A friend recently put a great article from The Chronicle of Higher Education in my mailbox at work. “On the Pleasures (and Utility) of Summer Reading” by Rachel Toor talks about the value of reading for pleasure, which is frequently an occupational casualty for folks like myself who read so much for work (books I like–usually–but books that I’m also supposed to like). Toor lists her “guilty” pleasures and reminds fellow academics that it’s a good thing to have them. One of mine this summer was Tina Fey’s Bossypants, which chronicles her childhood, her early years with Second City, and her shapeshifting experience of becoming Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live. I laughed out loud while reading her chapter on how not to learn the facts of life.
What have been your guilty reads this summer?
I’m listening to Bossypants right now (she reads it). When I’m finished, I may start over.
Thanks for the kind words about my essay.
Rachel Toor
She was great in a “Fresh Air” interview about the book, so I’m sure the audio version has to be good. She writes with a great sense of timing. Thanks for the comment!