Fudgey's Summer Reading List

Remember when we were kids and we would have a summer reading list of books we had to read for English class before the school year started?

I thought it might be fun to see what people are reading this year when they are sitting on the beach or sipping lemonade on the porch.

A lot of you people here have accused me certain issues in the past that you thought I needed to take control of, so I decided to make this summer the summer of self-help guides. I just picked this one up the other day. It's definitely not for everyone, but has been a huge help to me so far. Link

So what is everyone else reading right now?

I recommend Stephen Colbert's "I am America and so can you"

I figured this would be more your style, Fudgey: http://www.amazon.com/Fart-Proudly-Writing...5740&sr=8-1

Capt Worley PE said:

I figured this would be more your style, Fudgey: http://www.amazon.com/Fart-Proudly-Writing...5740&sr=8-1

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Nice,

In all seriousness, my suggestions for the summer.

I just read Bad Monkey's link it was great, twisted but great. Easy reading too.

About halfway thru Einstein: His Life and Universe, it is out on paperback now. I am really enjoying it.

Last summer I read a bunch of Bernard Cornwell's books he writes historical fiction mostly about England/Vikings/100 years war. He is quite good with the history and making a good story. I enjoyed The Last Kingdom link it is a series I think there are 4 books total.

D. Kephart said:

...Last summer I read a bunch of Bernard Cornwell's books he writes historical fiction mostly about England/Vikings/100 years war. He is quite good with the history and making a good story. I enjoyed The Last Kingdom link it is a series I think there are 4 books total.

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My wife is currently re-reading these. She loves them.

Non of these are beach-reading, but I'm now on: Team of Rivals (about Abe Lincoln), Home Outside Creating the Landscape You Love, and Go Ask Alice

Team of Rivals is very good, readable and dense with first person references (ie. although very well-researched and documented, not too textbook-y). It's not a light summer read though- it makes you think and parts are dry if you're not too interested in stuff like the wording of a Seward letter vs. Lincoln's edits and how that affected Britan's involvement in the Civil War. Interesting parallels between Abe and Obama's campaigns for office.

Home Outside is a how-to design (not build) that's less handwaving than some similar books - it's more than just pretty pictures.

Go Ask Alice is an old (1967) story of drug addiction. It's just OK -- doesn't really ring true for me.

I read lots of Agatha Christie while studying for the PE (still waiting - groan). Those were a great distraction from studying -- interesting enough to make a good change of pace, but not so interesting that I'd read all night to find out what happened. I'm really surprised how well they hold up 50-80 years after being written.