Current Summer Reading

Last summer I listed what I was reading at the time and I decided to share what I am currently working on. As I have said before I enjoy reading multiple books at the same time, and this year is no different:

Winesburg, Ohio By Sherwood Anderson. The introduction to this edition claims that Anderson offered little cohesiveness to the short stories in this, his most acclaimed book. I have to agree, and add that they are about strange people that, so far, don’t have much of a relationship with each other. Still, it is an interesting read knowing that so many great writers that came after him claimed Anderson as an early influence.

The Metamorphosis, In The Penal Colony, and Other Stories By Franz Kafka. The last time I read Kafka must have been well over 20 years ago. Many of the stories in this volume I have not read before. A few are only a paragraph long, others really have no discernible plot, while some are otherworldly and masterful.

Earth, My Friend By Peter Townsend. Townsend was a RAF pilot during WW 2 who decided to travel around the world in the 1950’s and write a book about it. This could be a boring read to some but I am enjoying reading about his adventures.

Eerdmans’ Handbook To The History Of Christianity edited by Dr Tim Dowley. This has been in my collection for a long time and I finally decided to read it. I think it will take awhile to plow through it.

The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald. This might be my third or fourth attempt over the years to read this one. I find myself not caring for any of the characters and and loosing interest, but I am going to try to finish it this time.

Listening Point By Sigurd F. Olson. When my son returned from working as a canoe guide in Canada a few years ago he mentioned being introduced to the work of Mr Olson. After remembering that I am finally reading this book that has been in my collection for years.

Smiling through the Apocalypse, Esquire’s History of the Sixties edited by Harold Hayes. Featuring articles by Norman Mailer, Gore Vidal, William Burroughs, Tom Wolfe, Terry Southern, Saul Bellow, Rex Reed, Malcolm Muggeridge, Peter Bogdanovich, William Styron, James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr, among many others. My favorite article so far is by Gay Talese titled “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold.”