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Reading

Every summer, I sign up for the Summer Reading Program at the Ann Arbor District Library. I don't go to the library too often, so I often don't turn in my card at the end of the summer. I sign up for the program, not to get the prizes and free stuff (canoe rentals? Who wants canoe rentals?), but to encourage myself to read better.

If left to my own devices, I would read smut, children's books, and books I've already read. By signing up for the reading program, I acknowledge the possibility that someone might eventually look at the list of books I've read and judge me on them. So, while the reading program doesn't keep me from reading smut, children's books and books I've already read, it forces me to broaden my horizons and read at least six books I would actually be willing to admit to reading.

Thus, here is the List of Books That I Read This Summer That I Am Willing To Admit to Having Read:

Blest Ganas, Alberto. Martín Rivas
This was a suggestion from Alex. It's one of his favorite books - about a young man from Copiapó goes to Santiago to find work and ends up falling in love with his employer's daughter. My immediate thought while reading it was that Becky would like it, because the love story, characters and social commentary reminded me of Jane Austen. It also teaches a bit about Chilean culture and history.

Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed
When we went to the Upper Peninsula, I finished Martín Rivas sooner than expected and didn't have anything else to read. So I read Becky's Common Reading Experience book. All incoming first-year students at Albion are given a book to read during the summer and discuss in class during the first few weeks of school. This was an interesting one about a reporter who went "undercover" to report on the experiences of trying to survive on minimum wage. She worked various jobs, in housekeeping, waitressing, and in a nursing home, and it was about her struggles to make ends meet and the other people she met who were trying to do the same.

Mina, Denise. Garnethill
I bought this book in England, so it had to be over a year ago. It sat around, got lost, and I found it again. It was a pretty enjoyable Scottish mystery about a victim of sexual abuse tracking another abuser, who murdered her boyfriend.

Bernard Shaw, George. Pygmalion
When we saw My Fair Lady on the stage this summer, I realized I had seen My Fair Lady on stage and screen and I'd seen the movie version of Pygmalion. I'd never read or seen the original play, so I checked it out of the library. George Bernard Shaw is a big language snob. I don't know if I like him or hate him.

Diamant, Anita. The Red Tent
Carmen mentioned this early in the summer and I decided I'd give it a try. It's based on the biblical story of Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob. I wrote about the book earlier this summer. Pretty good - interesting observations about being in a foreign culture.

Allende, Isabel. Daughter of Fortune
This was a nice easy read - sort of a cross between Martín Rivas and a smut book. The main character falls in love and follows her lover from Chile to California, where he has gone to strike it rich during the Gold Rush. Along the way, she meets interesting people and has adventures. One of the friends she makes is a Chinese physician, so I also learned a lot about early 19th century Chile and China.

srah - Thursday, 5 September 2002 - 5:10 PM
Tags: books, pygmalion

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