Foxy provoked me! Please give me a summer reading list?

[ValleyDwellerNorth]

In another thread Foxy mentioned he just got turned on to LOGO. I am somewhat envious he is just finding this out as I know he reads ... as many of you read as well.

 

I must admit, after obtaining my necessary education I pretty much stopped reading on a large scale. My work requires me to do a lot of reading but it isn't enjoyable reading. Aside from Entertainment Weekly and Details Magazine I am a non-reader.

 

So, Foxy and others, break me in easy. I would like to read one book this summer for enjoyment. Are there any recommendations? Fiction or non-fiction is fine though I don't want to read a hardcore biography as that is what the A&E Channel is for. Is there anything semi-humorous on modern thought, what direction our culture is going, etc? I do want something that will make me think but nothing that will hurt my brain. I am no intellectual slouch. However, I would do well if there was a hybrid show if the Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy were fused.

 

Thank you in advance for your assistance. Reading is fundamental.

[foxy]

Okay, I admit I do read. Come summer I always look for something light and a little silly since I belong to a local swim club and don't want anything to distract me too much from the lifeguards who are all too cute for words. They are all on the high school swim team and I do find myself looking over my book a lot as they stroll about. But I digress...

 

I just started "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova and it's perfect for what I need at the pool. It came out last year and I found it at the library so it was free. It's a vampire book so you know it's not too serious but what I like is that there's lots of romping about western and eastern Europe, places I've been to, so it's fun to see them in my head while I read.

 

Next I'll get back to "The Brothers Karamotzov" which takes a little more concentration.

[ValleyDwellerNorth]

>Okay, I admit I do read. Come summer I always look for

>something light and a little silly since I belong to a local

>swim club and don't want anything to distract me too much from

>the lifeguards who are all too cute for words. They are all on

>the high school swim team and I do find myself looking over my

>book a lot as they stroll about. But I digress...

 

SCREW READING! Your swim club sounds way better!

 

Thanks for your reading recommendation! I appreciate it.

 

VDN

[foxy]

I pretend to drown several times during the summer but I think they are catching on to me. Several have refused mouth-to-mouth.

[ValleyDwellerNorth]

>Several have refused mouth-to-mouth.

 

Isn't there a hot life guard commander you can file a grievance with? Maybe you can be their summer resuscitation practice model for the new boys being trained?

[+ Lucky]

RE: Summer reading list

 

I have read three good books in a row, so I recommend:

 

The Foreign Correspondent by Alan Furst

The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson

The Futurist by James P. Othmer (My favorite of the three)

 

None are particularly gay related, but all are intriguing.

[bigguyinpasadena]

RE: Summer reading list

 

I have read 3 books by Colm Tobin this last spring.

The Blackwater Lighthouse

The Master

Story of the Night(the Fave of the three)

All of these have some gay content as a back story.

Right now I am reading Kalli by Gore Vidal-I also will work on some classic english lit. this summer Tristam Shandy is at hand as well as others.

[Guest zipperzone]

RE: Summer reading list

 

If you want to keep up with current best-sellers of the non-fiction variety, try Anderson Cooper's "Dispatches from the Edge". It's a fairly quick read - just under 200 pages.

 

Despite what you may read on some other threads in this forum, I think he is a damn good reporter of the human condition and has a unique way with words. It's often what he doesn't say but only alludes to that give the reader the impression he is trying to get across.

[Rod Hagen]

RE: Summer reading list

 

>I have read 3 books by Colm Tobin this last spring.

>The Blackwater Lighthouse

>The Master

>Story of the Night(the Fave of the three)\

 

Hey Big! It's Blackwater Lightship, actually. I think it's the best of the three. Glad you found Colm T.

[+ Charlie]

Having recently seen the 1951 George Stevens film "A Place in the Sun" (Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters) at the Palm Springs Film Noir Festival, I decided to read the original novel on which it is loosely based, Theodore Dreiser's 1925 classic "An American Tragedy". So far (130 pages into 900+ pages), I'm enjoying it very much. A new opera based on the book also premiered at the Met this past season.

