vicious otherworldly murderer or whatever. But this book about time travel was touching, and thought provoking. I have Gone Girl on my nightstand, and wonder how it will compare to Gillian Flynn's other two books. Those were very, very dark and the protagonists were decidedly not warm n fuzzy characters. Looking forward to starting this one. I am also ready for Sacre Bleu, which got great reviews. A book about solving Vincent Van Gogh's presumptive murder...interesting premise. Other recent reads: Seating Arrangements-stopped reading this one although it got good reviews. About an upper crust family wedding in New England, but I couldn't stand or believe in a single character. Maybe it was just me though, others might like it. The Underside of Joy-a somewhat soap opera-ish book about a woman whose husband dies suddenly, leaving her to raise his two small children. Then the ex-wife and biomom shows up, and life takes some interesting turns. The Lifeboat-set around the turn of the century, a young social climber on her honeymoon is set adrift after the ship on which she and her husband are traveling sinks. Quintessential unreliable narrator tale, and I'm a sucker for survival at sea stories. Girlchild-one of the best, though darkest, books I've read in years. Superbly written story about a girl growing up in a very tough neighborhood near Las Vegas, with a single mom and a lot of obstacles to overcome. Really, really good book. The Language of Flowers-another book about a girl on her own, quite different style from Girlchild but a warm redemptive ending makes it a little lighter read. Defending Jacob-wow, this was a page turner! Story of a lawyer father doing what the title says for his son Jacob, who is accused of killing a classmate in his tony suburban high school. Similar to We Need to Talk about Kevin so you're warned...this is definitely nightmare-parenting material. But so well written, kept me riveted till the very end, which had one last shocking plot twist. The Art of Fielding-I resisted this one for awhile because I'm not a baseball fan and I thought that was most of the plot. Turns out baseball is the framework but there was so much more to this story about a talented young college player who goes into a severe slump. Though it took a bit of a detour mid-book, I really enjoyed the characters and it was definitely worth reading. An Available Man-a guy who is widowed tries to move on after losing a much loved spouse. Nicely written, gentle book that caught the spirit of the mantra "you don't get over it, you get through it" in someone's life. Those are the fiction books. Some recent non-fiction I liked: Would it Kill You to Stop Doing That-A Modern Guide to Manners-hilarious, definitely worth a read and thought provoking underneath a very funny writing style. Eating Clean for Dummies-pretty much what you'd think from the title. Interesting explanation of food chemistry and tips on how to do better than the standard agrobusiness/big grocery/chain restaurant shopping pattern. The American Way of Eating-good companion to the book above, the author went undercover at various stops on the agrobusiness/big grocery/chain restaurant cycle in the US, including working at Walmart, Applebees and corporate owned farms. Quite enlightening. Ninety Days: A Memoir of Recovery-a sequel from Bill Clegg, again pretty self explanatory title. Father's Day: A Journey into the Mind and Heart of My Extraordinary Son-memoir by a successful author (he wrote Friday Night Lights) about a road trip taken with his twentysomething son. Son, a twin, was born very premature and suffered brain damage leaving him developmentally disabled. His twin brother grew up normally, went on to an Ivy League college and a career as a teacher. The book describes a cross country drive for the father and 'damaged' son to connect, but the author writes about his feelings on raising a child with severe health issues, the son's life and attitudes, etc. Very moving. Winter King-Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England. Oakley, this book's for you! And for everyone else obsessed with this time period. Very deeply researched history of the title character and the world he inhabited, which of course set the stage for the reign of his son. And last but maybe best: Wild-this memoir by Cheryl Strayed is a (deservedly) best seller. Strayed spent several months hiking to try to resolve issues in her life following the death of her mother, and the downward spiral that followed for her. Beautifully written and as someone who also lost my mother at about the same age as Strayed, it certainly rang true in so many ways. Great book. That's probably enough from me for one day! Hope to hear about more good books, you can never have too many waiting in the queue. Ann
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As August draws to a close I have four books going at once. First is the fifth in George RR Martins's Game of Thrones series, A Dance with Dragons. I am halfway through, but am reading it as an ebook when I travel. We've been traveling a lot this summer and I do expect to finish it. I'm not in a hurry. It may well be years until he releases #6, and who knows if we will ever see #7, or if #7 will indeed complete the story? Second is Superfreakonomics, which my husband Tom read, enjoyed, and passed along to me. It is every bit as engaging as the original Freakonomics was, and I do recommend it to people who enjoy this kind of book, an analysis of human behavior based on economic principles written for a popular audience. Third is The Time in Between by Maria Duenas, which I am reading for my book club. This hefty volume is a historical novel based in mid 20th century Spain. It is moving along well so far. At this point it does not seem like great literature, but the plot has pulled me in and I am enjoying it. If it keeps on this way, I'm sure I will find it to be a thumping good read. And if it does not, well, I will thump it down on the floor in disgust. Finally I am looking forward to opening up a book I just got from the library. It is Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey. This novel about an early stage dementia patient who suspects a murder caught my attention this summer in a bookstore in Edinburgh, but I decided to wait until I returned home to read it. Apparently it is as popular here in the US as it was in the UK, because I had to go on the waiting list for several weeks before I could hold it in my greedy hands. Finally I should mention that I also read The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, last month's book club selection. Not to my taste, I'm sorry to say, but I believe it does have its fans. I found it slight. I'm all for reading lighthearted fun, and do so unabashedly, but not when it earnestly tries to be Significant. Rosefolly
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dido1
15 years ago
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D.Salinger
A Kind of Loving - Stan Barstow
Dracula - Bram Stoker
timallan
15 years ago
I would recommend any books by Mark Twain. I remember reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn when I was about 18, and loving it.

