Students catch up on leisure reading

Many students see summer as a chance to catch up on reading without the worry of pending school assignments hanging over their heads. But finding the right summer book to read proves to be a challenge in itself. Everyone has his or her own opinion about what others should read.\nSteve Wolcott, a graduate student in the English department, did a project on One Book, One Bloomington last year. The program chooses one book each year for the public to read and discuss together. The current selection, "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi, is the subject of Wolcott's current independent study course.\n"The book is about an Iranian professor of English literature in the 1970s and '80s who becomes increasingly frustrated by her university classes," Wolcott said.\nThe plot takes place against the backdrop of the Islamic revolution in Iran. Because Nafisi is unsatisfied with her classes, she forms a private reading group outside of the university. Once a week, seven women come to her home to discuss literature.\nThe chapters, named after authors, delve into the women's heated discussions about Western messages in English literature at their meetings. Nafisi also explores the women's lives throughout the book.\n"I'm interested in how literature teaches you to be more empathetic because it is able to put you into someone else's shoes," Wolcott said.\nAmal Altoma, a fiction reference librarian at the Monroe County Public Library, said "Reading Lolita in Tehran" has become popular locally in part because it is the One Book, One Bloomington selection. \n"It's not a mainstream book, but a lot of people are reading it," Altoma said.\nMike Burns of Howard's Bookstore said he recommended "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime" by Mark Haddon because it has such a convincing narrative voice. \n"It was a favorite last year, and it's now in paperback," he said. \nThe story is from the point of view of a teenager with autism whose role model is Sherlock Holmes. Part way through the book, he investigates his first murder case -- a whodunit involving the neighbor's dog.\nFor Harry Potter fans anxious for the arrival of book six in the series, Burns recommended trying science fiction of a related style, particularly Terry Pratchett's "A Hat Full of Sky" or Philip Pullman's "Dark Matter" series.\nThe Pullman novels, which inspired a wildly popular theater production on London's West End soon coming to Broadway, tell a gritty tale of a young girl who grows up in Oxford before discovering she has special abilities and her future lies in an alternate world. \nBurns also recommended "So You Want to be a Wizard" by Diane Duane to Harry Potter lovers. \n"It's very American and pre-dates Harry Potter by 20 years," he said. \nThe book tells the tale of a girl who finds a library book about how to be a wizard. After some experimentation, she learns that the book is a real do-it-yourself guide. There are seven books in the series that Burns said are good for teenagers. \nSometimes, finding the right summer book just involves asking someone who hangs out with books all day. Patrick Boy, a Borders bookstore employee, he listed off the books he loves, like Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and Hunter Thompson's "Kingdom of Fear." \n"Hunter Thompson is not just for summer reading," Boy said. "You can read him whenever. And if you like horror, HP Lovecraft is fun to read in the dark."\nYet another way to get reading is to act like they do in "Reading Lolita in Tehran" -- join a book group. Borders' employee Jaz Williams said book groups do not have to be just about the classics. They exist for all sorts of genres, from mystery to sci-fi to biographies.\nEach second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m., Williams leads a comic book discussion group in the music section at Borders. \nWilliams said attending a book club doesn't require a big commitment and encouraged readers of all types to try one.\n"A lot of people think it's unusual to talk about something they've read in a group, but it's actually a lot of fun," Williams said. "I learn a lot from what others bring to the table, and it helps me read better and think more."\n-- Contact staff writer Erika Biga Lee at ebiga@indiana.edu.