SURVEY SAYS: What's On Your Reading Wish List?
And while any number of studies (and real-life experiences) suggest that laptops, voice mail, “cra.ckberries,” and the like make it harder to get away from the press of our labors, once upon a time summer was widely regarded as a good time to grab hold of something that doesn’t require recharging – a good book. This week I asked readers to name the book that they would like to read – but just can’t (yet) get to.
There was a lot of variety in this week’s responses – but not much in the way of unanimity, save one title: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” (as one reader noted, “Feel like an outcast to have to catch up and not be ‘in’ on it with 11 million other souls,” while another said, “I want to understand what all the fuss is about!”) . One was still waiting for their copy – because they had ordered a U.K. version to match the rest of their collection. A distant second was a random assortment of several of the books in the Harry Potter series, running all the way from the first to the entire series. However, aside from the works of Ms. Rowling, other popular authors were Ann Rule, Stephen King, John Grisham, James Patterson, Dean Koontz, and Nicholas Sparks. In fact, those authors were frequently cited with the words “anything by” in front of their name.
There was, however, one specific title that did emerge with some frequency (that did not include the word “Potter”)—”The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollen.
Among this week’s VERBATIMS were the following:
“I’m in the middle of taking exams, so I guess the sooner I read the next textbook, the better prepared I’ll be for the next exam.”
“An entire stack next to my bed that one day I am going to trip over and then have lots of time to read when I am recovering :)”
“Great idea – I love to read and I’ll be looking forward to seeing what’s on everyone else’s “must read” list!”
“Working 11-12 hours a day, takes it’s toll on leisure time. I can’t find time to take the 4 weeks of vacation that I have earned this year! We are updating policies, looking at new 401(k) providers, medical plans, the time has slipped away…and so has my leisure time.”
But this week’s Editor’s Choice goes to the reader who is looking forward to reading “any good fiction novel that doesn’t have acronyms: PPA, DOL, HRA, IRS, SEC….etc!”
Thanks to everyone who participated in our survey!
| Cookin the Book$:Don Silverman |
| Anything new by Danielle Steel. |
| The Omnivore's Dilema by Michael Pollen |
| The entire Harry Potter series |
| I would just like enough time to read my monthly magazines! |
| Deception Point by Dan Brown |
| The Savage Nation |
| Let's see, I have a backlog of books by my favorite authors - Dean Koontz, John Sandford, Robin Cook, Philip Margolin . . . . Unfortunately, the backlog goes back at least a couple of years and includes multiple books by some of these authors . . . Honestly, in my supposed downtime at home, I'm lucky to be able to read the back of a cereal box! |
| Stumbling on Happiness, by D. Gilbert |
| Any good fiction novel that doesn't have acronyms: PPA, DOL, HRA, IRS, SEC....etc! |
| Whatever the book that Mary Roach is working on currently. As far as I know she hasn't released the subject matter or title yet. |
| Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows (lots and lots of these) |
| In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust |
| Radio Daze |
| Middlemarch, George Eliot |
| The latest Ann Rule |
| God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything |
| State of Denial, by Bob Woodward (several of these) |
| Hillary Clinton's Living History |
| I'd like to finish War and Peace. |
| None, I make reading a priority. I read close to 300 books a year (predominantly mysteries) and always carry one with me, ready to crack it open in case of traffic jams or long waits at the doctor of dentist. The best part is I've converted my husband so he also enjoys reading and now I don't have to feel guilty when I have my nose in a book because he does too. |
| Eat Pray Love |
| The Bible |
| "100 Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez |
| "The Gold Coast" by Nelson DeMille |
| Failure is not an option - Gene Kranz |
| The First Commandment by Brad Thor |
| Thomas Pynchon's "Against the Day" - 1000+ pages |
| "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead - The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon" by Crystal Zevon |
| The ASPPA DC1 study material. |
| ERISA to cure my insomnia |
| American Prometheus by Kai Bird |
| Lisey's Story by Stephen King (several of these) |
| I'm in the middle of taking exams so I guess the sooner I read the next textbook, the better prepared I'll be for the next exam. |
| The Brothers Karamazov |
| The Late Great America |
| Against the Day (Thomas Pynchon) |
| The Retirement Decision by Mike Rose |
| John Adams, by David McCullough |
| The Good Guy by Dean Koontz |
| John Grisham's latest whatever it is |
| The new Harry Potter book |
| The Reagan Diaries |
| Robert Caro's "The Power Broker" |
| An entire stack next to my bed that one day I am going to trip over and then have lots of time to read when I am recovering 🙂 |
| Bollywood Nights -- looks like a good light fluffy summer read |
| The Overlook, by M. Connelly |
| Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollen ( a number of these) |
| Any one of the many that are piling up! |
| There's a whole stack just waiting to be read. |
| Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (sp?) |
| The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon, and Claire Messud's "The Emperor's Children" (think that's the title) |
| The latest Jackie Collins |
| Assualt on Reason |
| Harry Potter IV--I'm a little behind! |
| "Mayday" by Nelson DeMille |
| Let me tell you a story - John Feinstein & Red Auerbach |
| "Will in the World" - bio on Shakespeare |
| "Happy Endings" by Jim Norton |
| Anything by Jane Austen or Edith Wharton |
| The River of Doubt, by Candice Millard |
| First Break All the Rules |
| Sheparding a Child's Heart |
Working 11-12 hours a day, takes it's toll on leisure time. I can't find time to take the 4 weeks of vacation that I have earned this year! We are updating policies, looking at new 401(k) providers, medical plans, the time has slipped away...and so has my leisure time.
Mary Roach is the author of "Spooks: Science Tackles the Afterlife" and "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers". Her writings are erudite and hysterically funny. She has a wonderful style. She'd have to in order to make cadaver research entertaining and hilarious.
I have many on my "to read" list, but frankly, after spending most of my day reading plan documents, regs, (and web sites like yours!) when I get home, I'm more inclined to channel surf than to pick up a book....
I have a stack of about 40 books that serve as a makeshift nightstand next to my bed. It is my hope to finish at least one so I can put it into our paperback book exchange this office hosts. However, I have a boss that believes we should all read several books - which he hands out with the frequency of a serious poker player dealing cards - to improve our business savvy that take precedence. I appreciate his dedication to our development, but unfortunately, too few of those are as gripping as my nightstand promises to be!
I've listen to all the Harry Potters books on tape and enjoyed them, maybe I should read the last one.
The Wealthy Barber.
My pick this summer is "The Kite Runner" by Kahled Hosseini. Its fiction about a privileged Afghani who returns after the overthrow of the monarch and the Russian invasion and later Ta.liban.
Harry Potter #7, Stalin's Ghost, Assault on Reason, The Mighty and the Almighty.
Just bought "Prince of Darkness" by Robert Novak. Did not realize how many pages were involved! I'm taking two 4-day weekend holidays shortly and hope I can finish it all.