Summer Reading Recommendations

[GuyFawkes38]

Summer is a great time to read.

I've always felt that summer is the perfect time to read lighter, "airport reading" type books. So, as much as I love Proust and Mann, I will stay clear from the classics with my recommendations.

1. "The Rest is Noise, Listening to the 20th Century", by Alex Ross. Yes, a history of 20th century classical music might sound pretentious. But this critically acclaimed book is written for classical music novices. The book turns out to be a wonderful history of the ideas, style and culture of the 20th century.

2. "Apples are from Kazakhstan", by Christopher Robbins. I consider reading this book as penance after watching the awful, prejudiced film "Borat". Robbins writes an excellent travel book on a country which most people know very little about.

3. "Iberia", by James A. Michener. Only 8 dollars at Barnes and Noble for a wonderful thousand page travel book on Spain. This book is a classic. By the end of the book, most readers will love Spain as much as Michener.

4. "The Geography of Bliss", by Eric Weiner. Yet another travel book. For some reason, travel books are great for light, summer reading. Weiner travels across the world studying the relationship between happiness and geography.


Of course, add your book recommendations below!!!

[MADXSTER]

For early teens try books by Anthony Horowitz.

Ravens Gate, Evil Star, Night Rise(haven't read that one yet). The Gate Keepers is a good series and the Alex Rider series is really good. These are thriiler, fantasy, adventure type books.

Code Orange by Caroline B Cooney is really good. Thriller type of book.

Eragon and Eldest by Christopher Paolini.

Soldier Boys and Flames of the Tiger were also very very good. These are WWII books and gives views from both sides of the war.

These are books my 13 year old boy has read and he's a pretty good judge of authors and books.

[xudash]

Has anyone read Jim Nantz's book yet?

Sorry, Guy, I don't have a great recommendation for this thread, but I'm wondering if anyhone has read his book and would recommend it.

[payday]

Just finished Newt Gingrich's first two books in his WW II series - "Pearl Harbor - December 8, 1941" and "Days of Infamy". Very quick reading. First book looks at December 7th, and the 10+ year build-up to the attack, mainly from Japanese viewpoint, hence the title; the attack took place on December 8th, Tokyo time. It's alternative history - what would have happened had Yamamoto led the attack and not Nagumo, and sent a third strike on Oahu.

"Days of Infamy" looks at a speculative carrier battle between Yamamoto and Nimitz on day 2 of the war.

Had Nagumo not been a "battleship" man, and not pulled back after the 1st two strikes on Oahu, the Pacific war could have turned out a lot differently. Excellent "what if" scenarios, similar to what Gingrich did earlier with his Civil War trilogy.