Reading Girls (And Some Reading Boys)
The 3rd Annual Lit Chat Summer Reading List
Lit Chat is a group of students that comes together twice a week throughout the school year to talk/argue about titles we are currently reading, discuss books-to-movies, gossip a bit, and generally give each other recommendations of reads to try. Here, in no particular order, were some favorites from this past year. Enjoy!
Go out, right now, to a bookstore or library near you and pick up March by Geraldine Brooks! If you haven’t read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, grab that first and read about the four fabulous March sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy – and their life with Marmee while Father is off fighting in the Civil War. Then pick up March and marvel at how Brook’s takes us into that year Father is off to war, a story that you don’t ever really get in Little Women. The story is brilliant, painful, insightful, haunting, and the ending is so fabulous it may just send you running back to read Little Women again. You’ll never think of Marmee and Father’s marriage in quite the same way you viewed it in Little Women once you read March. Brooks also does a truly outstanding job of weaving historical figures into the story she tells (the Alcott’s really were friends with Emerson, Thoreau and John Brown, and they appear here in marvelous detail).
~ Bartels and Anna Tifft highly, highly recommend!
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is a thrilling and dazzling tale of mystery, courage and romance. Whilst in a nursing home and fighting for his life, Jacob Jankowski recalls his younger days as a veterinarian in a circus troop. Having just lost his parents and escaping the society of Cornell University, the young Jacob hops on a train and is immediately whisked away into a dazzling yet sinister world of the circus. Set in the Great Depression, Jacob struggles both in his memory and in the real world. The old Jacob struggles to keep his mind alive in the monotonous nursing home while the young Jacob fights for survival and true love. Filled with fascinating and complex characters (including the elephant), this book takes readers deep into the heart of the circus tent, and there is no telling what the ringmaster will pull out next.
~ Eliza Harkins – Bartels and Bev also loved this book!
For those interested in reading a good collection of short stories this summer, I recommend J.D. Salinger's Nine Stories. Although the stories are all written by the same author, there is still a large amount of diversity within both the subject matter of the stories and the writing style. It's a short and satisfying read for those who are looking for some immediate gratification and inspiration. Salinger's vague and enigmatic way of storytelling keeps the reader completely engrossed throughout the story. The stories themselves are sharp and piercing in both their simplicity and sincerity.
~ Anna Tifft – we talk about Salinger quite a bit as we all have very strong and differing opinions about Catcher in the Rye
Want a good edge-of-your-seat read? Nathan’s Run by John Gilstrap is the perfect fit. At 12, Nathan Bailey is wrongly imprisoned, then raped and nearly murdered while in the detention center. When Nathan kills a guard in self-defense and escapes, he must elude cops, the mob, and a determined county prosecutor who will stop at nothing to bring him down. When he hears his crime being described by a radio talk-show host, he feels compelled to call and tell his side of the story. Soon, the entire nation is choosing sides. Is Nathan innocent? Did he kill in self-defense? Or is he just another out-of-control young punk? Sam Zuckerman had this to say about it: “I JUST finished Nathan's Run…amazing book!!!!!! … I haven't been able to put it down…definitely one of the best books I've ever read!
~ Bartels – I’ve recommended this too many times to count!
A perfect book to read around the holidays (or summer break, of course), Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris is a collection of six stories: In "SantaLand Diaries", David tells of his experience working as a Macy's Elf. In "Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!" Sedaris gives his own twist on the inevitable "Holiday Newsletter" every family sends out. In "Dinah, the Christmas Whore", David talks about his family's exciting christmas where his sister brought a prostitute to dinner. "Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol" is a lighter story, about a variety of christmas plays. Finally, "Christmas Means Giving" is the ultimate story of "keeping up with the Joneses". A short, witty, hilarious book, Holidays on Ice is not one to be missed.
~ Anne Schechner – we are huge Sedaris fans in Lit Chat and recommend pretty much anything he’s written, especially Me Talk Pretty One Day
Very few books are able to pull off juicy drama without sounding like pharmacy paperbacks. Peyton Place, however, is one of these rare finds. Written in the 1950's, this book has it all--rape, incest, teenage sexuality, revenge, and murder--set in a small New England town. Metalious's writing is very smooth and easy to follow, so be sure to make this a summer read!
~ Julia Orlov – our library copy is completely dog-earred because so many of us have read this classic
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is the most interesting and mind-altering book I’ve ever read. It follows Charlie’s life during his first year of high school through letters that he writes to some one he’s never met. Through Charlie’s experiences and discoveries, we all find a bit of ourselves. No matter what age you are when you read this or what social class you are or were part of in high school, Charlie’s first experiences with sex, drugs, love, and “Rocky Horror Picture” show can relate to and influence your life. This book keeps you involved and interested until the very last word with your journey into Charlie’s dark and hidden past, which he’s just figuring out for himself as well.
