Beach Reading


 
We head to the beach on Sunday, after I take a quick road trip to Kentucky. As discussed, I’m making the round trip to Kentucky, coming home and finalizing details with the house/cat sitter and hitting the road to join the family on the OBX.

I have decided that this year, vacation is going to be all about not having an agenda. No writing goals, no walking goals, no sites I have to see, no restaurants at which we have to dine.

Some of all of that may happen. The point is that I’m fine if doesn’t.

Okay, there are a couple of things I know we’ll do. We’ll take a dolphin cruise on the Roanoke Sound. And I want to visit Bodie Island lighthouse now that it’s opened for tours.

Other than that? Beach, sleep, read and consume various adult entertainment beverages.

Anything else that happens, like new restaurants, or new sites, or family game time…or whatever…will be a bonus.

That being said, I have an ambitious stack of books that I’ll be taking along. No, I don’t anticipate getting through all of them next week. I will in the next few weeks. But, in no particular order, here are this year’s choices.

The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Vol. IV
Robert A. Caro
This is Caro’s fourth book in the amazing series about Lyndon Johnson. He’s thorough, he’s complete, he’s blunt. Reality is this book may be to heavy (no pun intended) for me to pick up to read at the beach. But, you never know. Caro tells a good story. I might not be able to put it down.

The Wishsong of Shannara
Terry Brooks
I read most of the Shannara series years ago. Since Brooks continued to produce books, I decided to read them again, starting at the beginning. This is the third of the Shannara books I’ve started this year.

The Stand
Stephen King
I’ve never been much of a horror movie/book fan, so I’ve avoided Stephen King and have been mostly unfamiliar with his work. Last year I got a copy of Bag of Bones as a Klout perk. I liked it. Earlier this year I finished King’s On Writing. I decided if I’m going to do this writing thing (and I am), I should read more authors like King. So after asking for recommendations on Facebook, I opted The Stand (the updated version).

And, from earlier this year when I wrote a post about variations on a theme, three semi-related books.
The challenge I wrote about earlier was the challenge by Chris Brogan to pick three books and read only those three books all year long. I knew I’d never make it. So, I selected three books of Scripture to study all year long.

I have failed in that endeavor. I did manage to read through The Story, and I’m reading more, just not with that particular focus.

Anyway, this year marks the 50 anniversary of the deaths of John F. Kennedy, C.S. Lewis and Aldous Huxley. All three died on November 22, 1963. So, for the fall, I’ve decided to read something by each of them.

For JFK, the obvious choice is Profiles in Courage. Yes, I know that his dad probably had someone ghost write it. But that’s not the point.

For Huxley, I’m slightly embarrassed to admit I’ve never read Brave New World.

For Lewis, I’ve read much of his work, and need to read more. I’ll be reading selections or work from his Signature Classics. That includes Mere Christianity,The Screwtape Letters, The Abolition of Man, The Great Divorce, The Problem of Pain, Miracles, and A Grief Observed.

So, those books are going with me.

I’ll let you know if actually open them.

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