Have you grown accustomed to staring at your computer screen
this summer? It is, after all, where you get all of your news, information, pictures of what
your friends ate last night under an Instagram filter.
But have you been so tied
down to your computer that you've forgotten the wonderment of books? No, not whatever
you're reading on your Kindle but honest-to-God books? Those things where, back in the day, if you read enough of them in a given month, your school threw you a pizza
party?
They say art imitates life, and life in Miami is certainly stranger than fiction. So if you're fed up reading about all the real-life action taking place in the outside world, curl up in your air-conditioning and crack open a book or two. We're not prepared
to send you a free pie, but we do have some reading suggestions for the news-savvy consumer, perfect for your summer reading list.
Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors
Tired of all
those whack "cannibals in Miami" jokes? We know we are. So brush up on the
horrific events of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 as chronicled by Paul Read.
Sure, it came out in 1974, so it's not exactly current news. But it'll be the perfect rebuttal for every time some
smart-alec insists that there's something about the heat in Florida that's
causing everyone to lose their mind; you can cite the fact that it happens in
cold climates too. Plus it makes the crippling summer heat not seem so bad in
retrospect.
Show Time
We're all still trying to ride that sweet, sweet
high of the Miami Heat's NBA Championship victory, but it's so tough when the
next game is months away. What to do while waiting for the Heat to continue
their league-wide dominance? Settle down with Mr. Pat Riley's tome of leading
the Lakers to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances. OK, maybe reading a book
about the Lakers' isn't ideal, but until Spolestra writes a book of his own,
it's all you got. Besides, now you can argue over which member of the heat is
more like Kareem and which is more like Magic.
Freedom
People who read Literature, and yes we mean Literature
with a capital L, can go on for days about how great Jonathan Franzen is. And
maybe you've checked out The Corrections at the library only to return it weeks
later unread when you just had to get those Breaking Bad DVDs. Well, you now
have the entire summer to work your way through his latest, which we assure you
is very good. Well, we can't assure you as we haven't read it either, but
friends of ours, very smart friends, tell us it's fantastic. Also: Oprah.
Three Delays
"Love is a dog from hell," as any extremely
angry young man that's also read Charles Bukowski (they are usually also Ron
Paul supporters) can tell you. But does 50 Shades of Grey just not get it done
for you with regards to sex and romance? Check out Charlie Smith's newest
novel, which is also largely set in South Florida, to get the full experience of
just how high and low being "star-crossed lovers" can be. Beautifully written,
this is one tragic romance you don't have to be shy about reading.
The Dictionary
Is your teen refusing to go outside at all
this summer, instead sitting on Twitter for hours at a time sending
questionable pictures to the guys from One Republic? Have all of those hours
spent helping him with his English homework been tossed out the window as he punctuates every single sentence with a shriek of "YOLO"? Do what you have to
do: Sit his ass down and refuse to let him near anything digital until he reads fifty pages of the dictionary. No, really. The dictionary. And don't go easy on them by letting read
that Webster's crap. Go traditional, O.E.D. style. They will thank you for it
later. Or they'll go to college and graduate with a communications degree. Either way.
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