Summer is a time to sit back, relax and soak up the sun. If by this point in the break you feel like your mind is numb from watching every episode of “The Office” twice, then it might be time to snuggle up with a book. Syracuse University’s English Department is full of critically acclaimed writers and poets. Read these titles before the summer’s end and maybe you can talk about it with the author when fall semester rolls around.

1. “Tenth of December” by George Saunders

 

In his fourth novel, Saunders continues to reach into the deepest and darkest parts of the human psyche. “Tenth of December” is a collection of 10 short stories that will make your jaw hit the ground and your mind run wild. His writing is honest, brutal and accessible. In 2013, The New York Times ran this headline: “George Saunders Has Written the Best Book You’ll Read This Year,” and it could be the best book you read in the summer of 2015.

You can read Pulp’s favorite story “Victory Lap” here.

2. “The Privileges” by Jonathon Dee

 

One of the latest editions to the long list of acclaimed professors teaching in Syracuse University’s MFA Creative Writing program, Jonathan Dee’s Pulitzer Prize finalist novel “The Privileges” is a must read. The novel follows a wealthy couple and their journey of self-discovery. Dee’s quick-witted dialogue and observations on money and class make this an absolute page-turner.

3. “Entire Dilemma: Poems” by Michael Burkard

 

Burkard’s seventh collection of poetry and second published book, “Entire Dilemma: Poems” will hit you with its enormity and its brilliance. His words leave an imprint in your mind, and his rhythmic syllables will pop into your head when you least expect it. The Gettysburg Review recounted, “Burkard’s poems are lit from within, radiant but disturbing. . . . Entire Dilemma exists . . . where complex hope, via poetic creation, defeats simple spiritual estrangement.” The Pulp staff agrees.

Listen to him read his poem “The Eyeglasses” here.

4. “Lit” by Mary Karr

 

The story of Karr’s adulthood, “Lit” tells of a woman who longs for a family but cannot seem to fully shake her demons. Karr reveals her battle against alcoholism — which her mother also suffered from — with humor and shares how faith and writing drew her back to humanity. In just one of many outstanding reviews, Susan Cheever for The New York Times wrote, “Karr has written the best book about being a woman in America I have read in years.” The novel also made it onto Time magazine’s “Top 10 Everything of 2009,” among other major literary “Top 10” lists. “Lit” is a sequel to Karr’s two other memoirs, “The Liar’s Club” and “Cherry,” both of which are highly regarded among critics.

Watch her deliver SU’s 2015 commencement address here.

5. “Encouragement for a Man Falling to His Death” by Christopher Kennedy

 

Kennedy — a Syracuse native and the director of the M.F.A. Program in Creative Writing at SU — puts his emotions on display in his third book of poems, “Encouragement for a Man Falling to His Death.” Not only does Kennedy explore more forms of poetry than in his previous collections, he also delves deeper into his personal psyche. The timing is right for this transition; at the time of publication, Kennedy had just turned fifty, the age his father was when he died. In acknowledgement of Kennedy’s exceptional talent, the collection received the Isabella Gardner Poetry Award in 2007.

Read an example of his prose poetry, “Poem for Shang Qin,” here.

6. “Stone Arabia” by Dana Spiotta

 

A National Book Critics Award for Fiction finalist, Spiotta’s “Stone Arabia” follows the lives of Nik and Denise Kranis — sibilings who struggle to forge their identities despite the fragility of modern society. “Identity — and the very American belief that individuals can invent or reinvent themselves anew here — is the bright thread that runs through the work of the immensely talented novelist Dana Spiotta,” Michiko Kakatuni, the lead fiction reviewer for The New York Times, wrote. “Stone Arabia” was also named a “Notable Book of 2011” by The New York Times and a “Best Book of 2011” by The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times and Newsweek, among others.

Listen to her discuss “Stone Arabia” here.

7. “Devotions” by Bruce Smith

 

Texture is something Bruce Smith preaches to his students, and it shows in his own work. The rhythmic pounding of each line fills the reader’s heart with awe. He is a master of language, bending and re-bending each word to create something truly inspiring. But don’t just take our word for it, he was a National Book Award finalist in 2011 for his incredible book of poems.

Listen to him reading from “Devotions” here.

8. “I See the Promised Land: A Life of Martin Luther King Jr.” by Arthur Flowers

 

Flowers’ collaborated with Guglielmo Rossi and Manu Chitrakar, a Patua scroll artist, on this series of non-fiction graphic novels. The colorful illustrations combined with Flowers’ writing tells the story of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement in a new and vibrant way. Midwest Book Review enthusiastically recommended it, describing the work as “a core addition to any art or biography collection,” and Pulp definitely agrees. 

Watch Flowers perform extracts from his book here. It is truly a performance.

9. “Fading Hearts on the River: A Life in High-Stakes Poker” by Brooks Haxton

 

Other authors on this list have offered Haxton’s work high praise including George Saunders who described this book as, “hugely compelling, kind, witty–an utterly charming & frank voice.” “Fading Hearts on the River” follows the story of Haxton’s son, Isaac who left his undergraduate studies at Brown University for a year in order to pursue a professional poker career. Haxton uses his poetry skills to draw out the tale and explores the similar approaches taken by poets and poker players to logic, abstraction and memory. A must read for any Pulp readers interested in poker or unique father-son relationships.

— compiled by Feature Editor Jacob Gedetsis, Asst. Copy Editor Rachel Gilbert and Asst. Copy Editor Delaney Van Wey

Published on July 13, 2015 at 8:00 pm