Here's my latest article for my hometown newspaper - some suggestions for summer reading:
10 Books for
Summer Reading
Some summer days are warm and sunny and others are
cool and rainy, but all summer days are perfect for reading. Here are some suggestions for books to take
to your favourite reading spot.
A
Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles is a perfect read for our times when
terms like ‘social distancing’ and ‘self-isolation’ are part of everyone’s
vocabulary. Count Alexander Rostov is
given a life sentence of house arrest:
he will be killed if he ever leaves the confines of Moscow’s Metropol
Hotel. The novel spans 32 years during
which Rostov makes his whole world out of the hotel and the people in it. At the end, you’ll wish you could meet this
gentleman.
To people whose books of choice are mysteries, I’d
recommend How a Woman Becomes a Lake by Marjorie Celona, an
American-Canadian writer who appropriately sets the story “in a small fishing town
a stone’s throw from Canada.” Leo Lucchi
takes his sons for a walk in the woods where, shortly after calling the police
about finding a young boy, Vera Gusev goes missing. Do Leo and the boys know something about
Vera’s disappearance or is her husband responsible? For the reader, there’s a mystery to solve
and a question to answer: What would you
do in a similar situation?
Readers who prefer romances might consider Broken
Man on a Halifax Pier by Lesley Choyce.
This is a love story about two middle-aged people, each of whom comes
with baggage. Though not entirely
light-hearted, there is humour. From
the beginning, you’ll be humming Stan Rogers’ “Barrett’s Privateers” and tasting
the salt of the Atlantic.
If you like historical fiction, Days without End by
Sebastian Barry is a must-read. The
famine in Ireland motivates Thomas McNulty to immigrate to the U.S. where he meets
John Cole. The two become saloon
entertainers before fighting in the Indian Wars and the Civil War. They also adopt a Sioux orphan whom they name
Winona. The novel is action-packed but
is also a story about friendship and love.
Recently, a sequel was released: A
Thousand Moons. Winona is the
focus of this follow-up. She lives on a
hardscrabble farm with her makeshift family which includes Thomas, John, an
army buddy, and two freed slaves. Winona’s
life changes dramatically when she is attacked.
If family sagas appeal to you, you can’t go wrong
with The
Dutch House by Ann Patchett. It
focuses on two siblings who cannot forget their childhoods in the grandiose
mansion from which they are evicted by their evil stepmother. The once-wealthy brother and sister are
thrown into poverty and have only each other.
Their bond saves them but impedes their moving forward. Another family saga worth reading is The
Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames. An unnamed family member tells the story of
two sisters before and after they emigrate from Italy to the U.S. A rift develops between the two sisters who
were once inseparable, and the family member sets out to unravel the reasons
for their estrangement.
Those who like books with thematic depth should try Disappearing
Earth by Julia Phillips. It
begins with the abduction of two young girls on Russia’s remote Kamchatka
Peninsula. In 12 interconnected stories,
we learn how this abduction impacts the lives of other women and how so much attention
is given to finding the girls, as opposed to the virtually non-existent search
for an Indigenous girl who went missing four years earlier. It
brings to mind the plight of Canada’s missing and murdered Indigenous women. Another serious book is The Nickel Boys by Colson
Whitehead. It is a timely read because
it addresses the mistreatment blacks receive from police and the criminal
justice system. Two boys are sentenced
to a juvenile reformatory where they are subjected to brutal punishments. The book is based on documented occurrences
in a real Florida reform school.
One final recommendation: Love by Roddy Doyle. Just
released (June 23), it can be summarized as a pub crawl by two middle-aged
Irishmen. Two friends reunite after 40
years and revisit old haunts and discuss their lives. It’s a challenging read because of meandering
dialogue with unconventional formatting, but it’s full of humour and (some
rather drunken) meditations on love.
Whether in the backyard, at the cottage, on
the beach, or in a boat in the middle of a lake, may you have many hours of
enjoyable reading.
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