This week is the "Top Ten Books on our Summer TBR Lists." These lists are some of my favorites-I love making lists for my TBR piles. :) And since I am just getting back into the swing of blogging on a regular basis, I think counting down the ten books I most want to get to this summer is great inspiration.
In no particular order:
1. Under the Dome by Stephen King: I'm actually already reading this. I heard there was a readalong going on a couples weeks ago, and I knew I would pick this up as soon as school got out. The only other King book I've read is On Writing, so this is a new experience for me. :) I've been wanting to read this since it came out, so I'm glad the opportunity is here!
2. The Odyssey by Homer: I'm hosting a readalong of this starting on July 1. I'm excited to reread one of my favorite books of all time and share my love and passion with all of you. It's also been a few years (4) since my last reread (the first book I read for my classics project), so I'm hoping this will further inspire me to tackle the remaining titles on my classics list.
3. On the Road by Jack Kerouac: I only have a few more days to finish this for Adam's The Beats of Summer event. This is a title that's been on my mental TBR for a long time, and I think the timing is perfect. Assuming I can tear myself away from King for a day or two, this will be my very next read. :)
4. The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather: This is the next title for my Willa Cather Project, and I'd really like to finish it (I actually started it and finished 50 pages this spring but set it aside in favor of sanity. From what I read, I know I'm going to love it, so it's just waiting on my nightstand.
5. Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy: I'm thinking of hosting another Victorian Event come late summer since last year's was a blast. This title was one I really wanted to read last year, but I never had a chance...and it has been calling to me ever since. Even if I don't host another Victorian event, I'm still going to read this!
6. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: I started reading this back in January and got pretty far before setting it down...and never picking it up again. This is a title I'm ready for, so I think this will become a priority come July.
7. Teaching with Love and Logic by Jim Fay and David Funk: The closest I can come to explaining my classroom teaching style is "Love and Logic," but it has been a really long time since reading this (and I know I don't follow it to the letter, but I don't think I need to). I do want to read this again as a refresher before school starts up again in the fall. While I was happy with how I ran things this past year, I have a lot to learn.
8. Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien: This is another one that has been on my mental TBR for a long time. I've only ever read The Things They Carried by O'Brien, so I'm looking forward to another O'Brien experience.
9. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne: This is a title that has been calling to me from my bookshelf for a while. I haven't read it since my miserable experience has a high school sophomore, so I think it's time to give it a go! It can't be as bad as I remember, right? :)
10. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: I haven't read Plath's novel since I was in college, but I think I need to read it again! One of my groups of sophomores researched her for their American author project, and that spurred a desire to pick it up again.
There you have it-the ten books I most want to read and finish this summer! Let me know what you're planning to read!
I haven't read The Scarlet Letter since high school, either. But I remember liking it. I'm almost afraid to read it again and have my opinion changed. :) But I hope you like it better the second time.
ReplyDeleteGreat list. I've read The Odyssey, Anna Karenina and The Scarlet Letter, but not the others. I'm sure you will enjoy them. I've fell hopelessly behind in my TBR challenge and should be concentrating on that, but instead I've been pulled to the nonfiction side of reading. Currently I'm reading Guelzo's new book "Gettysburg" which is fascinating. I just finished Foote's "The Stars in Their Courses" also about Gettysburg. The 150th anniversary of the battle is coming up in two weeks.
ReplyDeleteI've also decided to create a nonfiction book group at the library and so have been reading some excellent discuss-able nonfiction titles. On the top of the pile are "The Ghost Map" (tracing the cholera outbreak in 1853 London), "The Sleepwalkers" (about the events leading up to World War I), "Destiny of the Republic" (the assassination of James Garfield), and "The Warmth of Other Suns" (black migration to the northern cities). I've got my hands full!
All the best with your chosen 10. I remember having to read Scarlet Letter in high school back in the 60's. I would probably get more out of it if I were to reread it now all these years later. I am trying to decide if I sign up for a 12 week weekly discussion of Ulysses for our winter down here. Part of me wants to and part of me doesn't. I'd love to say I read it, I loved it and had finished it. Still thinking about it. I hope you enjoy the choices. They sound really good.
ReplyDeleteFabulous list! Mine was also Classics-heavy...but I think that's a good thing. I may have to join in the Odyssey readalong. I need to finish Grapes of Wrath and make major headway in On the Road before I can decide. Did I miss an announcement post about it?
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list! I stuck to classics, but I only picked two!
ReplyDeleteOoh, I have to make up my list! I have some books I definitely need to read for my book groups, plus I've signed up to participate in the annual Paris in July event, so I have some French books I want to read. And of course I need to keep up with my reading challenges.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I had no desire to blog for over a month and now I can't stop posting! I have a bunch of reviews to finish and all kinds of other stuff to post about. I guess it just comes and goes.
Great list. A writer friend of mine recently finished Under the Dome and couldn't stop raving about it. She loved it. I've had Willa Cather on my mental list for quite some time. She's definitely a writer I've neglected far too long.
ReplyDeleteGreat list! I also want to read Under the Dome (after hearing there's a TV show this summer that's based off of it), The Bell Jar, Anna Karenina, The Scarlet Letter, and On the Road. Looks like you have a lot of reading to do :)
ReplyDeleteGreat list. I don't really have much of a plan for summer reading, just whatever grabs my attention.
ReplyDeleteThe Scarlet Letter is definitely not my favorite Hawthorne. I much prefered The Blithedale Romance (and, even then, still prefer many of his short stories). Lots of great titles on this list, though - The Bell Jar, On the Road (worthwhile read, though not a favorite of mine), and you can't go wrong with Thomas Hardy or Willa Cather! Great summer ahead!
ReplyDeleteI had much better luck with On the Road on audio than I did trying to read Kerouac's rambling prose style. Ack!
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope you love The Scarlet Letter this time around. I adored it the second time through.
Such a great list. I've recently got stuck into Anna Karenina and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I'm hoping I won't run out of steam though and get put off by the length half way through!
ReplyDeleteOh and The Odyssey...such an excellent summer read and one of my favourites also :)
That's a pretty heavy list! Return of the Native is one of my all time favorites, and I love rereading it. Same with Bell Jar. I read it in college and about 15 years later, and it was such a different read.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting excited for the Odyssey readalong! I think I might need a lot of hand-holding to make it through the book, though.
ReplyDeleteGreat! Sylvia Plath <3
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're joining to the Under the Dome readalong! It is the best way to kick off the summer!
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