As summer approaches, Borders and Barnes & Noble across the country have begun to show off tables in their bookstores dedicated to summer reading.""
Like summer movies, ""summer reading"" (see also: ""beach reads"") has for some reason been defined as any book that stimulates the mind as little as possible. The books on those tables at Barnes & Noble range from easy-to-read romances to dreadful ""Chicken Soup for the Soul"" anthologies and a few token coming-of-age novels thrown in. For whatever reason, big-name book manufacturers have made the assumption that free time and sunshine decrease our ability to digest large words and non-linear plotlines.
While I won't denounce the value of reading a bad novel from time to time (which can be about as satisfying as watching the occasional B-movie), I'm not sure I understand the point of reserving the summer for Janet Evanovich and ""Gossip Girl.""
After being swamped with dense texts on international political economy throughout the school year, it makes sense to want to read something relaxing. But summer has also always been a time for catching up on books you don't have time to read during the school year.
In coming up with a list of summer reading, it is important to find books that strike a balance between relaxing fluff and, say, Thomas Pynchon. Books that you can have fun with but still brag about reading (ahem). Some suggestions:
<*>Anything by John Fante</*>
OK, so I put him first since he's my favorite author. Fante's books never take themselves too seriously, even though they all deal with serious themes like loss and rejection. They're short and easy to read, but still have the ability to move you from time to time. Also, he's relatively little known, so if you talk about how much you liked Fante's ""Ask the Dust"" people will probably think you have obscure taste, even though he's beyond accessible.
<*>The ""Cities of the Red Night"" series by William S. Burroughs</*>
While most Burroughs novels can be painfully abstruse and the books in the ""Red Night"" trilogy are by no means linear, they are, at least, legible. For people who like the energy and pulse of beat writing but have a hard time getting through ""Naked Lunch,"" these books might be for you. Also, Burroughs is a huge name-dropper if you want to sound intellectual and hip.
<*>""Post Office"" by Charles Bukowski</*>
If you haven't read ""Post Office"" yet but still want to be considered a big reader, you're going to have to soon enough. Bukowski's style is straightforward, accessible and funny, and because the book basically is about the endless monotony of working at (surprise!) a post office, you can compare it to ""Waiting for Godot"" at cocktail parties for a nice double name-drop.
For other good summer reading, David Sedaris or Sarah Vowell can be nice choices, especially if you want to keep up with the times (or at least seem like you are). If you can stand books that are overbearingly quirky, it's probably also worth it to check out whatever McSweeney's suggests. Of course, you could avoid reading altogether. If you don't, though, it's probably worth it to read something you won't forget in three days.
Want to sound important at cocktail parties but don't have time for all the reading? Get the SparkNotes from Frances by e-mailing her at provine@wisc.edu.