~ Sam Zuckerman – so popular we had to replace our two copies in the library
If you have not already heard me go on about how much I adore this book series (enough to earn a moratorium in LitChat) and still haven’t picked up a copy, I will sing my praises once more. Stephanie Meyer’s debut YA book series, The Twilight Saga, tells the tale of Bella, a klutzy, odd-girl-out highschooler from Arizona who arrives in the small, rainy town of Forks, WA. Suddenly, it seems every adolescent boy within a five-mile radius is completely infatuated with her—including Edward Cullen, one of five breathtakingly gorgeous siblings attending the local school. They also happen to be vampires. The Twilight Saga is probably the most reread series of books that I own since Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block—for me, saying a lot. Not only has the series topped Bestseller charts nationwide, throwing Harry Potter off the first place spot, but also has a movie in postproduction slated to be released this December. I strongly suggest jumping on the bandwagon before the madness that is likely to ensue, in addition to being ready for the series fourth installment which will hit shelves this August.
~ Liana Mack – yes, Bartels banned further discussion of this book because we talked about it so much (but she’s given in and is reading it now)
Peace Like a Riverby Leif Enger is a brilliant novel that brings together the strength and loyalty of family and the belief in miracles. Rueben Land is 11 years old and is the narrator/main character of the story. Being a product of a miracle, his unwavering belief in miracles surround the plot of this novel. Rueben and his family travel in search of his missing brother, convicted of a crime, with the hopes of bringing him home so they could once again be a family. This is one of my all time favorites and after reading this novel, I went out and bought a copy. This novel was deep and moving, capturing the reader. I was intrigued to learn more about Rueben and the fate of his brother. This is truly brilliant and one of the best pieces of literature I have ever read.
~Jodi-Ann Robinson – Bartels, Shana Caro and Connie Meltzer (Lit Chat alums) also thought this book rocked!
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory is a historical fiction novel about the competition of two sisters for the attention of King Henry VIII. While one sister, Mary, eventually finds love and happiness in a poor family life, the other, Anne, cannot stop until she has become queen, and then beheaded. While it is an extremely enjoyable and interesting read, the amount of sex that goes on with the characters can sometimes take away from the story, distracting the reader from the rest of the events in the book since the scenes are sometimes misplaced. Overall, the book is an insightful look into the 1500’s in the English royal court.
~ Sam Zuckerman – practically everyone in Lit Chat has read this and the movie was discussed non-stop for weeks after it came out…better/worse?
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is such a page-turner of a ghost story! It’s that fabulous story within a story format that sometimes has you questioning what is really happening from page to page. Bookish Margaret Lea, the plain-jane daughter of a London bookseller, gets invited to write the biography of aging and slowly dying Vita Winter, the most acclaimed, and mysterious, author in England. When Margaret arrives at the haunted old ruin of a house, she realizes that the story Vida Winter reveals to her of family secrets and hidden identities hits a bit close to home. Twin siblings and the pain of losing a twin tie these two women together, but unraveling the real story of each woman’s family is the real fun here.
~ Bartels and Eleanor gave this two enthusiastic thumbs up!
We know, we know, you’ve all read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, but if you haven’t yet, get thee to a library right now for this hilarious, often painful look at love, propriety, and marriage in Regency England. Elizabeth is greatly unimpressed by the haughty Mr. Darcy when he snubs her at a dance, and considers him proud and arrogant. However, as events unfold, the spirited Elizabeth discovers that a man can change his manners, and a lady her mind in this enchanting story of love, marriage and mutual understanding. And if you read this with the vision of Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in your head, it truly will be a blissful summer!
~ Amanda Ainetchi and everyone else in Lit Chat!!!
Topics in History - Mr. Berenson 2007-2008 Assigned Reading List
The West & Native Americans
Maria Amparo Ruiz De Burton – The Squatter and the Don (Chapter V)
Mark Twain – Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (portion)
Bret Harte – “The Luck of Roaring Camp”
Navajo Night Chants/Chippewa Songs/Chochise/Charlot/Ghost Dance Songs
Sarah Winnemucca – Life Among the Piutes (portion)
Anna Julia Cooper – “Woman Versus the Indian” (essay)
Josh M. Oskison – “The Problem of Old Harjo”
Zitkala Sa – Impressions of an Indian Childhood (portions)
Jim Crow and the Struggle for Rights
Booker T. Washington – Up From Slavery (portion)
W.E.B. Du Bois – The Souls of Black Folk (portion)
