A Summer Reading List

I have had the habit of reading multiple books at the same time since childhood. The advantage of this practice is I can widely vary my chosen topics. The downside is it takes much longer to actually finish a book. If one turns out to be more interesting than the others I will usually spend more time reading it, but my ritual is so ingrained that I must give all the others in the stack at least a few pages worth of attention during the same session. I seem to have a better recall of the books I spend longer periods of time reading but I don’t know if that is because of the increased interest or the duration of attention. Maybe it is both. Anyhow, I enjoy making lists and reading those of others, so here is a snapshot of my current summer reading.

These Were The Sioux by Mari Sandoz. This little book tells of the customs and lifestyle of the Sioux, including personal observations by the author.

The Grass Harp and A Tree of Night by Truman Capote. I read In Cold Blood years ago and decided to try out this compilation. Not bad so far.

Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. This is his original edition; he revised this book several times. I have tried off and on for years to make it all the way through this. I seem to like the idea of Whitman and his life more than his writing.

Living On An Acre (U.S.D.A.) edited by Christine Woodside. From deciding if rural living would be right for you, to how to do it if it is.

On Killing, The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman. This is one in my collection I have avoided reading for years, the subject seeming rather dark and gloomy. Learning that most soldiers would rather do anything but kill during combat is a revelation, contradicting what is usually portrayed by the entertainment industry.

The Year’s Best Science Fiction edited by Gardner Dozois. Published in 1989 gathering the best from 1988. I started this last winter and am finally on the last story. A superb anthology.

American Heritage, October 1964. I have a small stack of these I have been going through. One interesting aspect of these slim volumes is reading the life stories and accomplishments of so many people who are now almost completely forgotten.