My summer reading

Alternately titled: Since I can’t take a vacation this summer, I’ll engage in my other favorite form of escapism: heady and/or frivolous reading.

I’ve been inspired by a handful of blog posts on the interwebs this week, each touting a seductive list of books I haven’t yet read. Reading is a funny thing for me. I have always been an avid reader. When I was a young teen, I used to boast that my library had over 400 books ranging from the classics to trashy pop lit. My love for reading allowed me to escape the realities of childhood and adolescence, and may also explain my late venture into the world of dating (well, that and my horrific frizz-ball hair and awkward…everything, really).

Fast forward to graduate school, where my love of reading was squashed by requirements to read thick and lackluster works (not all grad school texts were bad–many were interesting and formative–but overall, blah). I no longer had time to read for pleasure (and, yes, pleasure reading included non-fiction works like the biography of Martin Luther King). Even when I did have time to read, say between semesters, I was so burnt out on reading that I wanted to avoid books at all costs.

Fast forward, again, to today and I still struggle to want to find time to read, both for pleasure or for professional growth. Admittedly, my Kindle app has helped. Long flights to visit my family in Texas have helped. But I am still not reading in the same way I used to. It’s still not the mental and emotional escape that I want and need to revitalize me during a tough week at work.

So, I’ve created an ambitious plan to help me read this summer. Most of the plan involves creating time and space for reading, both in my work day and at home. I’m also looking for beautiful spaces– mostly outdoors here in sunny California–where I can enjoy the act of reading. With that plan in mind, I am going to share with you my summer reading list and ask that you hold me accountable for reading these titles.

Here they are:

Planned Obsolescence by Kathleen Fitzpatrick – I’ve been excited to read this book since a professor at Stanford gave it to me. Fitzpatrick’s book tackles the world of scholarly publishing and proposes a plan to keep scholarly work relevant by focusing on digital and social possibilities for publishing.

Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson:  – I’ve heard tale of Larson’s exquisite prose, mixing history with fiction, but I haven’t read any of his books yet. After this book, I hope to read his In the Garden of Beasts.

Flourish by Martin Seligman – I am a little on the fence about this book, but it has been highly recommended to me by my boss, so I am willing to give it a try. I’ll probably give this a lower-priority read status and see how I’m feeling toward the end of summer. Who knows? With this crappy separation from my family, I might need some positive psychology.

Mechanique by Genevieve Valentine – Aside from the author’s wicked name, I don’t know much about this book. However, it was highlighted as a good match for people who liked the show Carnivale so I’m giving it a try. I suppose I may have to give The Night Circus a try, too.

The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker – Anyone who knows me knows that I have a huge nerd-crush on Steven Pinker. Whether it’s his glorious hair or his ability to stand proud in the chapel at Southern Methodist University and describe curse words as insights to human nature, I just love him. I am anxious to see what buttons his most recent work pushes.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline – I come from a long line of nerds, so I rarely let my geek flag fly. But this book–which I begrudgingly bought for my husband last year–suddenly appeals to me. Sigh.

Imagine by Jonah Lehrer – Finally, I need to get around to reading Jonah Lehrer’s book about creativity. It’s a topic in which I have a lot of interest, particularly in how I can encourage my son and my students to unleash their creativity. Since I work a few buildings away from creativity expert Tina Seelig, I’m hoping this book fosters good discussions with Stanford folks, including Tina.

So that’s my summer reading list. I hope that you’ll share with me your reading lists and check in with me on mine.

Happy summer everyone!

This paper trail leads right back to you image from FlickrCC user Bethan, used with permissions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.