Danielle Sorcher
Features Editor
Relaxing by the pool in the sun, tanning and drinking a nice cool glass of lemonade usually requires minimal effort. However, reading a juicy book seems to go hand-in-hand with summer lounging. While the high school has come out with a summer reading list for students, it seems that this summer, most kids found books on their own. “We migrated our library catalog to a new software system and we got a very late start on getting the word out,” Library Media Specialist Michelle Luhtala said. “But there is always next year. Generally, we have excellent participation, though there is always room for improvement.”
Senior Christina Marder feels that students generally don’t go to the reading list in the summer. “I personally have not gone to the summer reading list for guidance. To be honest, I don’t think a lot of people do. It seems like a lot of people just read whatever their friends, siblings, or other people their age recommend,” she said.
Senior Henry Hallinan agrees that the list seems to be non-influential. “I read basically the whole Harry Potter series again, A Brief History of Time by Stephan Hawking and other books on cosmology—nothing from the list,” he said. “I have never seen the list and have never—and probably will never—refer to it, as I read whatever interests me, not what has interested other people.”
There are definitely particular books and series that were popular this summer. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is one of many. Ms. Luhtala would describe it as a murder mystery series about really sadistic crimes, solved by an oddly matched team of a strapping ladies’ man and socially awkward diminutive computer hacker with a ton of tattoos and more than a few piercings. However, since it is fairly dark, she is wary about recommending it to high school kids. “I am not always comfortable recommending books about S&M, racist organizations and misogynists to teens, but they are very compelling reads, and the translations are not terrible—often a concern for me,” she said.
Another popular series this summer was the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. “Her latest installment in the series, Mockingjay, is due out next Tuesday and they [New Canaan Library] have 24 holds on it,” Ms. Luhtala said. “We are purchasing another ten copies to send over there. We haven’t had that kind of response since Paper Towns by John Green came out in October of 2008, which, by the way, is the only book that has rivaled Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series in circulation at NCHS.”
Books about vampires were still prevalent in the library, bookstore, and kids arms this summer as well. Well-liked vampire series include the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith, and the Evermore series by Alyson Noel.
Other students were looking for lighter books this summer, something that can be called a “beach book.” Kathleen Millard, General Manager of Elm Street Books, has her own definition of what a beach book should be, and a few recommendations. “They should be a quick, easy read with a little bit of fluff. It should be something you can put down and pick back up and get right back into it. Thrillers are good, and another type is fluffy, girly, silly books,” she said. She recommended the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard, the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella, and Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries series, all of which have been popular this summer.
Christina had a specific summer book that she liked and would recommend. “The beach book that I really enjoyed this summer is The Last Song series by Nicholas Sparks,” she said. “I sometimes like choosing a book that allows me to just relax by the pool or beach and not have to think about anything. Romance novels are my favorite summer books.”
Sophomore Alyssa Thompson took a break from her regular reading to hit a different genre in this summer. “Generally, I wouldn’t read self-improvement or style books at all, but I thought that they might be fun in summer,” she said. “Also, I generally don’t have time to read Shakespeare for pleasure reading, but was able to this summer.”
In general, high schoolers seemed to gravitate more towards fiction this summer. Christina sees that there is a gender division within that group of fantasy, though. “Since the Twilight series became popular, I know that girls like that kind of stuff, with vampires, etc.,” she said. “I would guess that girls gravitate more towards realistic fiction; I know that they like romantic novels. I’m not really sure what boys read but I would guess mysteries. I know also that a lot of guys enjoyed the book Angels and Demons by Dan Brown; so I think in general they enjoy that kind of genre. I think this happens because girls and guys are simply interested in different things. Plus, I doubt a guy wants to be caught reading a sappy love story.”
However, it seems that many guys didn’t go for the reading scene this summer. “I don’t really know guys that read, to tell you the truth,” senior Peter Meadows said. “We have better things to do with our time.”
Senior Matt Maguire agrees that reading has been low for boys during the summer. “Sadly I don’t think I’ve read one book all summer,” he said. “I’m disappointed in myself.”
