Unquiet Desperation

Ken asked, “What’s on your summer reading list?”

Why, Ken, I’m glad you asked.

My Summer Reading List for 2010

• Ilium by Dan Simmons: For years people have been telling me that I need to read Dan Simmons’ work. I’ve been told this because my friends know The Canterbury Tales is a favorite of mine, and Simmons’ Hyperion uses a similar storytelling style which I’d likely find interesting. However…I decided to skip Hyperion for now, mostly because I think I want to read it this winter, when I have time to sit and absorb the nuances of the text. Illium struck me as the sort of story I’d love to digest while on vacation: a modern Ph.D. finds himself reenacting the Trojan War on Mars, and takes steps to remedy the situation. That’s summer reading gold, baby.
• 1776 by David McCullough: McCullough’s style has always been accessible, and the fact that he starts the book talking about the situation in Britain after the battles of Lexiginton, Concord, and Bunker/Breed’s Hill caught my attention. It’s a sad state that, in the tale of the American Revolution that is taught in these United States, Britain is just The Villain; we never hear what the situation was over there. Once my attention was caught, I knew I had to see how the author retells the tale.
• Tales of the Dying Earth by Jack Vance: My friend Dave Lockwood gave me this book just before we moved back to Cleveland from Los Angeles, and I’ve been meaning to read it since I put my hands on it. I’ve purposefully left it out while packing my library for the move, and I hope to get to it over vacation.
• The Nights Dawn Trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton: The trilogy is made up of the novels The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Hamilton’s work, and I found a gorgeous version of the trilogy at Barnes and Noble that I must possess. Once possessing, reading them seems to be the next logical step.
• The Hero with A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell: I’ve been listening to Campbell’s Mythology and the Individual lecture series, and I’ve found it to be stirring some of my creative juices. Stores are beginning to present themselves. Following this with Campbell’s seminal work on the monomyth is a slam dunk.
• The Adventures of Kavalier and Klay by Michael Chabon: Yet another one from the “You Gotta Read This” list, I borrowed this from my good friend James, and I really should read it before I’m forced to return it. I read the first chapter, and Chabon’s use of language is just glorious. I am able to lose myself in the style. I anticipate that I’ll finish this one in late August, just as the summer ends.

And now, to echo Ken: what are you reading this summer?