summer reading

Sundog Rising!

Reflections on living the life literary by the Urban Sundog

So What’s A Good Book to Read This Summer?

Ahhhhh! It’s August already, and I’m not reading enough!

Well, that’s not entirely true. I’m reading as much as I ever do really. It’s just that I haven’t selected a particular summer reading list yet. And there’s not enough of the summer left to justify picking a full one now.

I never underestimate the value of the summer read. From when I was very young, the summer read has always been a very important event. Because somehow certain books, when read in the ephemeral conditions of a Manitoba summer, are indeed just that — events, unlike fleeting literary moments spent the same way during other seasons of the year. Not that these books probably wouldn’t be good then too. But the way everything comes together in the summertime for a good read, the environment so conducive to certain stories, the way the greater sense of general ease enhances settling down with a good book in July or August …

But if I’m honest that general ease is missing for me this year as I’ve been having a somewhat stressful summer. All the more important to read then, and put myself in that more transcendent, accepting state of mind.

So, distracted as I have been this summer, I haven’t made my summer reading list yet. And time is running out!

Normally I have 30 to 40 books in the house I haven’t read yet, interspersed with biweekly trips to the Library and rereading a certain amount of volumes already in my collection as well. I have a sort of alternating system of how I work through these. But in summer, I like to break away from programming, no matter how self imposed, and choose a few select titles to peruse and savour from … wherever. Build on the freedom of the endless daylight.

In the past this has lead to some excellent reads. Last year was an exceptional summer read year. In 2013 I picked Summertime, All The Cats Are Bored, by Philippe Georget off the shelf at Chapters and started it immediately. As I’ve gone on before, that particular book may qualify as my all time favourite summer read. But I also decided it was time to read P.D. James, and worked through the first volumes in the Adam Dalgleish novels to my delight. Summer seemed the perfect time to settle down and linger over enjoying her  precision of language and slow development of a story.

This year? I didn’t pick out any of them as being specifically summer reads, but I have enjoyed these books over the last sixty days or so …

Two For Sorrow by Nicola Upson was excellent. But not precisely summery, certainly …

Mortal Causes and Let It Bleed by Ian Rankin were solid. But not quite as suitable to the season as P.D. James.

And on the downside, The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood definitely did not do it for me. Permanent winter there …

But the two I’ve enjoyed the most so far have been Donald Spoto’s biography of Marlene Dietrich, Blue Angel, and Phineus Finn by Anthony Trollope. Trollope certainly qualifies as a summertime sort of author. But I’m reading him every season now, one book every three months to stretch them out. So while I loved the book, it just came up as a matter of course.

No, it’s time I picked out at least one book just as a summer read, or I’ll have wasted the whole season as a backdrop.

In that regard, I’ve considered starting Game of Thrones. Up until now I’ve refused to commit myself to that much reading until I’m certain George Martin’s going to live long enough to finish writing the story. Weirdly enough though, I had a dream about actually starting the series in the here and now, so I guess I’m ready to take a gamble on it anyway. But again, that’s a book that has larger implications reaching beyond the summer.

So, this weekend, my wife and I hit the Salvation Army, and I made a concerted effort to find something to fit the bill. From a motley selection, I came up with two titles. Bestseller, by Olivia Goldsmith, and The Emperor of Ocean Park, by Stephen L. Carter. Got a real deal, both books for 80 cents each. And The Emperor’s a hard cover too. (Apologies for buying secondhand, Stephen. And I was sad to learn that Olivia died way too young. Should I ever actually sell a novel myself, feel free to toss the fact I didn’t exactly contribute to her estate back in my face — I only wish.)

Trashy versus classy, I’m thinking. I was debating which one to make my summer read, since it’s too late for a whole list, when I gave my wife The Bestseller to take with her on her upcoming trip to Peru. So that leaves me with the Carter.

I can hardly wait. I’ll let you know how it turns out in the fall.

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REALITY FICTION AND BEYOND!

This week:

The beginning of a new epic! Chapter One of The Twitchy Gal posted on Monday, with Chapter Two coming on Friday, August 15th at:

http://realficone.blogspot.ca/

What really goes on at the Reuben Memorial Tech Retreat and Resort? Explore life beyond the cloud with Tish and Brenda, as the sedation slowly wears off …