Any suggestions would be more than welcome!

Rationale as to why they are good reads would be helpful as well.

Bump - I would like to know myself to get started.

Suggestion: Any book you've wanted to read for your own pleasure, but haven't read yet.

Rationale: You will not have much time to read such books in law school.

http://www.law.virginia.edu/html/prospe ... eading.htm

A page of suggestions from UVA faculty on what to read.

Getting to Maybe: How to Excel on Law School Exams
xeoh85 mentions it on this thread: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=36635

These will definitely be on my 0L summer reading list....

The Trial by Kafka

Bleak House by Dickens

I just finished Lawyer Boy - a funny memoir about 1L year. It was light and entertaining and goes into some detail about 1L year.

I've also had many people suggest Getting to Maybe. I plan on checking it out.

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I think this is in general the best advice. I read Getting to Maybe before starting school, but I found it unhelpful, mainly because I had no idea of how it would work, since I didn't know anything about my law courses. I ended up skimming it this month, and it made much more sense, now that I know (to some extent) the major/minority rules and policy issues.

The one thing I would recommend, if you were like me and nervous about school: Example and Explanation Series. I read two of them before school started, and I do think it helped for two reasons: 1) it eased my nerves, and 2) I think that having a broad overview of the course helped put things in perspective.

I also read Law School Confidential and recommend it with some caution. I used the five-color highlighter b/c the book recommended it, but I ended up abandoning it b/c I realized it didn't help me learn and ended up being a waste of time. I think this board helped me out more than that book. (!) Don't adopt something someone tells you blindly; what works for one person may not work for you.

Law School Confidential.

Not a book... but I would suggest reading that ^ thread.

Read:
Martindale and NALP. Spend time researching firms/organizations you'd be interested in working for over the 1L summer, and develop a database of contact information. Also learn how to write an effective cover letter and resume suitable for legal employers.

Rationale:
Much needed study-time won't be used for this purpose at the close of the fall semester, and you won't be spinning your wheels working to understand legal doctrines your professor is uninterested in by blindly groping in hornbooks and E & E's.

Great Thread. I've always wanted recommendations on good books for pre 1L, props to OP

Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson.

I read law school confidential and found it helpful. I use the five-color highlighting technique and I find it works for me. I think it just depends on what type of learner you are. It helps me spot the relevant facts, issues, rules and rationale. I also pretty much followed his study/outlining routine. We will see how much that helps after exams but for right now I feel pretty comfortable since my outlines are pretty up to date and I have classmates who just started outlining.

Definitely Law School Confidential, Planet Law School II was also good, it gave me a lot of good information, although its suggestions are really intense. I'd also look at Guerrilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams.

I found this thread from '06 that has a ton of links to good books
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2038

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (Tucker Max)

My Civ Pro prof recommended "A Civil Action" by Jonathan Harr, it goes through all the phases of a trial in suspenseful, page-turning fashion...or you could just watch the movie.

We had to read it for Civ Pro for the reason stated. The movie isn't as helpful.

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YEs, the advice above is really credited. I'm about to start the whole mail merge process right now. It SUCKS to have to do it right now.

I strongly suggest reading the Examples and Explanations series if you know exactly which courses you will be taking. If you do this, and anything confuses you, just move in--you just want to get a general understanding and you can save the complicated stuff for later, and your professor may not even touch on that issue.

It would definitely help to read the E&Es if you are that serious about spending time before LS starts. Most people here will recommend that you don't but it will definitely make the first few months of LS easier. Having a basic grasp of the ideas and concepts when you enter law school will make the material much easier to understand and having the basics down will make it easier for you to pick up on the more intricate details you discuss in class. Just understand that what the prof says trumps what the books say, but reading the E&Es certainly can't hurt.