Help me think this through!

[Liza Q]

So, I am making a list of some books for summer reading and I am getting a little crazy.

 

1. I can have my daughter fill in some "gaps" by reading a few books by authors that she has never read, like Ernest Hemingway and Albert Camus

 

2. I can have my daughter read a few more books by authors that she has read and enjoyed - like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Willa Cather.

 

3. I can leave her alone and stop trying to make the LIST of books read in High School bigger. That way she will have time to read what she feels like before we go back to assigned reading in the fall. Right now she is reading To the Lighthouse and next up is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - she is having fun and maybe I really do need to leave her alone, huh?

 

But I want her list to be bigger and we never got to Hemingway and next year we are doing Year 2 books and how will she ever get into college if she hasn't read any Hemingway and her list will only have like 75 books and I really wish it would be closer to 100 and.....

 

Help - I can't decide which pov is reasonable and which is crazy!

[Cedarmom]

There are so many good books I want my son to read and time is running short, so I understand your dilemna. But I am going to let my son do his own reading. He too has books he wants to read and re-read, and during the school year he doesn't have time. Your daughters choices may not be classics, but they are good reads, and hopefully she will be recharged and ready to read your selections in the fall.

[love2read]

If she's making wise choices, I'd let her lead over the summer. I've been amazed at some of the things my children have picked up to read and impressed with their varied interest. I remember long summer days spent reading book after book that I picked up at the library. It was that experience that led to a life long love of reading.

[elizabeth]

She sounds like a seasoned reader perhaps you could follow her lead and build on her preferences. Cather leads to Mari Sandoz-Old Jules is superb. I tend to be lazy so -I will go to Amazon, type in books dd has read and enjoyed and search through the lists made by others who enjoyed that book and sometimes the recommendations are superb others-well not my cup of tea. If she likes Fitzgerald then other "Lost generation" writers will fit in nicely. Camus without the philosophical background prior to reading is not likely to bear good fruit and lead to misunderstanding. Read Sarte instead . I read this article recently at the behest of a student at the Iowa Writers Workshop and I found much that resonated with me. It is about literature and the propensity of contemporary critics to be dazzled by stylistic quirks rather than authentic voice and clear writing. I include the link not because it is relevant to your question per se but I loved the article and have been eager to share it . http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200107/myers

[elizabeth]

http://www.amazon.com/Artists-Writers-Renaissance-Collective-Biographies/dp/0766018342 This looks like a great resource I never read these authors until college and am planning on sharing these writers with dd as well.

[Kareni]

So, I am making a list of some books for summer reading and I am getting a little crazy. ...

 

But I want her list to be bigger and we never got to Hemingway and next year we are doing Year 2 books and how will she ever get into college if she hasn't read any Hemingway and her list will only have like 75 books and I really wish it would be closer to 100 and.....

 

Guilty here of much the same thinking. I posted recently asking about intriguing non-fiction as you can see from the following links:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29954

 

and http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29956

 

My rising senior already has read a good amount of fiction; I asked about non-fiction with the idea of adding some diversity to her reading list. I've asked her to read five books this summer from a basket of books that I'm putting together. Most of the titles that were suggested will be in that basket (generally what the library has on hand).

 

She'll also be reading Harry Bauld's On Writing the College Application Essay (see: http://www.amazon.com/Writing-College-Application-Essay-Acceptance/dp/0064637220)

 

and Thomas Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines (see: http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Literature-Like-Professor/dp/006000942X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213153241&sr=1-1).

 

Just call me a cruel parent ....

 

Regards,

Kareni