Comments on: Summer Reading List

By: carolyn

carolyn — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 02:58:22 +0000

Ah, Magician’s Assistant is a great book.

By: girldetective

girldetective — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:30:48 +0000

I’m one of the few people who liked but didn’t love Bel Canto. I _did_ love her Magician’s Assistant, which a writer friend recommended to me.

By: carolyn

carolyn — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:41:14 +0000

I did just finish the new Ann Patchett and really loved it. But I’m a bit of a sucker for her writing so…

By: girldetective

girldetective — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:08:27 +0000

Jennifer, I was at Wits, too! I really enjoyed the show. Neil was v. funny (though in need of a proper hair cut) and Josh Ritter was adorable; I wanted to adopt him as my younger brother. I have read Odd, and want to re-read it soon. I agree, it will be a good one for the boys in a little while. The new Ann Patchett sounds terrific, and I just finished Vowell’s Wordy Shipmates. My husband enjoyed Salt, and I enjoyed Zeitoun, so it sounds like you’ve got a smashing reading list, too. If you’re interested, look up the group Gods and Monsters on Facebook, and you can see the upcoming selections: American Gods for July and Mrs. Dalloway in August.

By: jennifer

jennifer — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 05:44:59 +0000

American Gods has made my list since seeing Neil Himself at WITS this past Friday night. Have you read Odd and the Frost Giant? My oldest son, who just finished D’Aulaire’s Norse Gods and Giants, pressed Odd upon me when he heard that I was going to hear the author read. Gaiman’s take on Norse mythology is beautiful. I think your boys may enjoy it one day.

Mrs. Dalloway is on my personal reading challenge for the year, but I doubt I will get to it as it is a re-read and I am completely undisciplined. Instead I’m reading Ann Patchett’s latest, Dean Bakopoulos’ My American Unhappiness, Ben Aaronovitch’s Midnight Riot and its sequels, the new Sarah Vowell, Life on the Mississippi, and the last three Narnia books (per the order in which they were published). And, I’m trying to move some shelf-sitters, including Mark Kurlansky’s Salt, Karen Russell’s story collection, and Zeitoun.

By: girldetective

girldetective — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 19:45:35 +0000

I want the reader because it’s full of essays on Mrs. D by other authors, like Francine Prose, whose work I greatly admire. Glad I’m not doing Chem, though. Had a hard enough time the first go round.

By: Amy

Amy — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 19:32:05 +0000

I have American Gods on my desk, but haven’t cracked it open. I’ve read Mrs. Dalloway twice before, but have never made it through the essays in the Reader, which I do have, so I hope to change that this time. I hope also to stay on task with War and Peace.

By: carolyn

carolyn — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 15:55:07 +0000

Mrs. Dalloway is not a hard read, dude, I doubt you’ll need the help of the Reader. I’m mostly reading Chemistry 100 this summer.