I seem to have nothing but time this summer, with my inability to get a job in my small town and my only responsibilities being driver’s ed. and volunteering at—drumroll!—the library.  With all this free time, I have decided to devote myself to the acquiring of knowledge…and honing my art skills ^_^.  With this purpose, I’ve put together a list of books to read during my copius spare time…copius, right.

• To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.  I never got to read this book in high school, being homeschooled during the year when most Michigan youngsters are burdened with it.  All of the “older” people that I know (and most of the younger!) tell me that it’s a true classic and I ought to read it.  I can manage such a slim volume, I think.
• The Singer, by Calvin Miller.  A beautifully written, allegorical epic poem that my grandmother read to me as a child.  The story was well-burned into my memory, but I think it’s worth a re-read.
• The Discoverers, by Daniel J. Boorstin.  The Discoverers is a must-read for anyone truly interested in history (myself, I be minoring in it).  It details all of the greatest discoveries and those that made them in the areas of science, medicine, art, literature, the social sciences, and warfare.
• Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney (the side-by-side version).  I’ve already read Beowulf twice, but I’d really like to read it again with more attention to the Old English.  It’s really a very lyrical language, and I’d like to learn some of it.
• The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair.  My boyfriend suggested that I read this, and as he is one of the most well-read people that I know, I thought I might as well.
• Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett.  I read snippets of this book in my Western history/Philosophy/Religion class, and really enjoyed it; well worth reading the rest.
• The Divine Comedy, by Dante Allighieri.  Too often, I think, people read The Inferno and don’t bother to read the rest of the Divine Comedy.  I myself have never read it, and—surprisingly—am excited to.
• Yentl’s Revenge: The Next Wave Of Jewish Feminism, edited by Danya Wittenberg.  My best friend, whom I affectionately refer to as being “Jewwitch,” owns this book.  I started reading it, but never got the chance to finish.  It looked REALLY good.
• The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde.  Like many of the books on this list, I started reading The Picture of Dorian Gray but never finished.  I can say that I quite liked Wilde’s style of writing; his careful wit and his subtle admonishments to society make me simultaneously worshipful and jealous of him.
• Histories, by Heroditus.  Again, I started this but never finished.  It was…interesting…in a very dry sort of way.
• Collected works of Plato.  Recently, I’ve become very interested in philosophy, and wanted to learn more.  Plato is probably a very good place to begin with a philosophy study, I think.
• Everything Is Illuminated, by Johnathan Safran Foer.  Saw the movie, it made me laugh and cry (and pee my pants a little).  Time to read the book.
• Paradise Lost, by John Milton.  I can honestly say that I have no idea why I’m reading this.  Pretension, maybe?
• Critique of Pure Reason, by Immanuel Kant.  Kant is my favorite philosopher from my Western Heritage class.  I would love to learn more about his specific philosophies.

Well, that’s about all, I think…

If this list sounded like something from a college-bound literature list, that’s probably because most of the books here are ON the college-bound literature list.  I hang my head in shame for lack of originality, but also because I’ve never read much literature.  I’m mostly a fantasy/sci-fi/historical fiction kind of girl, and it’s high time that I broaden my horizons.  I just hope I can get through this list without my brain exploding…