It's no secret that I like to read. Of the things I'll be sacrificing for law school, recreational reading is near the top of what I'll miss the most. Between my acceptance and this weekend, I embarked on a mission to burn through a lot of things that I have wanted to read. I used to alternate between so-called junk food reading, and intellectual reading. I'd finish a fantasy novel, then move on to a book about the rise and fall of Confederate Nationalism. For the summer I spoiled myself and went through complete entertaining reading and giving my "thinking brain" some time off. I had a great time exploring a few books that I thought I'd list here, with a little bit of commentary, just to share what I spent the summer burying my nose in. If anyone is looking for a good book to waste a few fall and winter hours on, you would not go wrong with any of these. They're all well written and just downright fun.The Del Rey Robert E. Howard Collections
Del Rey has done a spectacular job collecting the stories of Robert E. Howard and reprinting them in their original form, most of them taken from the original typescripts. Howard is famous for creating Conan, in the 1920s and 1930s pulp literature magazines, but he was a prolific writer in several action and adventure genres. Of all of them, my favorites are the El Borak stories set in early 20th century Afghanistan. From the action, to the landscapes, to the tribes and characters, those stories were just awesome from page to page. I also recommend Howard's Boxing Stories, if you can get a copy of the Bison Books anthologies. I had to track one down online and by a discarded library copy. Hopefully Del Rey will put together a collection of these in the near future. There's humor, honor, and serious attention to the sweet sport of boxing. As well there should be, Howard was a contending amateur in the booming Texas oil town where he lived. I can't recommend Howard enough.
The Han Solo Adventures by Brian Daley
Back in 1979, the Star Wars Universe consisted of the movie, the novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye, some fan club material, and the three small Han Solo novels by Brian Daley. I picked up an anthology of these stories for $1.65 at the local used book store and I don't think I've ever paid so little for so much entertainment. Not burdened with decades of Expanded Universe mess, these novels reminded me of the heart of classic Star Wars, something I think we've lost. In terms of my accepted Star Wars Canon, these books are a welcome addition.
To Kill A Mockingbird
I was required to read this for discussion at an ethics panel during orientation, but I still consider it recreation. I hadn't read it since high school, but reading it now with more than 15 years of adulthood under my belt, I gained a new appreciation for it. Harper Lee knocked out an instant literary masterpiece that no one could follow. I am a fan of Faulkner and his take on Southern Lit. If he's the dark and sinister end of the spectrum, Lee is the good hearted optimistic end, even if Mockingbird is dark and sinister in its own way. If you haven't read it since high school, go pick up a ubiquitous used copy and laze away a Sunday afternoon with it. You won't regret it.
The Road
Speaking of Faulkner, Cormac McArthy channels him very well in this depressing and bleak Pulitzer Prize winner. I watched the movie, and decided to tackle the book because of a few recommendations. I was not disappointed. Loving Faulkner like I do, I was immediately drawn into the prose and could not put the book down. For it's depravity and emotional punches, I read it faster than anything over the summer.
Shadows Over Baker Street
An anthology of stories blending Sherlock Holmes and the world of H.P. Lovecraft. As with most multi-author anthologies the quality of the stories runs the gamut of piss-poor to spectacular. Neil Gaiman's Study In Emerald was great, but it's Gaiman, so he usually knows what he's doing! Still, nothing beats the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and I knew better than to expect them to be up to the creator's quality. Earlier this year I had re-read many of Lovecraft's works, so this was a nice follow up. You don't need to know much about Sherlock Holmes or Lovecraft to read these stories, but it does help and will increase your enjoyment.
The Lando Calrissian Adventures
In the tradition of the Han Solo books, these three novels hit in 1983 around the time of Return of the Jedi. I found a nice used copy and have only recently started reading. I finished the first story this week, and have the other two yet to finish. The Mindharp of Sharu was OK, but it was a bit of a let down after the Han Solo books. I do enjoy how they are more stand alone stories not concerned with tying in every little single detail from movies, books, etc.
The Conan Comics by Dark Horse
Dark Horse Comics has been publishing Conan comics for several years now, and has collected them in trade paperback format. They are, in a word, spectacular. The writing is fantastic and the artwork captures the Hyborean Age in such a colorful and visceral manner, that whenever I read the Howard stories, Cary Nord's artwork is what I visualize. Many of the stories are adapted from Howard's manuscripts, but others are original stories to fill in the gaps in Conan's life. Unlike the pastiche stories by Lin Carter and others, these are of much better quality. Dark Horse and their talent have a genuine love of the character and the world and it shows. Of all of them, Volume 0 is my favorite. It collects the stand alone stories featuring Conan growing up in his village, something hinted at but never told. They did such an amazing job telling those stories that I want to hear more about the travels of Conan's grandfather! These books have single handedly gotten me back into the comic shops and even to a comic convention. Now that's saying something!
Lankhmar Collections
Honorable mention go to the collections of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and Gray Mouser stories. I started reading these stories last fall, but I finished up the last few in the weeks before I went on my reading binge. Humor, high fantasy, and a certain amount of perverse realism come off the page with these stories, and I recommend them as a good diversion from modern fantasy with their 12+ novel story lines spread out by their authors over 20+ years.
With a few exceptions, that about covers it. I've also rediscovered Cerebus, but haven't spent much time actually reading the trades. I want to collect them all before I get too far into them, and they are rare to pick up on a used basis. I'm not in any hurry, and think that I'll probably give Cerebus time to ferment until the summer of 2011. That gives me plenty of time to track down all of the trades, and gives me one more excuse to hit a convention or two when I have some extra walkin' around money.
So, that about concludes my essay on What I Did This Summer. At least the literary aspect. One of the things I've discovered that there is nothing like a lazy evening lounging in my office recliner with a cup of tea, an entertaining book, and my kitteh helping me read.
