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What Are Your Summer Reads? Every summer, Weekend Edition Sunday talks to actors, academics, musicians and many others about what they are reading. Hear those conversations, meet our book-hungry guests, and explore their reading lists below.
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Special Series

What Are Your Summer Reads?

Blogger Picks Classic Novels, Modern Short Stories

Max Magee, creator of the literary blog The Millions, talks about his summer reading picks. They include Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow and Pastoralia by George Saunders.

Blogger Picks Classic Novels, Modern Short Stories

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Navajo Poet Turns to Fiction of Her Peers

Luci Tapahonso is a poet and writer, known for her stories of growing up and living on the Navajo Nation in northwest New Mexico. Her summer reads include Yellowcake, by old high school friend Ann Cummins, and Elsie's Business by Lakota writer Frances Washburn .

Navajo Poet Turns to Fiction of Her Peers

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Education Secretary Prefers Summer Escapist Fare

When U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings gets time to read, she likes to escape reality. This summer, the former Texas education lobbyist is reading books that take her from the wilds of North Dakota to ashrams in India and islands in Indonesia.

Education Secretary Prefers Summer Escapist Fare

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A Promising Playwright's Summer Authors

At just 33, playwright Sarah Ruhl has already had her plays produced on the country's most important stages. But she still finds time to read Goodnight Moon. She shares what's on her reading list this summer.

A Promising Playwright's Summer Authors

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Landscapes Join Cast of Literary Characters

Liane Hansen continues her summer reading series with Sidney Kaser, of Denver, Colo. Kaser says as a Westerner, she is drawn to books where the landscape becomes almost a character in the story.

Landscapes Join Cast of Literary Characters

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A Busy Brewmaster's Summer Book Stack

Carol Stoudt, the first female brewmaster in the U.S., oversees Stoudt's Brewing Company in Adamstown, Pa. Frequent travel for work — and inspiration from her family — keeps her reading despite a busy schedule running a microbrewery.

A Busy Brewmaster's Summer Book Stack

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Reading Picks from a Noted Urban Planner

Witold Rybczynski, who is writing a memoir about his immigrant parents, has books evoking the atmosphere of World War II on his summer reading list. Rybczynski, a noted author and critic of urban planning, received the 2007 Vincent Scully Prize for Architecture.

Reading Picks from a Noted Urban Planner

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Summer Books from Utah's Remote Librarian

Eve Tallman, director of the prize-winning Grand County Public Library in Moab, Utah, kicks off our annual summer reading series with a handful of books she's set aside for the season.

Summer Books from Utah's Remote Librarian

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Final Chapter: Listening to Your Suggestions

This summer, we've talked to authors, scientists, performers and others to find out what they've been reading, for work and for fun. We also asked our listeners to tell us what books have kept them up through the night, eager to find out how the story ends.

Final Chapter: Listening to Your Suggestions

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Charles Johnson, Combing the Historical Record

Charles Johnson is a renowned novelist, essayist and writer of short stories. His novel Middle Passage won the 1990 National Book Award. Lately, his own reading has been directed at an upcoming historical work.

Charles Johnson, Combing the Historical Record

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Amanda Vincent, Diving into the World of Words

Dr. Amanda Vincent directs Project Seahorse at the University of British Columbia, conducting research on sustainable use of the world's coastal marine ecosystems. She's this week's summer reader.

Amanda Vincent, Diving into the World of Words

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Philip Connors, Fired Up About Books

Feelance writer Philip Connors doubles as a fire lookout in the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. The job lasts six months a year, and gives him a chance to peruse a fair amount of literature. He offers a few recommendations, including the novel Homeland, a series of updates provided to a high school alum newsletter and one of "the funniest things" he's ever read.

Philip Connors, Fired Up About Books

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Chef Sang Yoon, Cookin' and Bookin'

Before he opened his own place (a bar and restaurant in Santa Monica, Calif., called Father's Office) Sang Yoon served up gourmet cuisine at Michael's. As our series of summer reading chats continues, he reveals a taste for books about eats.

Chef Sang Yoon, Cookin' and Bookin'

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Carolyn Hax's Advice On What To Read

This week's Summer Reader segment calls on Carolyn Hax for her advice on what to read this summer. Hax makes a living off her advice, writing The Washington Post's nationally syndicated column "Tell Me About It."

Carolyn Hax's Advice On What To Read

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Former Treasury Secretary's Summer Reading Picks

John Snow resigned last month as Secretary of the Treasury. As part of our summer reading series, guest host Don Gonyea talks with Snow about what he's reading in his new-found spare time.

Former Treasury Secretary's Summer Reading Picks

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John Davis: 'Bully' for Him, Books for You

Animated film director John Davis is back in theaters this month with The Ant Bully. His cartoon hero, one Lucas Nickle, is a boy cut down to size by a colony of creepy-crawlies. But before Davis made movies he read books. A short list for the younger set.

John Davis: 'Bully' for Him, Books for You

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Books to Make the Most of Her Personal Space

Gabrielle Giffords is having a busy summer. Here on Earth — specifically, in the state of Arizona — the former state senator is a Democrat in a wild six-way congressional primary campaign. Meanwhile, in space, her boyfriend Mark Kelly is piloting the shuttle Discovery.

Books to Make the Most of Her Personal Space

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A Collection of Books for After the Boom

July 4 fireworks and summer books might not seem to have much in common. But Donna Grucci-Butler, president of Fireworks by Grucci, tells what sort of reading she'll be doing when things quiet down a bit.

A Collection of Books for After the Boom

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A Standup Guy Who Is Serious About Books

Leo Allen, a New York comic, challenged himself to read 100 books in a year's time. He's polished off 51 so far, and he seems to be gaining momentum. From science fiction to self-help, Allen offers a summer reading list that spans nearly a century of literature.

A Standup Guy Who Is Serious About Books

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Poetry

Books That Are Just What the Doctor Ordered

As summer officially arrives this week, it's time to think about books to buy, borrow or check out of the library. Dr. Abraham Verghese, director of the Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, offers a brief reading list.

Books That Are Just What the Doctor Ordered

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