Summer Reading

Although I worked this summer, I managed to sneak in some reading. Here are some highlights:

The Forever War by Dexter Filkins: A firsthand account from a New York Times reporter embedded with Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq. Eye-opening. A firefight of a read. (A)

The White Tiger by Avarind Adiga: "Slumdog" depiction of modern India. Tragic and funny. (A-)

Shakespeare in His World by Bill Bryson: a concise and anecdotal profile. (A-)

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides: Classic yet unique American epic delivered by a quirky Greek-American narrator with an interesting gender classification. It won the Pulitzer. Long (655) but worthwhile. (A-)

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck: I'm a fan of Steinbeck and enjoyed the motley patchwork of characters in this novella. I was able to visit California this summer and see the areas which served as the settings for some of his work, namely my favorite, Of Mice and Men. (B+)

When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris: Quirky collection of essays. Funny and irreverent, but I found myself asking "why didn't I write this book?" (C+)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson: A bestseller which tiptoes on the edge of cheesy detective fiction without ever crossing the line. The dynamic characters in the story kept me coming back for more. I'm reading his second, "The Girl Who Played with Fire".