Nightglow Window

Summer Reading List

For those unlucky enough to have crossed my path today (there might be a few of you) let me apologize for being in such a foul mood. Sorry.

Luckily, I have some pretty understanding people in my life (thanks Gretchen) who always seem to help me out of my funk. You are greatly appreciated.

Took a late lunch and drove down to REI and had lunch with Christy, which was very nice. We went to Islands (which is actually attached to the Encinitas REI) and I had a huge burger and didn’t feel guilty about all those calories (well, not while I was eating it at least).

Date night tonight so this will be short.

I’m a schizophrenic reader – I usually read about three books at once. But when I looked on my bedside table this evening, and saw the stack on it, I realized that things had spun a wee bit out of control.

So at the risk of sounding pretentious or downright highfalutin, here are the books I’m wading through during the summer of 2006.

Shop Girl by Steve Martin.
I enjoyed this novella, although the characters were a bit pat and Mirabelle’s resolution at the end of the story a little too easy and linear. Real life is rarely this neat.

A Game Of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.
Sword & sorcery, my hidden love, and Martin’s story is first rate – especially his willingness to kill off main characters unexpectedly. My long-neglected, moldering S&S novel, half written, could use some punching up from someone like Martin. Alas, I’m not up to the task – yet.

The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles.
“Port and Kit Moresby, in the tenth year of marriage, have become both sexually and emotionally estranged, and Port hopes their sojourn into the desert will bring them closer together and restore the love they once shared. Kit, not so keen on either the desert or Port, has nevertheless agreed to Port's wishes, albeit reluctantly. The third person in their party, their friend, George Tunner, accompanies them more on a whim than anything else.”
Great descriptions of the Sahara.

The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living by the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler.
An interesting book with many practical sections – and some a bit obscure. Nevertheless, a insightful look inside one of the great people alive today.
“So how can we achieve inner contentment? There are two methods. One method is to obtain everything that we want and desire—all the money, houses, and cars; the perfect mate; and the perfect body. The Dalai Lama has already pointed out the disadvantage of this approach; if our wants and desires remain unchecked, sooner or later we will run up against something that we want but can’t have. The second, and more reliable, method is not to have what we want but rather to want and appreciate what we have.”

The Unbearable Lightness Of Being by Milan Kundera
An awesome examination of the choices we make and the subtleties of commitment. “In a world in which lives are shaped by irrevocable choices and by fortuitous events, a world in which everything occurs but once, existence seems to lose its substance, its weight. Hence, we feel ‘the unbearable lightness of being’ not only as the consequence of our pristine actions but also in the public sphere, and the two inevitably intertwine.”

The Pillars Of Hercules by Paul Theroux
If I could make a career change, I would gladly slip into Theroux’s shoes. Master travel writer who doesn’t use nature or location as a prop, but instead engages the people he encounters with a sharp wit and fine appreciation of the human condition. This book marks his travels around the Mediterranean and is every bit as good as his other works. Highly recommended.

A River Runs Through It (And Other Stories) by Norman Maclean
Sure I’ve read it a dozen times before, but I’ll read it another dozen and enjoy it just the same. Even Maclean’s acknowledgement is a tour de force in how I would love to write: deft and spare, self effacing yet insightful. River is what he’s best known for (and it’s his best) but USFS 1919: The ranger, the Cook, and the Hole In The Sky is my favorite this summer.

Confessions Of A Barbarian by Edward Abbey
My favorite author revealed like never before. These are Abbey’s personal journal entries from 1951 until shortly before his death in 1989. I’m loving this one – especially when he flogs the page in his early years, full of experimentation and self doubt.

The Essential Rumi translation by Coleman Barks
“No translator could do greater justice to the gorgeous simplicity of Rumi's poetry than Coleman Barks has done here. These exquisite renderings of the 13th-century Persian mystic's words into American free verse capture all the "inner searching, the delicacy, and simple groundedness" that characterize Rumi's poetry while remaining faithful to the images, tone, and spiritual message of the originals.”
A suggestion from Barry’s friend Julian Walker, this is a great book of poems to browse, full of beautiful passages and delicate insights into life and love.

Wind, Sand, & Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
“Wind, Sand and Stars captures the grandeur, danger, and isolation of flight. Its exciting account of air adventure, combined with lyrical prose and the spirit of a philosopher, makes it one of the most popular works ever written about flying.” Awesome in most sections, a bit dry in others.

iCon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business
This “unauthorized” bio of creative businessman Steve Jobs is slightly breathless in some sections, but still paints an interesting picture of the ego-driven business leader.


Okay, that’s it. A longer list (and a longer post) than I thought.

Check some of them out, I’m sure you’ll enjoy them.

Oh, the dew point is 72 degrees right now.