(Ryan Patrick is a contributing editor to The Daily Blur. He’s not only handsome but a mighty fine writer. You can check out his growing archive of posts here.)
This week, my fellow Daily Blurrers shared their summer reading lists. Both Tim and Lynn recommended some good titles – if, that is, you enjoy reading business books or touchy-feely, inspirational, I-went-on-a-journey-with-my-dog-and-learned-the-meaning-of-life books.
C’mon, do you really want to spend your summer doing a bunch of thinking or soul-searching?
Check your brain at the door and peruse these painless page-turners (in no particular order):
Ready Player One: If you spent a majority of the 80’s reading comic books, watching sitcoms, or feeding quarters into the Joust machine at the local arcade, this book is for you. It’s a twisty, techy treasure hunt that’s sure to bring out your inner geek.
Mark Wilson’s Complete Course in Magic: Not the Dungeons and Dragons kind of magic, but the “Take a card, any card” kind of magic taught in easy, step-by-step instructions by one of the best.
The Year of Living Biblically: A.J. Jacobs is a human guinea pig. He has written several books based on his various social experiments, such as reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. But this written account of his year-long quest to follow every single rule in the Bible is a holy hoot.
Dave Barry Slept Here: The best fictional chronicle of non-fictional U.S. history ever written. I giggle every time I read it.
Tune Town Trivia: Which country music queen was kidnapped in an episode of “The Dukes of Hazzard?” Quiz your family on that cross-country drive with the Grand Ole Opry’s official trivia book, written by my friend, “Opry Dan” Rogers. (Answer: Loretta Lynn)
Three Nights In August: Summer = Baseball. Buzz Bissinger (author of Friday Night Lights) gives an unfiltered, uncensored, all-access look at America’s pastime in his account of a summer series between the St. Louis Cardinals and their rivals, the Chicago Cubs.
Bossypants: It made me laugh out loud so many times during a flight to Texas, a lady near the back of the plane stopped me in the airport to ask what book I was reading.
If You Only Knew How Much I Smell You: Humorist Roy Blount Jr. (regular panelist for NPR’s Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me!) answers the age old question, “What are dogs really thinking?”
Pretty Good Joke Book: Every April, NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion broadcasts their annual Joke Show. This book features some of the best jokes ever told. Better yet, pick up one of the audio versions. Garrison Keillor, Paula Poundstone and other funny folk will have you laughing all the way to the beach.
Okay, that’s my summertime best-seller list. What’s yours? Post your personal picks in the comments below.
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