Published: June 1, 2012 By

artistic book pages

Celebrate summer by taking some time for yourself and reading a book. To assist in compiling your summer reading list, a handful of professors and alumni who have been featured in the聽Coloradan聽during the past year have shared their favorite books. From heart-stopping thriller novels to modern classics, here鈥檚 what has occupied their nightstands.

Howard Schultz (Comm鈥75), reality TV producer:听鈥淭his may sound a bit crazy, but I would have to say聽A Course in Miracles聽(Foundation for Inner Peace) by Dr. Helen Schuman is my favorite book. I made a commitment to myself not to move ahead in the book until I completely understood what I read. It is a very difficult read, but in the end it had a profound effect upon my life.鈥
Neal Beidleman (MechEngr鈥81), world-class mountaineer: 鈥It鈥檚 an old book many have read, but my favorite book of all time is perhaps聽The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn聽(Dover Publications) by Mark Twain. I read it a long time ago, went back recently and read it again. Awesome.鈥
Professor Lucy Pao, wind energy engineer:听鈥淢y favorite book that I have recently read is聽The Help聽(Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam) by Kathryn Stockett. It is extremely well written and drew me in right from page 1. I wish I could write like that. Despite a really busy semester, I looked forward to reading this book 20-30 minutes every night, even though I probably needed my sleep more!鈥
Phil Lobel (A&S ex鈥79), Hollywood publicist:听鈥淥ne of my most captivating, escapist reads is by Dan Brown. His聽Angels & Demons聽(Pocket Books) was even better than theDaVinci Code聽(Anchor). I couldn鈥檛 put it down, reading into the wee hours of the morning after starting it on the beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. For a work of fiction and foreign intrigue, intertwined with historical facts and Brown鈥檚 creative license, it鈥檚 hard to beat!鈥
Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano:听鈥淚 just finished reading Stephen King鈥檚聽11-22-63: The Novel聽(Scribner) about a young English teacher living today who finds a way to go back in time to prevent the assassination of President Kennedy. It is a great read.鈥
Professor Tin Tin Su, cancer researcher:听鈥Pride and Prejudice聽(Norton Critical Editions) by Jane Austen is my favorite because of Austen鈥檚 wit and because of the timeless issues the book deals with such as snobbery and parents wanting their children to do well.