Summer reading list

This is the first summer I have really done the serious reading I always intend to do over the summer. Here are the books I have either completed or am working on:

Catcher in the Rye - I read this because I have a student who is using it for his senior thesis. I found the book very compelling. I had picked it up a few years back, mainly because somebody told me that I reminded her of Holden Caulfield. I did not really see myself in the character, so I never finished the book. This time I read it rather quickly and found it very compelling and moving. The overall tone of the book is cynical, and I can see why we don't read it at our school. I do think that Holden has an innate goodness that he does not want to acknowledge. I look forward to discussing the book with my senior.

Heart of Darkness and Watchmen - I started in on Heart of Darkness, but found it hard to become engaged in the book. I am reading it for another senior thesis. Meanwhile, I picked up Watchmen at the library. I had looked through it before, and mostly looked at the art and tried to understand the use of motifs and symbols. I found the book a little threatening since I had heard how great it is. I was afraid it would be over my head. This time, I read it straight through without worrying about "getting" all the subtleties. It was quite moving and thought-provoking. It also made it easier for me to understand Heart of Darkness. The books are quite similar in theme. Watchmen makes some clear allusions to Conrad, and even cites the title of the book at one point.

The Iliad - I am listening to Stanley Lombardo reading his translation of The Iliad. This poem shows that Zeus acts the way he does because he is the most powerful of the gods and he can do what he wants. This is a theme in Heart of Darkness and Watchmen. I did not really set out to explore this idea, but that is the way things are shaping up.

The Crime and Punishment of I.G. Farben - This is a book about a German company with significant international ties that made it possible for Germany to threaten the world. They also produced Zyklon B. I just started this book, although I can see it has a similar theme to the previous three books.

The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night Time - I just reread this book in a few hours. It is a sort of mystery told from the perspective of an autistic boy. It does a great job of making you sympathize with the narrator, but also see how different his perspective is. There are some clues that would be obvious to a neurotypical person that he completely misses. There are other things that he catches that we would miss.