Circle of Trust Summer Favorites!
Why do we read more in the summer?
Maybe because we take long trips that are conducive to long reads. Maybe because we lie in the sun (for short stretches) and the shade for hours. One thing I know: this is the season when we recommend a wider range of books to each other and we read them with the special joy that “summer reading” adds to the prospect of settling in with a friend’s favorites.
I recently read Desert Queen by Janet Wallach. It is the story of Gertrude Bell an educated English woman, who was one of the first to strike out on her own into the mysterious Middle East. She was a contemporary of Lawrence of Arabia and was, we learn in this book, the brains behind his adventures. It is striking to see how much women’s live have changed since the 1900s and how little has changed in the Middle East.
Here are some of the books my friends are enjoying:
From Patricia Bauman…
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is the best-seller that it deserves to be. Combining science, bioethics, family history, the urban African-American migration and much more, the author tells a fascinating and moving story. Her emotional relationship with Henrietta’s daughter properly pushes the boundaries of journalistic detachment and gives real life to the tale.
For history buffs, FDR and GRANT, both by Jean Edward Smith, are wonderful biographies that read like page-turners. I particularly enjoyed the book about Grant, his evolution on race and his championship of Reconstruction. Much of this was new to me.
I am also reading Kirstin Downey’s The Woman Behind the New Deal about Frances Perkins.
From Joanne Edgar…
Right now, I’m enjoying Little Bee by Chris Cleave.
From Elizabeth Ely…
I loved Little Bee. I recently read Infinities by John Banville, spectacular. Just Kids by Patti Smith about her relationship with the young Robert Mapplethorpe is thoroughly lovely. Also, re-reading lots of Henry James. I started with his short stories, then The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove, and The Europeans.
From Amy Ferris…
Free Fall by Rae Padilla Francoueur – a memoir that’s honest and raw and erotic. It’s about letting go – of shame, of the past, moving forward, finding real true deep sexy love.
Life’s that Way by Jim Beaver – a memoir about just about everything. Cowboys and Wills, A Love Story by Monica Holloway – cowboy is a girl, wills is a boy – they’re both blonds, a little boy with autism, a dog with great passion, two very best friends, gorgeous, stunningly written book. Monica Holloway blows me away. Letters to Our Daughters, Kristine Van Raden & Molly Davis – perfect. Simply, heartbreakingly perfect. For everyone and anyone. I laughed. I cried. The Other Woman, by Victoria Zackheim – a fabulous anthology all about love, sex and betrayal. Pitch perfect essays!
From Stephanie Weiss –
I loved The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver. I also think Olive Kitteridge and Let the Great World Spin are two of the best books I’ve read in the past 10 years – both are short-story collections with overlapping characters and themes. Also, re-read Catcher in the Rye a few months ago, and it was so much better than I remembered!
Also on my list: Little Bee, Ann Tyler’s new book, Indignation by Phillip Roth. Was thinking of re-reading Anne of Green Gables and Huck Finn.
From Ruth A. Wooden –
I loved The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver from years ago. Also, Wolf Hall was good IF you have days to stay with it. Too many characters named Thomas and Katherine. Shriver’s A Perfectly Good Family was Hilarious. I will read her new one at the Vineyard. I am also going to try to reread The French Lieutenant’s Woman.
Visit your local book store or www.amazon.com and please add your summer favorite books below.