Finding that I’ll probably have some free time on my hands with nothing I “need” to do for the first time in a while now, I’ve decided to catch up on some reading. I brought home Bowling Alone, a non-fiction study of American social and group dynamics and how they relate to the foundations of democracy and citizenship, along with The Confusion, a 1,000 page second book in a three book historial/science fiction series by one of my favorite authors, Neal Stephenon, that I really have to return to Adam Batkin one of these days, if I can ever get through it. But I probably need some fiction that is a bit lighter, and I know at various times people have recommended things to me and I’ve said I might read them. If you have a suggestion for a piece of lighter fiction that you think I might enjoy, please post it here. Is the new Michael Crichton book worth pursuing? I don’t think I’m ready to tackle The Lord of the Rings yet, or anything else massive. An Ender’s Game or Snow Crash is more what I’m in the mood for.
Ideally as soon as possible, because who knows if I’ll be able to find a Barnes & Noble in Maui.
Light fiction, you say… okay:
– “Candyfreak” by Steve Almond
– Anything by Dan Brown, John Grisham, Tom Clancy (all trashy fiction, I know)
– Gore Vidal’s “Washington, DC” and “Julian” are a bit more substantive, but not oppressively so (and are certainly small – something like a few hundred paperback pages
– Re-read “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass” – gets you every time
– C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity” is non-fiction, and can be fairly thought-provoking, but pretty short and might be worth it
I ended up just slogging the two listed above. Did find a Borders, but didn’t have the list with me and the Dan Brown stuff looked…less then appealing. Thanks for the suggestions.