Summer Reading List

One of the benefits of all the time I spend on the bus between Provo and SLC is that I have the opportunity to do quite a bit of reading. I have always loved to read, but with school and all the last number of years, I haven't been able to do as much as I would have liked. Anyways, here are a few of the books I have read so far:

1. War of the Worlds by HG Wells - It looks like I am doing a lot of Science Fiction reading this summer, and what better way to start it off than by reading this Sci Fi classic.  It was a decent book, although a little humorous at times because of the setting.  It was written in the late 1800's so a lot of the technology used to fight off the invading aliens was pretty obsolete and archaic by today's standards.  It was a little strange to read a science fiction novel that predated the automobile and that, in the novel, our most effective weaponry was horse-drawn artillery and ironclads.

2. Ubik by Phillip K. Dick - Science Fiction book #2.  This one is a little bit weirder, so if you can't handle a little weirdness, don't try to read this one.  One of the basic ideas behind the book is that a technology has been developed to allow for a kind of "half-life" once a person has died.  If action is taken quickly the individual can be frozen and put into a kind of dream like state where loved ones are capable of communicating with them for a few days a year.  Pretty crazy. 

3. The Shining by Stephen King - I had been told that this book was pretty scary, and even though the movie definitely fits that description, I was sceptical that any book could really be that scary.  I have to say, it did a pretty good job of getting into my head.  I would look over my shoulder at night to make sure nothing was lurking after reading The Shining.  I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I felt that the author did a great job of bringing the reader into the psyche of each of his characters.  The book does contain a fair amount of bad language though, so reader beware.

Coming Attractions:

Neuromancer by William Gibson

A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Odd Hours by Dean Koontz

I will hopefully keep you updated on the rest of my summer reading as I get to it.