[edjames]

If you enjoy fictional adventure, I would recommend trying one of Clive Clussler's many works which feature his character, Dirk Pitt. His book "Sahara" was made into a mediocre movie with Matthew McConaughy about a year ago. The book was far better than the movie!

 

If you like legal thrillers, John Grisham writes easy to read and suspenseful novels.

 

I just finished reading Lee Child's latest book "The Hard Way," and found it very enjoyable. He, too, has a main character, Jack Reacher, who is an exciting and colorful character.

 

One of the easiest authors for those trying to get into reading mode is James Patterson. I swear I can finish one of his books in less than 24 hours. Easy to read and makes for great plane reading! His latest "Beach Road," is co-written with Peter De Jonge.

 

Finally, if you haven't tackled "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown, what are you waiting for? 60 million others have already read it and it's out in paperback. His previous book "Angels and Demons" was good, too. If you want to further investigate this subject, I highly recommend "The Templar Legacy" by Steve Berry and "The Last Templar" by Raymond Khoury. Very exciting and great beach/pool reading!

[+ Tom Isern]

I'm not very good with the up and coming, but when people ask me which one book of fiction I'd take to a deserted island, I always answer Faulkner's "Absalom! Absalom!".

 

I always find Nietzsche's "Gay Science" a whimsical delight, although there is nothing "gay," at least the way we use the term, about it. Neither is it heavy and ponderous and philosophical. Pure fun.

 

On the heavy, cultural/critical side I think every gay person should read Michel Foucault's "History of Sexuality" Vol. 1 at least once in his/her life. (Queer Cards should be summarily revoked from those who fail to do so!!)

 

Happy hunting!

[BgMstr4u]

I completely agree with Tom Isern about Foucault. His history of sexuality set the paradigm for the contemporary understanding of sexuality by divorcing the act(s) of sex from the cultural representation of their meaning and significance. It is absolutely foundational. And probably no accident that Foucault was a major s/m player both in Paris and in the Bay Area when he was a visiting professor in Berkeley in the 70's. As French philosophical-analytical historiography goes, its not such a bad read. In English anyway. Now, as to whether it's what you want to take to the beach to read....

[bigguyinpasadena]

RE: Summer reading list

 

>>I have read 3 books by Colm Tobin this last spring.

>>The Blackwater Lighthouse

>>The Master

>>Story of the Night(the Fave of the three)\

>

>Hey Big! It's Blackwater Lightship, actually. I think it's

>the best of the three. Glad you found Colm T.

Blackwater Lightship-tha's right.BTW I was told it was made into a film with Angela Lansbury as the Gram.

>

>

[ValleyDwellerNorth]

WOW! I came home from work today and what an AWESOME list! Thanks to EACH and every one of you for your wonderful recommendations and your generosity of time.

 

VDN

[Rod Hagen]

RE: Summer reading list

 

>Blackwater Lightship-tha's right.BTW I was told it was made

>into a film with Angela Lansbury as the Gram.

 

 

Here it is, for sale. Enjoy:

http://www.hallmark.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10051&storeId=10001&partNumber=DVD1404_DK&rank=P1R2S&searchValue=Blackwater

[Rick Munroe]

I know it's probably assumed that I'm currently reading something like "Growing Up Brady" by Barry Williams (Greg on The Brady Bunch) but I'm actually reading something a little more relevant (well, I think the Brady's are timeless but this topic is more important and besides, I devoured that Brady book a long time ago). It's called "How Would a Patriot Act? Defending American Values from a President Run Amok" by Glenn Greenwald. He's neither a liberal nor a conservative...just concerned about Bush's abuse of power and shredding of the Constitution, esp. through illegal domestic spying. I find it fascinating, because until 2003, I had never paid much attention to politics or how our government is run. A favorite client (conservative!) sent it to me as a gift and although I would have preferred the new "I Love Lucy" doll, I am really loving the book.

 

http://zoom.barbiecollector.com/,file,barbie/barbie_J0878_000_v.fpx,wid,240/fetch_jpg.jpg