All booked up for summer
BY MAJOR MAL DAVIES
With summer comes sunshine – to state the obvious – and this means not only watching cricket or eating watermelon but also days at the beach or by the pool, holidays and days so hot that we stay indoors with the air-con on.
Each of these options also equates to book-reading time! Holidays, in particular, are the only time of the year some people get their noses stuck in a book. I have a friend who doesn’t read much but on holidays he’ll power through several books.
Have you thought about a summer reading list? For some, the plan consists entirely of walking into a bookshop and seeing what grabs your attention. Others like to keep a tab on what books they will look out for when they finally get an opportunity to go book shopping.
Let this seasoned book reader offer a few hints for those of you wanting to prepare for summer.
Helpful hints
First – and I need to say this – watch your budget. It’s easy to walk into a bookshop and walk out with $200 less in your bank account and an armful of books that have interesting covers, but you may not ever get to read them. So, either set yourself a limit (‘Right, I have $50 to spend in this bookshop and that’s it’) or prioritise a list (‘I want 10 books; I’ll buy three for now’).
Second, and following on from that point, consider buying second-hand books. For those of us who love books, there is simply nothing like a large, cheap, well-curated, second-hand bookshop. They’re heaven.
If there’s a book that I know I’m going to love and will want to keep for ever, I’ll buy it new. However, if it’s a light holiday read or just some pulp fiction that will probably end up at Salvos Stores anyway, I’ll just buy it second-hand.
Third, in relation to genre, decide if you’re going with a theme or want a mixed list. I’ve been on holidays where I’ve taken three biographies with me and that’s it, or three classic English literature novels, or three collections of short stories (I like Sherlock Holmes especially). Alternatively, I can go on holidays and take a play by Shakespeare, a Batman comic, a book of Monty Python scripts and a John Steinbeck novel.
Fourth, stretch yourself. I recall a holiday where all I took was a book with the collected poems of John Donne. It had sat on my shelf for a few years and I thought the only way I was going to read it was to take it and nothing else. So I did … and I loved it.
"Challenge yourself with something that might just change your life.”
Personal recommendations
Here’s a few books* that might stretch you, and I encourage you to rise to the challenge.
The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel is an investigation into the existence and claims of Jesus. Strobel was an experienced Chicago journalist and avowed atheist when he started this investigation to disprove what his Christian wife believed. By the end of the book – he had to admit he was wrong and that Jesus was someone worthy of further attention.
Who is This Man? by John Ortberg, Christian pastor and writer. Ortberg considers the amazing impact Jesus has had on the world for the past 2,000 years and says he has influenced human progress more than anyone who ever lived. Who is this man?
Making Sense of God by the late Timothy Keller, widely respected US teacher, writer and pastor. Keller writes for those who are sceptical about the relevance of faith and religion and Jesus to modern thinking.
Enjoy your summer reading. Consider my hints above. Challenge yourself with something that might just change your life. Happy reading!
* You can find or order these books at good bookshops or buy them online at koorong.com
