CLASSICS BEST FOR FUN SUMMER READING.

Byline: James Bemis Commentary

Summer offers free time for many Ventura County residents and for some that means catching up on their reading. Most summer book lists limit themselves to current best sellers, mindlessly imprisoning themselves in modernity. But who can bear reading another formula snoozer from John Grisham or Stephen King?

Thin gruel, I say. Why not set your sights a little higher and put some meat and potatoes in your reading regimen? Here's my summer book recommendations:

``The Odyssey'' by Homer, translated by Robert Fagles. What! Read Homer for fun? Absolutely. The success of last year's NBC special based on this classic shows how enduring a tale is.

Fagles' translation use modern language and delivers a clear, robust rendition. If you're really ambitious, first read Fagles' translation of ``The Iliad,'' which absolutely crackles with excitement. (Don't be afraid to consult Cliff's Notes for help. Think of them as your tour guides to ancient, fascinating lands.)

``Romeo and Juliet'' and ``Twelfth Night'' by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare is everywhere in bloom: not only are recent versions of the plays available on video but stage productions of Shakespeare play in nearly every local city. For summer fun, though, ``Romeo and Juliet'' and ``Twelfth Night'' can't be beat.

``Twelfth Night'' may be Shakespeare's funniest - and easiest to read - play, including several of his most delightful scenes. ``Romeo and Juliet'' is, of course, timeless with some of the world's greatest poetry. After reading the play, rent the video of the great 1969 Franco Zefferelli film starring Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting. (Skip last years' mindless Leonardo DiCaprio version, unless your teen-ager insists. As a trade-off, make them read the play if you rent the video. You'd be surprised how many kids love it: nobody's hipper than Shakespeare.)

``Canterbury Tales'' by Geoffrey Chaucer. In a way, it's a shame Shakespeare casts such a giant shadow over English literature because he obscures some who are nearly his equal. Chaucer is one. Summer, when so many are on journeys of their own, is the ideal time to read these tales told by travelers on a pilgrimage to Canterbury.

What's so striking about the tales is their great variety - from bawdy comedy to pious sermons and the storytellers' wit and humor. Many today look down upon our medieval ancestors with sanctimonious disdain, but if Chaucer's characters are any indication, their culture had a healthy sanity and balance that lacking in ours - as a visit to your local cinema will readily demonstrate.

``Chronicles of Narnia'' by C.S. Lewis. If there's any justice, Lewis will be recognized as one of the century's best authors and the seven-book ``Chronicles'' are his masterpiece. Perfect for the family summer reading, these books can be enjoyed by every age. Buy one set and keep passing them from family member to family member. You won't regret it.

Exciting battles, narrow escapes, selfless heroism, romance, strange and marvelous characters, the war between good and evil - they're all here. Let the ``Chronicles'' be your entree for his other great works - and find out why Lewis may be the greatest writer of our age.

``The Right Word'' by William F. Buckley, new in paperback. What an unmitigated delight! Here's Buckley at his finest and feistiest, fighting the good fight. A compendium of WFB on words, language, reference books and life in general, reading it is like rediscovering an old, wise and witty friend.

Editor Samuel Vaughan has done a masterful job of culling through mounds of Buckley's columns, books, speeches and editorials to capture Buckley's bon mots, few of which miss the mark. Anyone - left, right, or middle - who loves words will treasure this book. To read it is to remember National Review cruising in its glory years, with the intrepid WFB at the helm; grinning, hair blown back, blue oxford shirt with striped red tie - just the way God intended.