Well, you ask, what did we read while we were here? Kris and I begin a few months in advance planning our “vacation reading,” so we had more than a few books to choose from. My approach is to bring 8-10 books, hoping that I can get one done per day (while others are soaking up sun and frolicking in the ocean). I’ll begin with Kris and work around the family circle.
Kris read Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran — a vivid memoir of an intellectual dissident in Iran who formed a reading group in her living room. And she’s worked her way through most of A Girl Named Zippy — by Haven Kimmel, another memoir.
Annika read two of Nicholas Sparks’ novels, including True Believer.
Lukas read Garrison Keillor, Lake Wobegon Days, Dale Allison’s book on George Harrison, P.G. Wodehouse’s hilarious collection, The Week-End Wodehouse, and is now reading N.T. Wright, Evil and the Justice of God.
Mark is studying away for some finance exams — with routine conversations with Lukas about mathematics — and Laura read — drumroll, please — The Real Mary and is now reading J. Grisham, The Summons.
I began the day before we left with the 3d Penrod novel, Penrod Jashber, written by Booth Tarkington — a Mark Twain knock-off (no criticism) — and had it done before we left. While en route (and here) I read:
A. Everitt, Cicero.
P. Matyszak, The Sons of Nero.
B. Craverri, The Age of Conversation (watch for a series of posts on conversation).
T.S. Eliot, Collected Poems.
C. Ozik, The Din in My Head.
Wangari Maathai, Unbowed.