Categories: ArtsThe Reader

5 books I want to read this summer – Sam’s picks

This is my first time contributing to 5 books I want to read this summer. I have high hopes of success. Creating a limited list makes the goal feel attainable, and increases my level of commitment. Plus, I’ve only picked one non-fiction title, as I sometimes struggle to finish them.


Breakfast of Champions (M)
by Kurt Vonnegut

It’s been awhile since I’ve read any Vonnegut. Recently I picked up a copy of Cat’s Cradle that a friend was reading and I didn’t want to give it back. Vonnegut serves up big ideas with an equal dose of quirk and humour. But since it wasn’t my book, and I’ve already read Cat’s Cradle, I’m putting Breakfast of Champions on this list: a fun read that will leave me thinking (and finally get the title off an older to-read list).

Disgrace (M)
by J. M. Coetzee
I wanted a book that would read like the work of Anne Michaels or Michael Ondaatje: character-driven, lyrical, literary fiction. J.M. Coetzee came up as a read-alike for both authors via NoveList. He’s been on my list for years, and a friend recommended I start with Disgrace. Now is the time.




Are You My Mother? (M)
by Alison Bechdel

The latest graphic novel from Alison Bechdel. I’ve been waiting for this since finishing Fun Home.



Rain; road; an openboat (M)
by Roo Borson

This is the latest book of poems by Canadian Roo Borson. I enjoyed her last collection, Short journey upriver toward Oishida (winner of the Griffin Poetry Prize), which included long, meditative prose poems, as well as short free verse. She writes about the natural world, and our place in and outside of it. The publisher says this new collection “continues the exploration of form, tone, musicality, and content begun in her … previous collection.”

Economics foreveryone: a short guide to the economics of capitalism
by Jim Stanford (M)

This is the challenge element of my list. Not just non-fiction, but economics. I want to be more informed on the subject, so I’m going to start here. I’ve picked this title specifically because it’s written by a Canadian, and it’s for everyone. Wish me luck.

Source: http://www.thereader.ca/2012/07/5-books-i-want-to-read-this-summer-sams.html

Halifax Libraries

Welcome to The Reader, a blog from the Readers' Services staff at Halifax Public Libraries. Our goal is to create a forum for book news and related discussion among leisure readers. A place for Halifax leisure readers to interact with their library and the larger community of leisure readers.

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