BackAs we slowly ease our way into summer, it's time to plan out your reading list, and it is an especially perfect opportunity to read those dense tomes that really draw you into their pages - though we must warn you, these are not exactly breezy reads to enjoy while lazing on the beach. Whether through a clever (and perhaps tricky) use of language, or thought-provoking subject matter, they will stimulate your grey cells even as they keep you turning the pages. Here are 10 challenging reads that can add an extra edge to your summer.
1. Summer World: A Season of Bounty by Bernd Heinrich
Noted biologist and Professor Emeritus at University of Vermont, Bernd Heinrich takes a deeper look at the world of nature, exploring its many different facets and complexities. In Summer World, his focus is on New England over the warmer months, and how the various flora and fauna that inhabit it deal with climbing temperatures. Whether he is discussing wars among different ant colonies or the growth patterns of indigineous plant species, Heinrich approaches it with a sense of curiosity that is infectious and could redefine your own relationship with nature. The companion piece to this is Winter World, which performs a similar examination during the other half of the year.
2. The Mirror & The Light
In her Wolf Hall trilogy, Hillary Mantel has been charting the life of Thomas Cromwell, the chief minister of England’s King Henry VIII and a key figure in the English Reformation during the 16th century. The final part of the trilogy, The Mirror & The Light, spans the final four years of the statesman’s life, up to his execution on the king’s orders. The trilogy masterfully blends historical fact with a healthy dose of fiction to produce a gripping tale of political intrigue.
3. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs
An autobiography written under the pseudonym Linda Brent, this book chronicles the life of Jacobs as a slave in early 19th century America, and how she was able to free herself and her children. The book deals with several emotionally difficult issues, including the realities of life and motherhood in a culture of slavery. While the subject may seem like it would draw controversy at the time, it was critically praised during its publication, and spearheaded a literary movement that gave African-American writers a stronger voice.
4. The Resisters by Gish Jen
Released earlier this year, The Resisters looks at a fictional version of America in the not-too-distant future where class and racial divides have created a neatly (and rather uncomfortably) divided society. In this vision of the future, nearly every job is automated and a terrifying amalgamation of the internet and artificial intelligence controls all technology and nearly every aspect of everyday life. The story centers on a family of Surplus (the name given to the ‘have nots’ of society) who have a daughter with a particular gift for baseball. Sport is one of the few endeavours that cannot really be automated, and thus an Olympic-level baseball game becomes the setting of the climax, showcasing human spirit and will in a technological world.
5. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Though it is often associated with the practice of yoga and Eastern cultures, the word meditation has its roots in Latin, and refers to the act of contemplation or thinking to oneself. In this case, it refers to the personal thoughts of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, originally written across 12 books and later collected together into one volume. The books were never intended to be published for a wide audience and thus, are not written in a typical ‘literary’ style. There is no formality or sense of regality that one would expect from the writings of royalty - they are simply the innermost thoughts of a man about his life and about his place in a larger world, making them relatable on some level to everyone.
