Ben's Summer Reads:
During the academic year, I sometimes have trouble finding time to read as many books as I would like. So, for the past 6-7 years, I have started creating a list throughout the year of books that I could plow through in the summertime. I try to mix some of my ridiculously geeky history books with some straight-up fiction. So, here is my Summer '07 list.
Legend: * = I have completed it
* A Man Without a Country - Kurt Vonnegut (I love Vonnegut.)
* Grace Eventually - Anne Lamont (I think I have already discussed this book in an earlier post)
* Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World - Jack Weatherford ( I really enjoyed this book. To understand how the Mongols conquered the largest land empire in history, all you need to know is this: horsemanship, adaptibility, and free trade.)
* The Road - Cormac McCarthy (This book is actually on Oprah's Book Club list. My sister, Molly, gave me this book. I read it. It was depressing - but I was captivated.)
* The History of the World in 6 Glasses The premise of this book is that one can explain the major eras of world history through the most popular beverage at the time.
It goes like this:
early civilization = beer (b/c of access to wheat)
Greece/Rome = Wine (b/c of increased wealth and drink became more of a status symbol)
European Age of Exploration and Colonization = Spirits (b/c of the borrowing of Arabic distillation processes and increased access to sugar for Rum - whose name comes from the English slang word " rumbullion " - meaning a brawl or commotion)
Age of Reason and Enlightenment = Coffee (b/c of increased trade with the Middle East - where coffee was first popular - European coffeehouses provided venues for intellectual conversations that yeilded influential theories)
British Empire = Tea (just because...)
The rising global influence of the United States = Coca-Cola (b/c Coke represents the power of a global corporation exerting cultural influence throughout the world.)
Rats : observations on the history and habitat of the city's most unwanted inhabitants - Robert Sullivan ( I am reading this right now - not because I was actively seeking a book about rats, but because I love Robert Sullivan. His book "Cross Country" is one of my all-time favorites.)
The History of Money - Jack Weatherford (Same dude who wrote Genghis Khan - we'll see...)
Bourne Identity - Robert Ludlum ( I like these movies, so I figured I would give the books a test drive. We'll see.)
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