Charles W. Chestnutt “The Wife of His Youth”
Ida B. Wells-Barnett “Mob Rule in New Orleans” (portion)
James Weldon Johnson – Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man (Chapter X)
Gilded Age & Industrial America
Charlotte Perkins Gilman – “The Yellow Wallpaper”
Henry James – Daisy Miller: A Study (portion)
Theodore Dreiser – Sister Carrie (portion)
Jane Addams – Twenty Years at Hull-House (portions)
Stephen Crane – Maggie: A Girl of the Streets
Upton Sinclair – The Jungle
Roaring Twenties & The Great Depression
F. Scott Fitzgerald – “Winter Dreams” & “Babylon Revisted”
Langston Hughes – Assorted Poems
John Dos Passos – U.S.A. Trilogy (portions)
Sinclair Lewis – Babbitt
Raymond Chandler – “Red Wind”
James M. Cain – Double Indemnity
John Steinbeck – The Grapes of Wrath (portion)
Assorted Depression Interviews – Hard Times
WWII & 1950s
Norman Mailer – The Naked and the Dead (Part One)
Kurt Vonnegut – Slaughterhouse Five (portion)
William H. Whyte – The Organization Man (intro)
Richard Wright – Native Son
Ralph Ellison – Invisible Man (prologue)
Bernard Malamud – “The Cost of Living”
John Updike – “A & P” & “Separating”
Arthur Miller – Death of a Salesman (play)
Allen Ginsburg – “Howl”
John Cheever – “The Season of Divorce” & “The Swimmer”
Philip Roth – “Defender of the Faith”
1960s Counterculture & Vietnam
Betty Friedan – The Feminine Mystique (portion)
Sylvia Plath – The Bell Jar (chapter 1-2)
Joan Didion – “Slouching Toward Bethlehem” (essay)
Grace Paley – “A Conversation with My Father”
James Baldwin – “Going to Meet the Man”
Michael Herr – Dispatches (portion)
Donald Barthelme “The Baloon”
Tom Wolfe – The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
1970s-Present
Kurt Vonnegut – Jailbird (portion)
David Mamet – Glengarry Glen Ross (play)
Bret Easton Ellis – Less Than Zero
Sherman Alexie – “Do Not Go Gentle” & “All That You Pawn I Will Redeem”
Jhumpa Lahiri – “Sexy”
Junot Diaz – “Drown”
Edward P. Jones – “The Sunday Following Mother’s Day”
George Saunders – In Persuasion Nation (3 stories)
FURTHER RECOMMENDED READING – American Novels
Sherwood Anderson – Winesburg, Ohio (1919) – a great collection of related stories about small town life
F. Scott Fitzgerald – The Beautiful and the Damned (1921) – Fitzgerald’s first novel, beautiful
Ernest Hemingway – The Sun Also Rises (1926) – a classic that lives up to the reputation
William Faulkner – Light in August (1932) – a tough read, but moving
*John O’Hara – Appointment in Samarra (1934) – a pleasure, O’Hara is little known, but one of the greats
James M. McCain - The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934) – classic noir
Raymond Chandler – The Big Sleep (1939) – classic noir
*Nathanael West – The Day of the Locust (1939) –haunting and beautiful if you can get over Homer Simpson
Robert Penn Warren – All the King’s Men (1946) – a masterful political novel loosely based on Huey Long
*Norman Mailer – The Naked and the Dead (1948) – incredible – worth reading (also: Executioner’s Song)
Flannery O’Conner – Wise Blood (1952) – dark, strange, beautiful
*Saul Bellow – The Adventures of Augie March (1953) – arguably the great American novel
Vladimir Nabokov – Lolita (1955) – disturbing, but a gem
Joseph Heller – Catch 22 (1955) – funny, bitter antiwar classic
*John Updike – Rabbit Run (1960) – an American classic
Richard Yates – Revolutionary Road (1960) – revelatively unknown, but an amazing novel about a young marriage
Walker Percy – The Moviegoer (1962) – relatively unknown, but a wonderful book
*Thomas Pynchon – The Cyring of Lot 49 (1965) – very strange little book, but worth trying to figure out
Don Delillo – End Zone (1972) – dark and funny (also: White Noise)
*Philip Roth – Portnoy’s Complaint (1969) – wild, hilarious, self-deprecating 1960s classic (also: American Pastoral)
Kurt Vonnegut – Slaughterhouse Five (1969) – one-of-a-kind voice
Robert Stone – Dog Soldiers (1975) – captures all that went wrong in America (and Vietnam) in the 70s
*William Gaddis – JR (1976) – not easy to get through (it’s all unattributed dialogue) but worth it
*John Cheever – The Stories of John Cheever (1977) – best short-story collection ever (also: Wapshot Chronicle)
*John Irving – The World According to Garp (1978) – hard not to love this book (also: A Prayer for Owen Meany)
*John Kennedy Toole – A Confederacy of Dunces (1980) – the greatest!
Eudora Welty – The Collected Stories (1980) – a beautiful, moving collection
T. C. Boyle – Budding Prospects (1984) – hilarious, excellent writer (also: Drop City)
Raymond Carver – Where I’m Calling From (1988) – succinct, perfect stories
Denis Johnson – Jesus’ Son (1992) – an incredible writer, very dark, very funny (also: anything by him)
Jane Smiley – A Thousand Acres (1992) – an excellent epic about a farm family
*George Saunders – CivilWarLand in Bad Decline (1996) – nothing like it! (also: Pastoralia – 2000)
Jonathan Franzen – The Corrections (2001) – great, funny novel
Jonathan Lethem – Fortress of Solitude (2003) – excellent book (also: Motherless Brooklyn)
Edward P. Jones – The Known World (2003) – fascinating novel about a black slaveowner (also: Lost in the City)
*Junot Diaz – The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007) – incredible novel, funny and powerful (also: Drown)