Mrs. Ellis’ Summer Reading List
Remember what it felt like to read for fun? Before you had to read?
Read for pleasure only this summer. Seriously. You ought to be eager to open
that book back up; if not, then it’s not the right book. Choose page-turners. Spurn
books that are “good for you.” It’s more important to fill your mind with excitement!
The list below comes from a list of books I just liked reading because I couldn’t wait
to get to it the next evening (I read before bed every night).
Is there any way that reading “fun” books will benefit you as much as reading books
that are “good for you”? Absolutely! Your gorgeous brain will absorb vocabulary,
grammar, new ideas and perspectives, all that good stuff—without your having to
work at it. That’s how you leaned to speak, after all. The brain is wired for passive
learning. Trust it. And especially: trust what you like. If you start one of these
books and don’t like it, don’t read it. Read only what you like this summer. That’s
an order. (Okay—other than what I’ve assigned for summer reading!)
In no particular order:
Watership Down (Adams) – fantastic smart book about a rabbit clan on the run—
but so much more than that. A must.
Shogun (Clavell) – Historical fiction about clash of English & Japanese culture,
ideas. Series. If I remember correctly, it starts with a guy being prepped to be fried
in oil.
The Thorn Birds (McCullough) – sweeping saga in the Australian Outback
Cold Sassy Tree (Burns) – same genre as To Kill a Mockingbird; themes of tradition,
racism, religion, finding and trusting self.
All Things Bright and Beautiful (Herriot) – vet stories, heartwarming. Series.
Hunt for Red October (Clancy) – military thriller, hunt for Russian sub. So what if
you’ve seen the movie; read the book. It’s better. Series.
True Grit (Portis) – western. Maybe you saw the movie, but read the book. Great
stuff, fairly short book for those who are wary of longer books.
Dune (Herbert) – classic science fiction. Blend of adventure and mysticism,
environmentalism and politics. Series.
The Help (Stockett) – uplifting novel set during Civil Rights era. Those who like
this book will also like The Secret Life of Bees (Kidd).
The Martian (Weir) – for all you fix-it robotics types. This independently published
science fiction was recommended to my son by his robotics professor at WPI.
Astronaut left behind on Mars finds creative ways to stay alive for the years it takes
to rescue him. I read it before I gave it to my son for his birthday and really liked it.
Roots (Haley). One of the most important books and television series ever to
appear, Roots, galvanized the nation, and created an extraordinary political, racial,
social and cultural dialogue that hadn’t been seen since the publication of Uncle
Tom’s Cabin. Series.
Lonesome Dove (McMurtry) - A love story, an adventure, and an epic of the
frontier, Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize— winning classic, Lonesome Dove, the
third book in the Lonesome Dove tetralogy, is the grandest novel ever written about
the last defiant wilderness of America. Series.
Skinny Legs and All (Robbins) – Not for the faint of heart, but some of you will
thrill to this author’s work. Here’s what a reviewer wrote: “One of my biggest postliterate mistakes was choosing "Skinny Legs and All" as my first attempt at a Tom
Robbins book. It was a big mistake because, for that first pass, I didn't make it past
page fifty. And spent the next two years avoiding Tom's oeuvre, for fear of reliving
that first awkward experience. Hindsight tells me that those two years could have
been spent in an enlightened, blissful state if I'd started my Robbins journey
elsewhere. When I tried "Skinny Legs" again, after 'getting' the Robbins of "Another
Roadside Attraction" and "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" and "Jitterbug Perfume", I
was astounded at the magnitude of its greatness. And more than a bit embarrassed
that I passed off its hyper-creativity as just strangeness for strangeness' sake.” By
the way, Jitterburg Perfume is fantastic, too. I haven’t read the others mentioned
here.
The Black Rose, Below the Salt, and The Silver Chalice (Costain). Historical
fiction written in a spellbinding style. You will find these books hard to put down.