vvssrc | Brock Boland

Very Very Special Summer Reading Club 2008

Remember the Very Very Special Summer Reading Club? It never really happened, not even the second summer, and I completely forgot about it last year. I still think it's a fun idea - anyone interested in trying again this year?

Here's the idea: pick a couple books to read this summer, tell us what they are, and in August or September, tell us how they were. It's pretty simple, and you can read whatever you want to. Either post a comment here, or write your own post about it.

I don't have many unread books laying around the apartment any more, so I'm not sure what I'll read. What's popular these days? The Four-Hour Work Week is the only best seller I've read in the past couple years - I could probably just go to the best-seller rack at Barnes & Noble and find something good, but I'd rather get suggestions from people I trust. What have you read lately?

Also, if you do much reading, you should sign up on Goodreads - it's like a Facebook for literacy!

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Very Very Special Summer Reading Club, Year Two

I haven't heard anything this year about the Very Very Special Summer Reading Club, so I'm assuming it never happened. Wanna hear what I've been reading? Of course you do.

I'm going to assume that VVSSRC started mid-May - how's that sound?

Self-Made Man: One Woman's Journey into Manhood and Back, by Norah Vincent

This woman pretended to be a guy for a year or so and wrote about her relationships with men and dating women. It's one of those books that usually sounds interesting and doesn't live up to expectations, but Vincent delivers.

Silent Bob Speaks: The Collected Writings of Kevin Smith, by Kevin Smith

A collection of essays from Kevin Smith, many of them from different web sites he's written for. Smith is a fantastic storyteller, and most of the book reflects that. Check out his blog, too - the stories about his life are always great (the ones about showbiz, not as much).

Dave Barry Does Japan, by Dave Barry

This was one of those super cheap books I got from the Arlington Library a couple months ago. Dave Barry is always good for summer reading.

Urban Tribes: Are Friends the New Family?, by Ethan Watters

I wrote about this one already, but once again, I'd recommend this to anyone in the just-after-college age range.

Dry: A Memoir, by Augusten Burroughs

I fell in love with Burroughs when I read Running with Scissors back in February. He's a fantastic storyteller, and with his fucked-up childhood, he's got plenty of material. This one's about his journey to sobriety.

Rejuvenile: Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes, and the Reinvention of the American Grown-up, by Christopher Nixon

Again, covered it.

Magical Thinking: True Stories, by Augusten Burroughs.

I could rave about Burroughs again, but just trust me and read the book.

The Underdog: How I Survived the World's Most Outlandish Competitions, by Joshua Davis

I haven't quite finished this one yet, but I just started it a couple days ago. I think this one was mentioned in Wired a while ago and it sounded pretty good, but it's been better than I expected. Davis is a fantastic writer, and it's sort of inspiring to read about these ridiculous competitions he gets himself into and how he does it. I'm half-tempted to try sumo wrestling after hearing about his experience doing it, and I figure I'd be a lot better at it than a scrawny 130-pound guy.

So that's my summer, so far. I've been reading a lot lately - it's been refreshing.

Your turn.

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