By Michael Stelzer Jocks, History Faculty.
Last week, I wrote a Turtle post calling for a ‘Beach Read Revolution’. In that blog, I made the contention that “beach reads” should not be fluffy, forgettable works, but instead entertaining contributions to literature that make the reader ponder life and humanity. Naturally, I thought we should follow this call for revolution up with some Turtle beach read ideas. Hence, each day this week, the Flâneur’s Turtle ‘Hall of Fame’ bloggers will be providing their own personal beach read lists.
For my list, I would like to point out that I am going about this in an unorthodox way. Most beach read lists are made up of books that have already been read. Mine will center on books that I plan to read this summer. You, dear reader, will also notice that my revolutionary beach read list has a theme as each book is either a family chronicle, or a series. So, without further ado, here we go:
- The Family Moskat by Isaac Bashevis Singer – I have been wanting to read something by Singer for a couple years, and this is his novel that intrigues me the most. It is the story of a Eastern European Jewish family
living in Warsaw during the 19th and early 20th century. I am fascinated by the Eastern European Jewish experience during the modern era, and Singer was a novelist who powerfully explored that experience. I am excited to start this one. 
The Sea of Fertility by Yukio Mishima – The Sea of Fertility is a cycle of four novels (Spring Snow, Runaway Horses, The Temple of Dawn, and The Decay of the Angel), centered on the changing world of Japanese society from the early twentieth century to the post-Second World War occupation. I read Mishima for an undergrad class years ago, and instantly was taken by his powerful, yet beautiful style. Though I don’t agree with his political outlook, his poetic language is second to none.- The Red Wheel Cycle by Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn – I believe there are four novels in this cycle, but only two have been translated into English; August 1914, and November 1916. Both
books investigate the Russian experience during the First World War, and the Russian Revolution of 1917. I am going to give Solzhenitsyn a second chance this summer. In undergrad, I read his famous work One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and was underwhelmed. With a better understanding of Russian history today, I think I will now appreciate his work. 
The Balkan Trilogy by Olivia Manning – I will admit, I know nothing about Olivia Manning or her novels. I just stumbled upon these recently, and I was intrigued. The trilogy is the tale of a family living in Bucharest during the beginnings of World War II. I find the mid-twentieth century history of Central and Eastern Europe enthralling; I have come to appreciate that this history has greatly shaped the world we live in today. So, why not give this classic series a try?
Well, that should keep me busy for the summer months. Perhaps in September I will revisit these books with reviews for you, dear readers. Perhaps. Now, off to the beach with I. B. Singer!
The Flâneur's Turtle 