Every summer

a number of publications put together their "What's Hot This Summer"

columns. I'd like to jump on that bandwagon, mainly because I'm a day

away from going on vacation and I want this to be quick and easy.

Great reads

I am an avid

reader and I have read some great books this summer, aside from the new

Harry Potter book, which was terrific.

The first book

that I would like to recommend is "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer.

It is a nonfiction book about a graduate from Emory University named Chris

McCandless, who gave up all of his material possessions, traveled around

the country like a hobo for a period of time and then moved to Alaska

to live off the land. McCandless died in Alaska and Krakauer examines

not only why he died but also why he did what he did. It was a fascinating

and quick read and I'd like to thank Robert Burch for lending it to me.

Other books

I have enjoyed recently have been "A Thousand Country Roads,"

which is the sequel to "The Bridges of Madison County" by Robert

James Waller; "Miss Wyoming" by Douglas Coupland, which deals

with a former actress and a successful movie executive caught up in finding

themselves; and "My Losing Season" by Pat Conroy, which focuses

on the end of his basketball career and the beginning of his writing career.

I also urge

everyone to pick up Stephen King's "The Gunslinger" and get

into The Dark Tower series. He is about to release the long-awaited fifth

installment and the last two books of the series (and, supposedly, of

his career) are close behind. They are not typical King books and are

like a mix of fantasy, westerns and science fiction all rolled together.

Fans of King will also realize that nearly every book and short story

he has written ties into this series in one way or another.

Cool movies

Summer movie

season is one of the best things about the summer and there have been

a lot of big movies to come out this summer.

The best movie

I have seen so far has been "Finding Nemo," which has a great

sense of humor, incredible visuals and a wonderful story. "28 Days

Later" was also a nice surprise. Low-budget horror movies rarely

resonate on the level that this film did. I found myself clenching my

knuckles during several intense scenes and I really enjoyed the way the

zombie genre was reinvented by director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland.

Other funs

films I've seen this summer include "The Matrix Reloaded," "X2:X-Men

United," and "Pirates of the Caribbean."

I'm still looking

forward to these movies, which will be out soon: "Spy Kids 3D: Game

Over," "American Wedding," "Envy," and "Jason

vs. Freddy."

Tubein'

Last summer

I gave up television; this summer, not so much. I don't watch a lot of

T.V. but I do watch a few summer shows religiously.

Sabine and

I are hooked on "Paradise Hotel," which has to be the smuttiest

show full of the shallowest people on the face of the planet. I love it.

I sit there twice a week and yell at how awful and stupid the people are.

I also really

like Dr. Phil, who tells it like it is and is quite entertaining; "The

New Tom Green Show"; and "Crime and Punishment," the real

"Law and Order." I am looking forward to "Reno 911,"

which debuts on Comedy Central next Wednesday and features a few people

from the now defunct comedy troupe "The State."

Summer sounds

I have been

making a lot of mix CDs to listen to on the deck this summer. For the

most part, they are all really mellow. I recommend Jack Johnson's new

album "On and On," Evan Dando's "Baby, I'm Bored,"

and a relatively new artist, Gemma Hayes. For more upbeat music, I recommend

Guster, 311 and The White Stripes.

Also, keep

your ears open for the new Outkast album, due out in August. It is a double

CD and features a lot of cool guests and funky, funky sounds.

So, there you

go. If you were stuck for things to pick up and read, watch or listen

to, I hope this helped.

I'll holler

at you when I get back from vacation.

Peace. I'm

outta here.

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