Mark, by Mark

Mark Twain is one of several authors who is a contender to have written The Great American Novel (in this case, it being his book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn).  Now, I've read Huck Finn more than enough times, both for school and for personal interest, so instead of reading it for Summer Reading, I thought it might be fun to read a little bit about Mark Twain.  So, I'm starting with two books by Twain scholar Mark Dawidziak (he kinda looks a little like Twain, too!)

Starting with Mark Twain in Ohio, we have a fascinating romp of Twain's adventures through the Buckeye State.  The first section was a bit of a roadmap of where he went, who he stayed with, touring companions, and where he gave his lectures.  It might come across as a little dry to someone who is not a fan of Twain, but then again, why would you be reading this book if you didn't like Twain at least a little?

The second part of the book is where it really shines.  Dawidziak shares a couple of scripts from Twain's lectures.  Since he changed the content of each speech from location to location, there's not one fool-proof script, but the book does a great job of compiling one from transcripts and notes.

The second book, Mark Twain's Guide to Diet, Exercise, Beauty, Fashion, Investment, Romance, Health, and Happiness was also extremely amusing.  The whole book consists of quotes on various topics, but Twain is so witty you don't mind reading what is essentially a glorified quote book.  I found a lot of great material here, and it only whet my appetite for more Twain.

Dawidziak has written more on Twain so I'll definitely have to check out his other books.  If you want to check out his website, you can find it here.  There are links to all his books included.

States Visited: Ohio

The Accidental Honeymoon

Our next stop on the all-American road trip is Maryland with David Potter's book, An Accidental Honeymoon.

I'll be honest, dear readers, that I picked this one up strictly because I needed a story set in Maryland for my summer reading challenge.  I really knew nothing about it (the state or the book, although my aunt and uncle lived there for a while).  But, the book was short and free on Project Gutenberg, so why the heck not?

This little romance novel follows Tom, a man of some little fame, who goes to visit some of his friends in Maryland.  There, he meets a lovely young woman named Betty, after she slips and twists her ankle while playing in the river.  Tom attempts to be coy, refusing to reveal his real name, and despite the secrets, the two strike up a charming friendship.

Mysteries abound, however, in this brief tale, as other characters hint at something—or someone—of note at the farmhouse where Betty is staying.  And everything comes to a head when Tom and Betty take a boating trip, and get caught in a horrible storm.

It's really hard to say much without giving away the brief plot, so I'm going to stop here.  But, I recommend you check this one out.  It's nothing crazy, but I enjoyed it.

Find online: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46195

States visited: Maryland

Spooky S.E. Schlosser

Among the stack of books my librarians have given me were several by folklorist S.E. Schlosser.  For this blog post, I selected just a handful of them:

• Spooky New England
• Spooky Michigan
• Spooky Great Lakes

and decided to have a bit of fun.  The collections were pretty solid-- scary stories retold in a more conversational style that draws them out and makes them feel more like short stories than folktales.  While I generally prefer my folklore to sound like someone's reciting it aloud, I liked Schlosser's writing style and found the stories to be both chilling and engaging.  There were a few overlapping tales between the three collections, with Spooky Great Lakes having stories that I had read in one or the other of the collections on this list, but I didn't feel that it ruined my reading experience in any way.

As an added bonus, with just three books, we were able to visit 14 states!  We're well on our way to completing the map!

There are more in the series (lots more) and I can see myself jumping back into these chilling tales later in the summer if time allows.  For now, though, I want to direct y'all to the author's website, in case you wanted to learn more.

States Visited: Michigan, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania

Fifty Nifty States

I've decided to add another layer to this year's Summer Reading Challenge to keep things fun and interesting.  Since this is Road Trip Americana, why not use a map to keep track of which states we've "visited" on our trip?

To do this, I'll add in which states were visited at the bottom of each blog post.  And for a  state to count, there has to be at least a little detail about it.  So, for example, if a character spends a night in Ohio, that's fine.  But, if the whole thing amounts to: "We travelled through Pennsylvania and Ohio on our way to Michigan" then we won't count those states because at most, they only got one shared line.

We've already got a few states to start with.  Our summer preview on Stephen Vincent Benet included New Hampshire, New York, and Washington D.C.

I'll share the completed list at the end, and we can see how many of the 50 states were actually visited.  I'm hoping to hit about half of them.

If you're reading along with this challenge, feel free to do the same.  Print yourself a map, color in the states as you read them, and see if you can beat my road trip record!  Here's the one I'm using.

