Books Will Keep Your Brain Alive During Summer

It seems like just yesterday that we were scraping off our windshields and cursing our radiators for not working in the cold. Those days, for some, have thankfully passed us.

Others, though, dread the impending onslaught of bloodthirsty mosquitoes more persistent than lawyers and horrific sunburns that make up the long, hot summer months.

Yes, it’s summer time again and summer is what you make of it. What you do in the ensuing months is strictly up to your personal fetish. But, instead of standing for two years in line to catch a middling Hollywood move like “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” or watching soaps all day, why don’t you get cracking with a delectably juicy and engrossing read?

There are plenty of books at local bookstores and libraries just waiting to be picked up and envelope you in a world far more enticing, magisterial, quaint and inciting than yours could be in several millenniums.

For those who grew up with the likes of Dick Tracy, Superman, Batman, Han Solo, Flash Gordon, Indiana Jones, and so on, as their heroes and are absolutely fascinated with the notion of discovering the origin of these behemoths of the summer, you’ll find “To Be Continued” an informative read.

Ken Weiss and Ed Goodgold’s history of the 30s, 40s, and 50s movies not only chronicles the plotlines for every matinee serial from Buck Rogers to Rocket Man, it give minute detail for each show. Ultimately, it shows all the Steven Spielbergs and Andrew Davises in show business owe a considerable debt to history.

Another good bet for summer reading is humorist Patrick F. McManus’ outlandish outdoor series, beginning with “Never Sniff a Gift Fish.” The four books will keep you rolling and, depending on how close the material hits home, squirming uncomfortably in your seat.

And for all you film aficionados bent on getting the definitive film reference guide, look no further than Ephraim Katz’s “Film Reference Guide.”

It is endorsed by four-time Oscar winner Katharine Hepburn and is jammed with fascinating tidbits and facts.

Did you know that one of megastar Sylvestor Stallone’s first parts was an unbilled bit in Woody Allen’s comedy “Bananas”?

Without question it’s a must for all those in love with movies or those who just want to learn more about this interesting medium.

So, that’s a smidgen of suggestions for the summer. But surely there still are a few out there who are not yet convinced of the unyielding fun that a savvy read can provide. Just try it. You might be surprised.