Harvard economist Greg Mankiw has a lot of fans. He has achieved something like guru status with his blog, which was originally started for the students in his introductory economics class.

This summer, Mankiw is dispensing more than just economic wisdom. In a series of three August blog posts, Mankiw opines on leisure activities. Here, as best the Wire can glean from these tantalizing tidbits, dropped from the guru's fingers, is the Mankiw Guide to Summer Fun.

• A Nice Family Game with Reference Materials  "A tip for parents," writes Mankiw on August 13. "May favorite family game: Quiddler." Among its many attractions, "it is a bit educational (bring a dictionary along)."

• Beach Reading: A History of Hedge Funds More Money Than Gold, by Sebastian Mallaby, says Mankiw, "is well written, smart, and balanced. For econonerds, this is a good beach read."

• Vacation: Go to Nantucket and Graph It  The professor jokes about it being "typical ... during this time of year" to go "on a field trip to study the economy of Nantucket." We assumed he was joking until he then embedded a graph of "Nantucket Island Homes, Median & Average Sale Prices through June 30, 2010."

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Heather Horn