A Cheap Summer Reading List

Thirteen years ago when I began to write this weekly blog, I selected the title of ‘Random Thoughts’ because I didn’t want to be restricted to a single subject or field.  Occasionally, I’ve thought a better title might have been ‘Apropos of Nothing Whatsoever” or “Yet Another Non Sequitur”. 

Over the years, I’ve written about history, art, economics, a little archaeology, the peculiarities of working at Enema U (a poor football team with a small university attached), a few feeble attempts at fiction, and whatever tickled my fancy on a Friday night as I sat before my computer with a bottle of beer.  A few of the posts have gone viral, a couple have been banned in certain countries that still exercise a draconian form of censorship, and just this week, Facebook decided that a history piece I wrote eight years ago does not meet its community standards.  While this banishment doesn’t completely show that the fact checkers at Facebook are ignorant, it does prove that they read slowly.

This is the first of June—the start of a new summer—and it is my usual practice between semesters to binge read the books I was too busy to read during the school year.  This year, the pickings of new good books seem a little sparse (perhaps some lingering effect of the pandemic).  At the same time, inflation is making everyone a little hesitant to spend money.  This gave me the idea of putting together, just this once, a list of good books to read this summer.  What makes this list different is that every book on the list has been published for years, meaning that good used copies can be found at Abebooks.som or at a good used book store.  Most of the books listed can be purchased for your Kindle for under $10 an edition.

Presented in no particular order:

Science Fiction.  Old Man’s War by John Scalzi.  Scalzi was obviously partially inspired by Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers:  both books attempt to tell the story of what infantry warfare will be like in the future, only Scalzi does it better.  Both Scalzi’s characters and the story are so compelling that he wrote several more books, turning one book into a series, and since Netflix has bought the movie rights to the entire series, eventually you may see the story on television.  Since good books are nearly always changed by cretinous Hollywood directors, you should read the book first.

The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov.  I have no idea why books by Asimov are not still constantly available in bookstores….well, that’s a stupid sentence.   I should just say I have no idea why there aren’t more bookstores selling good books.  In The Caves of Steel, Asimov moves the classic murder mystery far into the future and pairs an urban hardnosed detective with a robot.  Asimov is famous for his robot stories, particularly I, Robot, but that novel has already been ruined by a cretinous director (see above) and while this book was used for a British television show starring Peter Cushing, only a small portion of the film survives.

Asimov wrote the novel to prove his theory that science fiction could be adapted to any genre of fiction (in this case, the mystery).  Originally written as a stand-alone novel, Asimov eventually linked the story to his Foundation Trilogy as part of his Future History series of books.  While I would heartily recommend the entire series, this book by itself is a great read.

History/Economics.  A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World by William J. Bernstein.  While this book is primarily about the economics of trade, it is also a wonderful history book.  There was a breakthrough moment a few thousand years ago when agriculture in a few areas was so successful that not everyone had to engage in full time subsistence farming, enabling some people to specialize in the production of other goods.  This division of labor dramatically increased production, creating not only increased wealth, but the necessity of trade.  The book reads like an adventure story…. Well, it does if you’re a history/economist nerd.  This is one of those books with ideas that come back to you again and again, forcing you to think about new concepts.  It is also one of those books that I keep nearby on a shelf so I can go back and refer to it.  While I wouldn’t categorize this as light reading, it is certainly enjoyable, providing new insight every time I reread it.

Economics.  Forty Centuries of Wage and Price Controls:  How Not to Fight Inflation by Robert L. Schuettinger and Eamonn F. Butler.  In plain and non-technical language, the authors give a history of the repeated failures of price controls as a method of fighting inflation.  As I write this, such measures have recently been instigated in Italy, Turkey, and Mexico and are once again being considered by morons in Washington.  The book is fascinating and should be required reading for American politicians.

Travel/Art/Literature.  The Innocents Abroad or The New Pilgrim’s Progress by Mark Twain.  It’s by Mark Twain, so how can you go wrong?  In 1867, Twain somehow managed to convince a newspaper to pay his expenses for a five-month excursion through Europe and the Holy Land.  In exchange, Twain sent regular accounts of his adventures back home, which were published in serial form.  Two years after the trip, Twain collected these letters and published them as a book.  Not only was the book an incredible success, but it was the best-selling of his books during his lifetime.

Among the side trips taken by the passengers of the USS Quaker City was an excursion from Marseilles to Paris for the 1867 Paris Exhibition, the second French World’s Fair as ordered by Emperor Napoleon III.  While you can read the book strictly for the comedy, Twain is actually using satire to compare history with the modern world.  If you have never read the book, I’m somewhat envious—I’d give almost anything to read a book by Twain for the first time.

Art Crime.  The Art of Forgery by Noah Charney.  What is it about art forgery that is so compelling and fascinating?  In my case, I think part of it is jealousy:  since I can’t afford to own my very own Picasso or Vermeer, I like to see the experts accepting a fake as the real thing.  One of the strengths of this book is that it explores the motivation—other than greed—for an artist to create a forgery.  While the layout of the book is unusual, you are unlikely to stop reading once you start.

Mystery.  Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout.  This was the book that introduced Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.  Though the book is set in New York during the Great Depression, the reader will hardly notice that nearly a century has passed since the book was published.  Stout wrote the Nero Wolfe stories with timeless characters, literally.  Though Stout wrote 33 books in the series over five decades, the two main characters remain the same age in every book.   Though it has been almost half a century since the last appearance of Nero Wolfe, he remains timeless. 

Whip Hand by Dick Francis.  Francis was a British steeplechase jockey with over 350 winning rides, and at one time he raced horses belonging to Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.  After being injured in a fall, Francis began a long career of writing mysteries set in the world of racing that he knew so well.  Whip Hand, an Edgar Award Winner, is one of his best books.  While a made-for-television movie was based on the book, the movie has rarely been shown outside of the United States.  After writing 40 mysteries dealing with almost every aspect of British racing, Francis died in 2010.  Today, his son, Felix Francis, has followed in his father’s footsteps and is writing similar books.

Runners-up.  Here are some honorable mentions in case your used bookstore cannot find any of the above.  These are all great books that just are not as popular any more, for some obscure reason.

The African Queen, by C.S. Forester

Cautionary Tales by Hillaire Belloc

Diary of a Nobody by John Lawrence

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein (Fair Warning:  every time I re-read this book, I talk and write in Pidgin English for a week.  And swear in Chinese.  You have been forewarned!)

The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough

Friday the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman.  The author mixes interesting mysteries with fascinating theology.

The Thinking Machine by Jacques Futrelle

Max Carrados by Ernest Bramah

Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant by U.S. Grant

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey

Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser

The Lost City of Incas by Hiram Bingham.  The book is dated, but it is impossible to read the book and not think about Indiana Jones.  Bingham is also notable for becoming a Congressman who once landed his gyrocopter on the Washington Mall.

Waiting for the Galactic Bus by Parke Godwin