Also, a good choice for that age group is Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage.

The idea of contrasting books with their movie counterparts could be an interesting summer project for a younger person. He could read something short, like the novel They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, and then watch the film adaptation.
veronicae
15 years ago
chris - Tale of Two Cities would be the title that is eluding you. And I agree with you on that recommendation.

kkay - My first suggestion is always The Count of Monte Cristo.

I will revisit, I know that there are several contemporary novels that I have read, that I can't find in the memory banks at the moment.

If he enjoys non-fiction as well as fiction, I would suggest just about any of McCullough's histories and/or biographies. I enjoyed both 1776 and John Adams.
yoyobon_gw
15 years ago
For a lighter touch , how about A WALK IN THE WOODS by Bill Bryson?
It certainly introduced me to the wonders of the Apalachin Trail as well as the highly entertaining Bryson.
wolf_seeker
15 years ago
Hi

Long time lurker here (dial-up is soo slow!!). I work at local Barnes and Noble, so am asked to recommend books a lot...! Since your son is just out of high school, he might be more interested in books that are not quite like the required reading lists! So here are a few suggestions that he might think are more like 'fun' reads.

I would suggest 'Shadow Divers' by R. Kurson, non-fiction that reads like fiction. It's the story of the discovery of a German u-boat off the coast of NJ a few years ago. Seems it was 'unidentified' and no one (Germans) really knew where it went down. It was at a depth that was borderline divable at the time, and took a lot to identify it. The story goes on, but I won't add any spoilers here! It moves very quickly, and keeps you hooked!

Also, 'The Book Thief' by Marcus Zusak should appeal to him. It was written by a (then) teenager and is very popular with young adults. Narrated by 'death' and is about two young siblings in Hitler's Germany.
'The True Story of Hansel and Gretel' (Louise Murphy) is nothing like the fairy-tale!

The 'Matthew Shardlake' series by C J Sansom is great historical fiction/mystery.

If he likes best-seller types, 'Seal Team Six' by Howard Wasdin is really interesting, and everyone seems to either think he's (Wasdin) great, or a total liar. Personally, I haven't quite decided which side I fall on, but am leaning toward the disbelief side. Just a little too full of himself, I think, but he really tells what his training was like, and how tough it was.

I haven't yet read 'Unbroken' by Hillerbrand, but I haven't heard anyone say that it isn't anything but really great.
Anyway, those are some of my suggestions...hope he likes some of them!

