(Sorry, still very little in the way of knitting here at chez Dr. Girlfriend. I caught wind this morning of a summer knitting olympics being hosted on Ravelry and am toying with the idea of challenging myself for the competition to move 4 "zzzzz's" to "FO's"... most likely 4 unfinished pairs of socks, but I'm still undecided.)


I've been thinking a lot about summer reading for the past several days. After a discussion with my knitting pals and thinking on my own, it is unfortunate that I couldn't enjoy the "forced" summer reading thurst upon me when I was in high school. Honestly, what 16 year old wants to sit around reading Wuthering Heights all summer? (Oh, it took me all summer and I only read the first 1/3 and the last 1/3 guaranteeing an F on the subsequent test when school started back up).


On the one hand it was funny to be in Barnes and Noble on Friday evening looking at the tables of "summer reading" books and recognizing how many I had actually read (and how few I had actually enjoyed!) There are some that I would like to reread in a less forced and now more enlightened mindset. But there are still many that I would like to have the ability to selectively wipe from my memory.


With all that said, one of the things that I'm enjoying most about my summer so far is the time to read. For the first week or two I had off, I really needed time to stare at the TV and let my brain atrophy a bit, but now I've been spending my time that's not Wii Fitting or working on stuff for the Fall reading.


I'm a one book at a time type of person (textbooks and journal articles excluded). I've also found that I like to alternate non-fiction and fiction. During the course of the Spring semester, I read Empire Falls by Russo, but because reading time was limited it took me forever to get through it (and I loved every minute). Next I read, The Paradox of Choice by Schwartz, which was really interesting and which I'm going to use parts of in my Fall classes.


I realized that I need to alternate non-fiction and fiction books because I graviate toward non-fiction that is school/work/psychology/women's studies related. If I read only that type of non-fiction (which is really the only type that appeals to me), I'd be always reading with school in mind. Which is in part why I enjoy reading them, I can connect them with what I know and can think of future lecture fodder. The Paradox of Choice is going to be extremely helpful in the Fall because he explains two concepts in wonderful simplicity that I've often had a hard time getting students to understand.


After finishing The Paradox of Choice, I started Nobody's Fool also by Russo because I needed to give my brain a break from school-thinking. I read this book much faster than Empire Falls mostly because I had more free time to read. And like all of Russo's books** so far, I loved it. I actually just finished it yesterday and am experiencing my typical post-fiction-book-depression. Not really depression per se, but sadness that the story is over. And this is the other reason why I need to alternate non-fiction and fiction because I get so invested in the fiction story that I can't just jump into a different one right away. I need time to process and ponder the story I finished; to let a little distance grow between me and the characters before I can open up to new ones in a new book. So now I've started on a non-fiction book (Pushed by Block) which is more towards the women's studies persuasion and less strictly psychology-related. I breezed through 50 pages this morning and am totally engrossed, although I worry a bit that she's laid all her cards on the table in the opening chapter.


I've got two fiction books lined up next (Thinks by Lodge and Ten Days in the Hills by Smiley), which were educated random picks (as in I had a list of potential authors that might be worthwhile and randomly selected the books without reading reviews). Of course, I'll need another non-fiction for between those two, so it is good that I've still got $20 in gift cards to B&N.


And if you need a super-quick read that is super-funny, check out Bigfoot: I Not Dead by Graham Roumieu. I picked it up for Kevin and we read it outloud in between fits of laughter. (It kind of looks like a children's book, but is definitely not for children!)


**I've only got one Russo book left (Bridge of Sighs) and I'm a little reluctant to pick it up (not because of the poor reviews), but because then I'll have no more Russo to look forward to (until he comes out with another book!)