When I was in high school, we were given summer reading lists to make sure our brains didn't atrophy over our two month vacation. I still remember those books with incredible nostalgia. How Green Was My Valley, Sons and Lovers, Of Human Bondage, A Farewell to Arms, Saint Joan, A Shropshire Lad - I feel almost jealous when someone tells me they're reading them for the first time.
Here are some of the ones I've liked this summer.
On my nightstand now:
Independent People, by Nobel Prize-winning Icelandic author Halldor Laxness. More satire, sod, and sheep than you can shake a stick at. Am halfway through and loving this book.
The Blind Owl, by one of Iran's most famous contemporary writers, Sadegh Hedayat. So dark it makes Edgar Allen Poe look like beach reading. Gave me nightmares, yo.
Honeymoon in Tehran, by Azadeh Moaveni. Iranian-American journalist and author of Lipstick Jihad writes a bittersweet account of her years in Tehran dodging the Ministry of Intelligence, taking an Iranian lover, moving in with him, getting pregnant, engaged and then married.
Julie and Julia - by Julie Powell. One woman's quest to crack Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking while alienating everyone around her with her unpleasantness(including her readers). Realized after reading that only OCD people with bright ideas get book deals from their blogs and slipped into a profound depression.
The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East - by Neil MacFarquhar. Twenty years of reporting in the Middle East delivered by a witty, insightful journalist who actually speaks Arabic.
This month's House Beautiful (lest you think I only read books). REDONK. The color issue is OFF THE HOOK. I want to roll around in it and devour it.
I can't wait to read:
Let the Great World Spin - short stories by Irish writer, Colum McCann, set in gritty, grimy 1970s New York (think Taxi Driver) and held together by the tightrope Philippe Petit crossed between the World Trade Center towers.
Vefa's Kitchen - by Vefa Alexiadou. Have you seen this book? OMG OMG OMG OMG. Written by Greece's Martha Stewart, this is THE definitive Greek cookbook. And just look at the cover - so beautiful.
What are you reading these days?
Photo via Sabino.
