My Summer Reading List |

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I’m fully aware of the fact that Summer will soon be a 100 degree, 100% humidity-filled, mirage & memory, but I’ve decided to catch up in a bit of reading anyway. Ever since I entered this 9 to 5, cubicle existence after college, I’ve devoted very little time to reading. Yes, I read the occasional book, the weekly magazine, the daily paper, the required quarterly report; yet, I’ve never truly devoted the time to read some of the great and/or popular literature out there today. Embarrassingly, I’ve only been comfortable and familiar with classic rather than contemporary works. I do read some contemporary novels, but I’ve never been well-versed in great works written within the last 20 or so years. Ask me about Dostoevsky or Achebe, and I’m fine. Ask me about David Foster Wallace or Jose Saramago, and I’m a deer already hit by the headlights.

Two weeks ago, I stumbled across the Rules for Writers Series on The Guardian website. One article in the series noted a common rule expressed by some of the world’s bestselling authors – the importance of reading. The rule seems obvious enough, but I know my fair share of writers who do not read enough. If a writer intends to develop their craft and style, he/she must learn by reading the works of others. I will say that I’ve been very lax when it comes to sitting down with a good book and reading it from cover to cover. Ever since my my reading time diminished years ago, my skills as a writer has diminished exponentially.

So, I devised a short list of books that I’ve been intending to read for several years.

Here my short list below. If you want a quick synopsis of each novel or more information about each author, click the respective link.

White Teeth | Zadie Smith

On Beauty | Zadie Smith

American Gods | Neil Gaiman

Anansi Boys | Neil Gaiman

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Stieg Larsson

The Namesake | Jhumpa Lahiri

Infinite Jest | David Foster Wallace

The Lost City of Z | David Grann

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman | Haruki Murakami

Sea of Poppies | Amitav Ghosh

The Notebook | José Saramago

Don’t worry Naruto & Bleach. I may be getting a little older, but I still will continue to read my two favorite mangas for years to come (God-Kubo-Kishimoto-willing of course).