Helen
Kath
15 years ago
I like The Book Thief too, and also another by Markus Zusak called The Messenger, although the latter is very 'Australian'. BTW, Zusak was 30 I think when TBT was published.
I think The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is an interesting book which teens can enjoy (my boys did).
kkay_md
Original Author
15 years ago
Oooh, thank you all so much! What terrific recommendations. I do like the movie/book connections. The two of us have done that on a few occasions together (I studied film in my youth, too)--including Bram Stoker's Dracula, a favorite of ours. And what a bonus--movies would add up to more mother/son time for me this summer before he leaves (though I'm not sure that's high on his to-do list)!

These recommendations are such a great mix--I'm going to cut and paste all of your suggestions and remarks into a document for my son. Helen, thanks for stepping out of lurkdom (where I usually reside, myself) to add your thoughts.

And if anyone has any further ideas, I'd love to hear them! What a resource you all are.
bookmom41
15 years ago
Great suggestions above. Also, if he liked The Road you can try, also by Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men which was also made into a movie; done very well, I thought. Manhunt, (author escapes me) is non-fiction about the hunt for John Wilkes Booth and is another that reads like a novel, as is Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air about a disastrous Everest expedition. They'd all appeal to a young man. Lonesome Dove won a Pulitzer and was adapted into a TV movie. Oh, and Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is a modern classic, oft-cited as a life-changing book for some and.. also a movie. :)
phaedosia
15 years ago
Thanks for all those recommendations, Helen. I just checked out Shadow Divers for my husband--that sounds like it's right up his alley!

kkay--here are a few others he may enjoy:

Meltdown: A Race Against Nuclear Disaster at Three-Mile Island: A Reporter's Story by Wilborn Hampton
Fast-paced account of the disaster with photos.

Silent Steel: The Mysterious Death of the Nuclear Attack Sub USS Scorpion by Steven Johnson
Interesting account of the mysterious implosion of a nuclear sub in the 1960s.

The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II by Jeff Shaara
This was the first in a series that my husband could not put down. He read all three back-to-back-to-back in about two weeks.

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Hilarious account of the apocalypse from the standpoint of a demon and an angel.

Anything by Neil Gaiman (American Gods, Anansi Boys etc.)

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow got a lot of good reviews when it came out. It's on my TBR pile at home. It's about a 17-year-old computer genius who is apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security after being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
dedtired
15 years ago
Anything written by Ray Bradbury!
veronicae
15 years ago
Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein. I read this my junior year in college...well, the summer before. It remains one of the few books I can remember (some 40+ years later) in great detail.
twobigdogs
15 years ago
Hi, A summer reading list is a great idea. I still write one for my "baby" sister... she is 36 years old now. But it has become a tradition and so I continue.

I second Dracula, The Count of Monte Cristo and The Book Thief.

A few others to consider:
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne
The Mysterious Island, Jules Verne

more modern non-fiction/adventure stuff:
Tony Horwitz: Confederates in the Attic, A Voyage Long and Strange,Baghdad without a Map, Blue Latitudes

Jon Krakauer Into Thin Air,Into the Wild

Robert Kurson Shadow Divers

Hope your son enjoys his summer.
PAM
ladyrose65
15 years ago
I always recommend the "1000 books to read before you die" its for everyone of young adults to adults. It has a brief summary of all the books. You can get it at the Libray.
socks
15 years ago
Definitely "Count of Monte Cristo." IMHO there is nothing wrong with "better" videos. I always loved "Scarlet Pimpernel," but not sure how it would go as far as reading.

Have you checked out your local humane society, if he likes animals? They often like dog walkers or just people to socialize with the dogs.

He sounds like a wonderful young man to be open to a reading list, so best wishes to him in college and may his every dream come true. There are lots of opportunities in the film industry--just watch that list of credits at the end of a movie and figure out what all those people do! Hey, that could be a little research project for him!
lemonhead101
15 years ago
I found this "Summer Reading List" from The Guardian newspaper in the UK. It's got some interesting suggestions that your son may be interested in... Just FYI.

Here is a link that might be useful: Guardian book list.

Summer Reading Advice

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