Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Summer Reading Quandry


I am choosing books to read for my trip to Hawaii. I think I have settled on Prague by Arthur Phillips though I must say that I feel a bit cheated by the title. I bought the book thinking it was about Prague, but really it is about Budapest. I'll take it because they are in relatively the same geographical area. I have no idea if it is any good but I am a sucker for anything that says Prague.

But I need a second book idea, you know in case I finish Prague or just can't get into it. I was planning on finally opening my friend's book Dead Reckoning but I don't think it is exactly what I am looking for in a vacation book. Too sci-fi (sorry Craig.)

I don't want to waste valuable reading time on fluff but I also don't think that The Federalist Papers are going to work well. I have toyed with the idea of rereading Rebecca by Daphne duMaurier but I also don't know if I want to waste precious uninterrupted by children reading time on a book I have read umpteen times. British pastoral novels are indeed my favorite comfort genre and I am aching to re-read Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell but English countryside and petticoats on the beach???

So...opinions??? Remember if it is questionable on the moral tone (like Rebecca) it had better be well written. Also if it is already in my library and I don't have to buy it that would be a huge plus. I am open to biographies but am looking for a little romance.

5 comments:

Debbie said...

Interesting read about the leper colony in Hawaii (I bought this in the airport on the way to Washington D.C. last year):

The Colony: The Harrowing True Story of the Exiles of Molokai by John Tayman

Debbie said...

I love most Nevil Shute books (with the exception of "On the Beach" - everyone, and I do mean everyone dies) This book is my very fav - novel that begins in England and passes through Hawaii:

Trustee from the Toolroom by Nevil Shute

Keira said...

Simon Winchester is a great stand-by. We all loved, "The Professor and the Madman" and I have a few others (mostly about obscure natural disasters).

If you like a touch of romance with some fantasy and sci-fi, swing by and borrow some David Eddings (The Redemption of Altheus is a self-contained book).

Craig said...

Well, I don't spend too much time reading romance novels, being a fluff writer and all, [ 8^) ] but here are a few ideas to mull over:

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne. Since you'll be traveling, why not read about the adventures of travel?

The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain. This book is essential for learning many travel basics, such as "Why all travel guides are named Furguson" and "Why you must ask your guide 'Is he dead?' at every opportunity."

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. Classic Romance that you can fit into a day or two when the first book is done.

The Prisoner of Zenda by Alexander Hope. Another historical romance that draws on Shakespeare's love of the mistaken identity motif.

I hope that helps.

-CJC

Anonymous said...

I have no idea what you have and haven't read these days but here's a smattering list that might hit a few unread books...

The Alienist..Can't remember the author's name damnit, but it was New York Best seller back in High School...think you read it.

Angles and Demons by Dan Brown--better than the Davinci Code.

The Other Boleyn Girl--Patrica something...they just made a movie of it...good but not great.

The Girl who wore a Pearl Earring..again I suck a remembering author's names. Read several by this author and this is the best.

Mary Called Magdalene, by Margaret George...very heavily steeped in History and might be too heady for a vaccation but if you can get into it it's hard to put down.

Margaret George also wrote the Autobiography of Henry VIII (fiction) which won several awards. Haven't read it yet, but I'm liking "Mary Called Magdelene" enough to check it out.

Miss you...Jacy