The Summer Bookshelf

I've amassed an ambitious reading list for this summer, and I fully intend to devour each book. I'm thrilled to venture away from the Arts Administration reading I've been swimming in all year long!

Ok, I confess there are a few books from my research literature review list, nerd alert! I'm a sucker for future business models, economic development and innovative practices.

The Tipping Point

Malcolm Gladwell

I started this book back in Winter and am just finally nearing the end of it (that's what I get for reading nonfiction during the school year). I'm a sucker for social psychology and its affects on the business world (ahem R & D and marketing) and this book is a treasure trove for all of the above. Although I'm not quite finished, my favorite case study deals with Gore Associates (of the Gore-Tex brand) and the context of 150. Although Gore is a widely successful company, it limits each plant to 150 workers. This ensures a close-knit community of employees that values everyone's input. I'll be wrapping this book up soon!

(re)reading Freakonomics

Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

Blink

Malcolm Gladwell

A Whole New Mind

Daniel H. Pink

One Thousand White Women

Jim Fergus

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Stieg Larsson

Zeitoun

Dave Eggers

Eat, Pray, Love

Elizabeth Gilbert

Water for Elephants

Sara Gruen

Through Painted Deserts

Donald Miller

When Autumn Leaves

Amy S. Foster

Good Omens

Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

I have until the end of September to finish, no problem!

My Love for Bill Bryson

In efforts to stay sane this quarter, I've really been pushing myself to continue reading for fun. Normally, I squeeze in a few pages (or chapters depending on the book) of reading before I hit the hay. I've been struggling to stay disciplined, and I've come to the conclusion it's the kind of books I'm trying to read.

Don't get me wrong, they're great books, they just require some deeper thinking than I'd like just before bedtime. I've started: Middlesex, The Road and Provenance and just can't seem to engage with the words on the page. Let me reiterate, it's not that they're bad reads, I just can't seem to make my brain work that hard after a long day of classes and work.

I found my solution yesterday when I picked up a Bill Bryson book I have yet to read, The Lost Continent. Two pages in I was laughing quite hard at his description of Des Moines, Iowa. I've always loved Bryson's writing style for its side-splitting honesty. My top two favorites of his are A Walk in The Woods and I'm a Stranger Here Myself. (The latter which I read on a plane and received some odd looks because I was laughing so hard while reading).

I look forward to The Lost Continent, where Bryson travels through small-town America to recall his childhood memories of road trips and adventures- evoking a refreshing air of American nostalgia.

A perfect read for someone who grew up in the Midwest and needs a distraction from her current jam-packed life as a graduate student.