Summer reading is going well. I am trying to mix up my summer reading with "classic- classics," "modern classics" (as determined by me) and "candy." My "candy" for the summer are The Cat Who... mystery books. The stories revolve around a retired journalist and his two Siamese cats, one of which likes to help our hero solve crimes. They live in a small town "400 miles north of everywhere." The books are enjoyable and the characters are entertaining. The most amazing part is not the cat's intuition, but rather the fact that so many murders happen in this one small town.
I have also been reading quite a lot of Agatha Christie's books (let's call them "classic candy"... like Werther's Originals or black licorice bites). What I like most about Christie's two main protagonists (Miss Marple and Poirot) is that they may be brilliant, but they're also a little irritating. I like my protagonists to have some flaws. It's hard (impossible) to relate to perfection.In the "classic classic" category I have Dracula and A Clockwork Orange. Neither of which I've finished. Dracula is interesting enough, but I'm a third of the way through and I still feel like nothing's really happened. It is, however, making me wish I was currently in a literature class, because I think this is one book that would be better if it could be discussed. A Clockwork Orange really shoudn't be on this list at all; I have yet to crack it open. It's definitely one of those books I like to talk about reading, but never seem to get around to actually reading it.
Now onto "modern classics." This is my own personal category in which I put every book that's been written more recently, but has yet to show up on any book list in any class I've ever taken. For this installment I have two: Rant: an Oral History of Buster Casey by Chuck Palahniuk and Everybody Wants to go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die by David Crowder and Mike Hogan.
Palahniuk is the very same author who brought the world the wacked out philosophy of Tyler 
Durden ("I know this because Tyler knows this") and his Fight Club. I loved Fight Club (book and movie). If you've ever read/seen it, you know it's pretty weird. Rant far and away surpasses that weirdness. The entire book is about Buster Casey, but it's told from the point of view of his friends, family, neighbors, girlfriend, random people he met a few times, local government officials and various experts on various subjects. Buster Casey grew up in a small town and got his rocks off (literally) by tracking down venemous critters and getting them to bite him. He never died. Eventually he left town and made his way to the city. That's when we learn more about the world in which Buster lived. A world that was shared by two groups of people: Daytimers, those that slept at night and lived their lives during the day, and Nighttimers, those that slept during the day and lived at night. Both groups had to be registered and both had curfews that they were not allowed to break. The book is confusing at times. It's a complicated society. Basically, Buster may or may not be responsible for a current outbreak of rabies that is sweeping the Nighttime population.
Durden ("I know this because Tyler knows this") and his Fight Club. I loved Fight Club (book and movie). If you've ever read/seen it, you know it's pretty weird. Rant far and away surpasses that weirdness. The entire book is about Buster Casey, but it's told from the point of view of his friends, family, neighbors, girlfriend, random people he met a few times, local government officials and various experts on various subjects. Buster Casey grew up in a small town and got his rocks off (literally) by tracking down venemous critters and getting them to bite him. He never died. Eventually he left town and made his way to the city. That's when we learn more about the world in which Buster lived. A world that was shared by two groups of people: Daytimers, those that slept at night and lived their lives during the day, and Nighttimers, those that slept during the day and lived at night. Both groups had to be registered and both had curfews that they were not allowed to break. The book is confusing at times. It's a complicated society. Basically, Buster may or may not be responsible for a current outbreak of rabies that is sweeping the Nighttime population. The book is interesting and engrossing, but beware. It is also gross. There are many parts I wish I hadn't read and many images I wish I didn't currently have in my head. I suppose it is hardly less graphic or gory than Fight Club, but it is not for the faint of heart. Fortunately, my heart is strong and I look forward to reading more of his books. Next time, however, I will have to buy it, for one is not allowed to underline and write notes in library book.
Everybody Wants to go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die is, so far, my favorite read of the summer. It is beautifully and creatively written by David Crowder (of The David Crowder Band) 
and Mike Hogan (also of the David Crowder Band). This is not your normal book about death (not that I've read many books about death, I'm just guessing here). The book is divided into various sections. One tracks the history of the soul. From philosophy to theology to science, what do people believe about the soul? One section tracks the history of Bluegrass (Yes, that's right, Bluegrass. The musical style.), and how it relates to death/dying/the soul. One section is in the form of an IM conversation between the two authors about their own experiences with death. My favorite section is the Columns. There are three columns and each is a short story that deals in some way with death. One column is about a man who lost his wife, one is about a woman who had a stroke and the last is about a boy whose tears (as in crying) kills birds. Divided into seven sections and interspersed throughout the book, this section is both beautiful and heartbreaking (like most of the book).
and Mike Hogan (also of the David Crowder Band). This is not your normal book about death (not that I've read many books about death, I'm just guessing here). The book is divided into various sections. One tracks the history of the soul. From philosophy to theology to science, what do people believe about the soul? One section tracks the history of Bluegrass (Yes, that's right, Bluegrass. The musical style.), and how it relates to death/dying/the soul. One section is in the form of an IM conversation between the two authors about their own experiences with death. My favorite section is the Columns. There are three columns and each is a short story that deals in some way with death. One column is about a man who lost his wife, one is about a woman who had a stroke and the last is about a boy whose tears (as in crying) kills birds. Divided into seven sections and interspersed throughout the book, this section is both beautiful and heartbreaking (like most of the book). Crowder and Hogan do a fantastic job. They are thought-provoking, genuine and hilarious. I recommend this book to everyone. Don't forget to read EVERYTHING. No skipping the prologue, indices or footnotes. This book is well worth your time.
