The ground was hot enough to make me put on shoes today. I was digging a planter for my kids to put pumpkin seeds. The heat and the preparations for a pumpkin patch are reminders that Summer vacation is on its way. -- Yes, this is the right time of year to plant pumpkins if you want them big and fat in October.
.
Lots of places publish their Summer reading list. I'm always happy to know that Some-Are still reading!
.
I started to give you a Stephen King List, but that's pointless. Read all of them. Start with The Stand or IT or Eyes of the Dragon. Don't start with: Tommyknockers, Gerald's Game, Christine or the original Gunslinger.
.
The world is bigger than Stephen King. Smile, you need this message. As horror writer Brian Keene said, "9 out of 10 people are aware of horror writer Stephen King. 5 out of 10 people are aware of horror writer Dean Koontz. 1 out of 10 people are aware of the rest of us." We should fix that.
.
Bucket List:
There are some books you should read before you die. Books to impress girls, understand the past or know the purpose of life. So, to impress girls you should read Charles Dickens Great expectations, Dickens. This is Dickens at his best -- Sorry David Copperfield. Of course, you'll only be impressing smart girls. You'll thank me in 20 years. Books that help us understand the past and the world we now life in, I would recommend Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. Well written, and it doesn't feel like historical fiction. Finally, under books that will show you the purpose of life -- that would be the Bible. Anyone ever tell you where not to start in that? Well, don't start in Isaiah, okay! Try Luke.
.
Now, for a Summer reading list!
.
1. Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett. If you read Pillars, go ahead and read the sequel World Without End. Pillars of the Earth has a strange main character -- a church! It is the story of the long construction of a medieval cathedral. Politics, religion, sex, murder, war and more.
.
2. Night of the Moonbow, Thomas Tryon. This author was also an actor who lived a rather interesting life. I liked this book a lot and really don't think it's very popular. I love the scenes with the Lan Chaney showing of Phantom of the Opera.
.
3. Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe. We often need to be called back to the short story, and if you like horror then Poe is the place to start. By the way, if you want to understand King, you've got to read Poe. King's work is laced with Poe references and influences.
.
4. Swan Song (or Boys Life) by Robert R. Mccammon. I really like Mccammon and wish his work was on audio. Be aware that his earlier books are not as strong as his work after Swan Song.
.
5. The Conqueror Worms, Brian Keene. An old man narrates how planet earth was taken over by worms. The kind of story I once heard on Arch Obler's Lights Out. Also check out City of the Dead. An easy zombie story. True beach reading. But first go to the worms. Also, Keene has a nice post titled: The last 5 minutes of LOST explained, http://www.briankeene.com/?p=3970
.
6. This Present Darkness, Frank Peretti. Piercing the Darknes is better, but you should start here. This book takes you into the world of demons and angels and an invisible war raging around mankind.
.
7. The Beast House, Richard Laymon. You've got to read Laymon some time in your life, just because he's cool and brutal, and you might as well start out with The Beast House. Laymon is edgy in a really uncomfortable way. I know that won't inspire you to read him, but he will mess with your head. You'll think, "I didn't know you were allowed to write like this -- or about this."
.
8. A Man Called Peter, Catherine Marshall. The life story of Dr. Peter Marshall, the famous pastor to the senate as retold by his wife Cathrine. The story is fresh, her writing is insightful and tender.
.
9. Cold Sassy Tree, Olive Anne Burns. This is the story of an old man in the deep south who after the death of his wife asks a very young, beautiful woman to marry him so he'll have a house keeper and a cook. The town is stirred, the family is enraged, and the old man is in bliss! I loved it all and couldn't believe that some people gave it bad reviews on Amazon. Then my own family said it rambled about. Well, I don't care what they say, this is a great book!
.
10. Short Stories of O'Henry. Everyone reads gift of the Magi, so you should, too. But I recommend The Ransom of Red Chief. I won't spoil this for you, but I swear the movie version of Dennis the Menace got its spark from this story. But, of course, O'Henry is better. Gosh I want to tell you what this is about... go read it before I spoil the whole thing! GO! NOW! READ IT!
No comments:
Post a Comment