#summer-reading — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #summer-reading, aggregated by home.social.
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Summer Reading: Paradise Lost
By Elizabeth Prata
When someone says “summer reading” it usually brings to mind beach reads, AKA light novels, that are aimed to entertain. Since people take vacations in summer, they bring with them a novel that isn’t mentally demanding, just aiming to soak up the book in their hand and the sun above as they escae briefly from their workaday life.
I’m the opposite. Summer reading for me means I choose demanding books because I’m off work for the summer. During school my mental capacities are stretched to the max. I teach reading to a succession of 6 small groups over 4 different grades using 3 different reading programs. It’s a lot. I love it, but it drains me mentally.
When I get home, I’m a zombie and it takes a pot of tea and an hour to recover. I have nNo capacity for demanding novels.
So in the summer when I’m off and I’m not being challenged mentally, it’s the perfect time to make my TBR stack of classics, or ‘books I’ve always wanted to read but haven’t yet’ or ‘a book that is hard for me. Four summers ago I tackled Moby-Dick. Then it was Treasure Island. Then Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. So this summer it’s going to be…
I saw it advertised on Grace Books’ website and it is not only one I’ve always wanted to read but this edition is a beautiful book. I mean, you had me at ‘gilt edged’. And ‘cloth bound’. Yes, I judge a book by its cover. Come at me, lol.
It’s John Milton’s epic poem, “Paradise Lost’. Written in 1667, the publisher promises that it is an unabridged version but there are margin notes for unfamiliar words. So already I know the language is going to be demanding. And harder for me personally, is the fact that it is written as an Epic Poem. I have a rough time with poetry, I just don’t understand it.
An Epic Poem is (according to Encyclopedia Britannica), “long narrative poem recounting heroic deeds. Outstanding examples of the written epic include Virgil’s Aeneid and Lucan’s Pharsalia in Latin, Chanson de Roland in medieval French, Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando furioso and Torquato Tasso’s Gerusalemme liberata in Italian, Cantar de mio Cid in Spanish, and John Milton’s Paradise Lost and Edmund Spenser’s Faerie Queene in English.”
I read The Aeneid, The Odyssey and The Iliad, when I was in my early 20’s. Forty-five years later – ahem – my brain may have dimmed somewhat. In fact, I when I was in High School and just after, I read most of the standard classics listed in top 100 lists and I’m glad I did back then because reading or re-reading them now is much harder. But every summer, I select a classic to read or re-read, and that is my Summer Reading!
The version issued by Grace Books was on 40% off the regular price at the time (it’s still 10% off now), so of course I could not resist. The book itself (according to the blurb) contains:
Explanatory notes are included in the margins for allusions to Greek mythology and obscure words.
- Introduction by Dr. Leland Ryken
- Cover design by Stephen Crotts
- 50 vintage illustrations by the renowned Gustave Doré; modified to cover nudity
- Genuine cloth cover with gold foil print and a ribbon page marker
What is Paradise Lost about? Adam and Eve’s rebellion and humanity’s fall from grace. One reviewer of this edition on Amazon said,
“Having biblical backgrounds in its plot of being about Adam and Eve‘s temptation and humanity’s fall from grace, “Paradise Lost” should be read for its unparalleled sonorous language, it’s profound exploration of human freedom, disobedience and rebellion, and its impact on Western literature. It offers a complex, timeless, psychological portrait of Satan serving as a foundational text for understanding the archetypal antihero.”
Beautifully illustrated cloth cover Gorgeous end papers!! AND a ribbon! Crisp font and white pages for easy reading, side notes with explanations and scriptures. One of Dore’s illustrations. He was a master at his craft.
OK, this should keep me busy! Here are the photos of this beautiful edition. I appreciate Gustave Doré’s illustrations. He was a famous French artist, printmaker, and caricaturist who died in 1883. He is best known for his wood-engravings illustrating classic literature, especially Dante’s Divine Comedy. What I really appreciate in this edition is that though the language has been left alone, the illustrations have been lightly edited to cover up the nudity in Doré’s illustrations.I mentioned I do judge a book by its cover. Here are two others I’ve recently acquired. The Pilgrim’s Progress was a free gift from Chapel Library, and the Van Dyke I bought myself. See what I mean? If I am going to own books, they might as well be beautiful. My other reading selection this summer is a re-read of Pilgrim’s Progress. I’ll also finish the Grisham I started, as well as Lady Audley’s Secret, Lord willing and the eyes don’t fail!
Happy reading and book-ing this summer! What is on your TBR list?
