Summer Reading 2012

Okay high school students, I know you're out there in the blogosphere and this post is for you. I stopped by my local Barnes and Noble this afternoon to pick up some random things when I found myself surrounded by panicked high school students and their parents hunting for books that were obviously summer reading choices.

My question to you: summer reading--good or evil?

If you have options, here are a few choices I recommend going for:

• Anything by Shakespeare---in fact, plays in general are good because they're short. Just stay away from Arthur Miller. Egah!
• Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer--you will love it! This book is like contemporary Jack London and Emmanuel Kant rolled into a nice compact package. Once you start it, you won't be able to put it down!
• 1984 by George Orwell. Again, once you get into it, this book is very gripping. Just give it a chance.
• The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. This book is lovely and it's also easy going in the reading/style department.
• Anything by John Steinbeck.
• Do not read Tender Is the Night. It's about a bunch of WASPS being assholes. Go for The Great Gatsby instead.
• If you can, read Paul Theroux's The Mosquito Coast and lots of Jack London and Mark Twain. Let your imagination roam and most importantly--relax.

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