As I did last year, I’ve compiled a list of what I read this summer. The summer months are always a chance for me to unwind (one of the benefits of being a teacher!) and catch up on reading. This summer was a mix of reading areas, as usual.
Non-Fiction: History
I’ve been on a 2-year World War 2 history kick, and this summer I got to finish off the second of Winston S. Churchill’s histories of WWII. I also read about the Monuments Men, and learned the history of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives section of the US Army.
Winston S. Churchill – Their Finest Hour
Robert Edsel – The Monuments Men
Non-Fiction: Photography
One thing I love about the Ypsilanti District Library is their willingness to take suggestions for new purchases from patrons. They ordered both of these titles for me, and I very much enjoyed reading them. The David duChemin book was especially meaningful, as it helped me figure out the voice and vision for my burgeoning freelance photography business.
Joe McNally – The Moment it Clicks
David duChemin – VisionMongers: Making a Life and a Living in Photography
Non-Fiction: Essays
I love reading good longform essays. I’d read a few of the David Foster Wallace pieces before, including the title essay in his collection “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again”, but never read most of the others. Longform.org was also a great source for new essays.
David Foster Wallace – A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again
lots of essays from longform.org
Fiction: Adult
The two Daniel Suarez books in this list predict a dystopian near-future. Scarily prescient at times.
Daniel Suarez – Daemon
Daniel Suarez – FreedomTM
Gayle Lynds – The Book of Spies
Fiction: Young Adult
I have a soft spot for good YA fiction, and this summer our family all read the Percy Jackson books. Good fun.
Rick Riordan – The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)
Rick Riordan – The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2)
Rick Riordan -The Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3)
Rick Riordan -The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 4)