#bookReview #books #fiction #literature #reading #readingGoals #summerReading #writing -
The Violet Hour: A Lowcountry Tale "I was born with salt air in my lungs and pluff mud between my toes" Sale: $28.99 to $1.99 by Victoria Benton Frank Rating: 4.3/5 (1,067 Reviews) #southernfiction #lowcountry #beachreads #family #sisters #booksky #books #womensfiction #summerreading
The Violet Hour: A Lowcountry ... -
Murder Takes a Vacation “Whenever something goes wrong, I tell myself that I can’t be the first person this has happened to, which means there are solutions” Sale: $14.99 to $1.99 by Laura Lippman Rating: 4.2/5 (2,617 Reviews) #Mystery #CozyMystery #Crime #SummerReading #WomenSleuths #BookSky
Murder Takes a Vacation: A Riv... -
Dive into a definitive account of a covert operation that shaped modern counter-terrorism. This book is a powerful journey.
#SummerReading #NonFiction #books
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/striking-back/ -
I’m thrilled to announce the re-release of my new first novel, The Beekeeper and the Bomb!
This project has been a labor of love, weaving together themes of family secrets, LGBTQ+ romance, and historical mystery.
When Alex Bramble discovers a WWII-era bomb in her grandfather's meadow, she realizes the quiet beekeeper she knew was hiding a dangerous past.
📖 Order here: https://a.co/d/fLSKSAj
#WritingCommunity #AuthorLife #NewRelease #MysteryBooks #SummerReading #WinterReading
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Pretty stoked the pre-orders for 'Invasive Species' are really rolling in.
Best part of Pre-ordering... It's like Christmas in August. You wake and BOOM. There’s a new book for you to read on your ereader.
Or if you're impatient, you can buy direct and read it now, everyone else.
Summer's not over! Plenty of time for more reading!
https://johnwilker.com/book/invasive-species/
#scifi @[email protected] #bookstodon @bookstodon #supportcreators #scifibooks @[email protected] #summerreading
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When it's just too hot to go outside and play - good for kids AND parents too!
Lemony Snicket’s Anti-Summer #SummerReading List https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/books/review/lemony-snicket-anti-summer-reading-list.html
#book #books #recommendations #reviews #read #reading #childrensbooks #funbooks
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This summer's reading highlighted leadership lessons from historical figures and the importance of moral courage, adaptability, and vision, emphasizing that effective leadership emerges during crises. #SummerReading #BookReview
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Because 18 Lew Archer novels isn’t enough, I just bought “the complete short stories…”
My buddy, writer MS Harker, and are reading all the Lew Archer books this summer.
ps. Watch for Harker’s *Don’t Shoot the Piano Tuner* (forthcoming, watch for it at http://dontshootthepianotuner.com )
#detectivefiction #readersofmastodon #booksofmadtodon #fiction #noir #lewarcher #rossmacdonald #summerreading
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Only halfway through summer - still time to read some #mayhem!
The 25 Best #Mystery Novels of the Past 25 Years https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/the-25-best-mystery-novels-of-the-past-25-years-31a95999
#read #reading #writinginspiration #entertainment #summerreading
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"Reading Rainbow" Was Created to Combat Summer Reading Slumps
#HackerNews #ReadingRainbow #SummerReading #LiteracyGap #Storytelling
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"any book can be a #beachread as long as you're on a #beach" or think you're on a beach or want to be on a beach - here's how to get there!
NPR's #Books We Love is back for your #summerreading needs https://www.npr.org/2025/07/06/nx-s1-5431507/nprs-books-we-love-is-back-for-your-summer-reading-needs
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‘This Is Not The End’ by John Hartley. Paperback and ebook widely available, 50%off at Smashwords during July.
Soundtrack on Spotify.
#newfiction #summerreading #independent #writingcommunity #Tynemouth #Newcastle #bookstodon #scribesandmakers
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Trying to make some sense of the current moment by reading Isabel Wilkerson's "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents". Finding it informative and mind bending.
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Summer Reading is not just for kids! Thanks to Block Club for writing about all our amazing summer reading programs for adults at Chicago Public Library this summer!
https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/07/08/chicago-public-library-rolls-out-the-summer-reading-program-for-adults-youve-been-dreaming-of/
#summerreading #books #libraries -
The Hackaday Summer Reading List: No AI Involvement, Guaranteed - If you have any empathy at all for those of us in the journalistic profession, hav... - https://hackaday.com/2025/07/07/the-hackaday-summer-reading-list-no-ai-involvement-guaranteed/ #summerreading #featured #interest #reviews #reading #books
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☀️ Summer is a perfect time to reflect on how we treat our planet.
Whether you're on a mountain trail or relaxing at home, sustainability matters.This blog post on eco-friendly conference practices is one of our favourites:
🌿 https://congrex.com/blog/eco-friendly-practices-for-sustainable-conferences/#Sustainability #GreenMeetings #EcoEvents #MindfulTravel #SummerReading
