Summer reading list...can't pick?

Question

my will-be highschool gave me a list of about 60 books to choose from for our summer reading. i narrowed it down to eleven, but i can't really pick. i want to make a good first impression on my teachers with out totally crapping myself trying to understand it. haha. if any of you have read one or more of the books below, please tell me whether you liked it or hated it or whatever. thanks in advance! :]

1. Geek Love - Katherine Dunn
2. Rule of the Bone - Russell Banks
3. Welcome to the Monkey House - Kurt Vonnegut
4. On the Road - Jack Kerouac
5. Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim - David Sedaris
6. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
7. At Swim-Two-Birds - Flann O'Brien
8. Regeneration - Pat Barker
9. Go Tell It On the Mountain - James Baldwin
10. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay - Michael Chabon
11. Decline and Fall - Evelyn Waugh

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

"Geek Love" was funny & a bit disturbing (like a John Waters movie)

"Welcome to the Monkey House" has a lot of great short stories- if you don't like one, at least you have several others to discuss. And they are interesting both on the surface and also when analyzed.

"On the Road" is awesome- but written by a guy in like one month while he was totally high on speed- so it can be like one long run on sentence (LOVED this book, though, don't get the wrong idea)

It will be over two months until school starts- why don't you read several? That will certainly impress.

Answer 2

Just read them all! THAT will impress 'em for sure!~*

Answer 3

I'm also going to High School this fall, but I haven't read any of these gay books. I have read a few books by Kurt Vonnegut though. Try reading something that interests you in the list. That's what I do, and it helps me remember because I enjoy reading it.

Answer 4

i recommend welcome to the monkey house, i haven't read it but i've read other kurt vonnegut and what i've read i liked. i've not heard of any of the others, sorry!

Answer 5

On the Road by Jack Kerouac is a fantastic classic.

Read that one.

Answer 6

#5 is written as a series of very short, extremely funny stories by a favorite author of mine. It's just him talking about his youth with his wacky family and about being gay and about his life in general; it's an easy read because each chapter is a self-contained story, and I guarantee you will laugh whether you think you can identify with an older, white, gay man living abroad or not. He's hilarious and you will be glad you read it.

#10 - I read this and thought the best thing about it was the title / artwork. It's about a partnership between two comic book writers if I remember correctly, and I found it slow. It gets great reviews, but I haven't met one person who loved it.

#4 - it's a classic, and should you ever find yourself living amongst beatniks in San Francisco, wearing a beret, and frequenting wine parties, it will give you the bones for great conversation starters. (-;

Have a great summer break!

Answer 7

go tell it on the mountain