The Adventures of Daniel Webster

 

Summer reading 2026 starts on May 1st.  But, I've never been good at waiting, so I decided that the best way to entertain myself would be to pick up a temporary read to bridge the gap until Ahmed and Kilbronson brought me my books.  Enter one of my favorite short stories of all time: "The Devil and Daniel Webster," by Stephen Vincent Benet.

This chilling tale tells of Jabez Stone, a farmer plagued by luck so rotten that in a moment of desperation, he makes a deal with the devil in return for seven years of prosperity.  He gets what he asked for, but of course, soon enough, Old Scratch comes to claim what is his.  So, Stone does the only thing that he can think of: he hires the best lawyer in the country to save his soul.

This story is endlessly entertaining, the high stakes keep a strong thread of tension throughout the story, and Benet's writing crafts scenes that are atmospheric and utterly chilling.  While there are plenty of horror stories out there that can scare and disgust, this is one of the few stories that I can read again and again and it still makes my blood run cold in my veins in a way that no other tales seem to capture.

Of course, "Daniel Webster" makes for a great appetizer to this year's Summer Reading Challenge, as Webster is presented as a good old American hero, with "eyes like burning anthracite".  Just sample this quote from early in the story:

They said, when he stood up to speak, stars and stripes came right out in the sky, and once he spoke against a river and made it sink into the ground.  They said, when he walked the woods with his fishing rod, Killall, the trout would jump out of the streams right into his pockets, for they knew it was no use putting up a fight against him; and, when he argued a case, he could turn on the harps of the blessed and the shaking of the earth underground.  That was the kind of man he was...

In reality, Webster's legacy ended up somewhat tarnished by the end, but I would argue that everything he said and did was out of a deep love for his country.

Now, the copy of the book that I read also included two other stories: "By the Waters of Babylon" and "Johnny Pye and the Fool Killer."  The first is about a young man from a tribal culture who goes to the "Place of the Gods" even though it is forbidden, in order to seek knowledge.  And "Johnny Pye" is the story of a young man who is on the run from an imagined threat called The Fool Killer, who he believes is coming for him.  The story is bittersweet and surprisingly poignant, sitting with you long after you finish reading.  While I'd consider "Babylon" the weakest story in the set, I'd also argue that all three are worth checking out.

Finally, I decided to wrap up this pre-summer reading session with a little-known "Daniel Webster" sequel: "Daniel Webster and the Sea Serpent".  It's okay if you think I'm making this up.  I thought it was made-up when I first heard about it, too.  But, this story is a silly tale of a fateful fishing trip where Webster hooks a sea monster.  Definitely not nearly as serious as the first tale, but a fun one if you enjoy Benet's writing.

I think we'll wrap up our post here.  Below, you'll find links to all four stories.  And I hope you'll join me for the Summer Reading adventures in Road Trip Americana!

Check These Out:

• The Devil and Daniel Webster
• By the Waters of Babylon
• Johnny Pye and the Fool Killer
• Daniel Webster and the Sea Serpent

Summer Reading 2026

"Gentlemen!" I announce, walking into the library, "I've decided on my Summer Reading 2026 theme!"

My personal librarians turn around a little too quickly.  Ahmed drops the stack of botany books he's holding and a choking sound escapes Kilbronson's lips.  "You have?"

I'm as pleased as a prized heifer.  "Yes!  This year, in honor of America's 250th, we're doing to do Road Trip Americana!"

"And that means...?"

"That we're going on a road trip!"

"Wait...didn't we do Americana a few years ago?"

"Yeees...." I concede.  But, this time, we're going to do it bigger and we're going to do it again!  Besides,  2024 was more of a focus on tall tales and such.  This time, we're going to take a road trip of America, and we're going to pick up books and read folktales and learn about all the important sites and people and historical information and--"

Kilbronson holds up his hand.  "And last time, I went off to collect books for you all over the country and it didn't go as planned.  So, perhaps we should just stay put?"

I sigh.  "We'll workshop it.  But, for now, your assignment is to find me a list of some great books in various locations that we can go and visit.  I want to learn about everything.  Whaling in New England, cowboys out West, all the presidents, cryptids, everything."  I turn on my heel and walk out into the hallway.  "Gentlemen," I call back over my shoulder, "we start in May.  You have a few weeks to get me prepped.  I can't wait to see what you come up with!"

And I can hear them sigh as the door closes behind me.

Summer Reading 2025

Every year it's the same... I come up with a reading theme for the summer, read about five to ten books, and then forget about the topic and forget about posting my progress online.  So, this year, we're trying something different.  This year, I'm just focusing on ONE BOOK.  This year, we're reading Moby-Dick (again).  I've read it a couple of times before, and I've read pieces of it many more times than that.  This time, however, we're just going to read and worry about Moby-Dick.  It's going to be fun!