By Ann Connery Frantz
Once upon a time, families hauled a box of books to beloved
vacation spots, adding them to shelves stuffed with books from earlier years. Now,
there's no hard lifting. If you want, devour Dostoyevsky on an e-reader or pick
up an audio book—great while traveling and at the beach, since your eyes can
focus on what's imperative, or just pretty, while you listen. Many prefer paperbacks,
rather than ruin a hardcover with oil, water and wine.
This list includes books available in several
genres, unless very new. No romance novels here; if you like them, you know how
to find them. Other mysteries were discussed in a May 28 column.
Audio for the
trip:
"You
Don't Look Your Age and Other Fairytales"—an audio collection of funny
insights read by wonderful readers: Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, Alan
Alda, Glenn Close, Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Bates, Edie Falco, RuPaul, and more. Count
on funny and feeling.
"Into
the Water," Paula Hawkins—Multiple readers (a hopeful sign of listening
quality) narrate a mystery, involving victims of drowning, or murder. Hawkins
wrote "The Girl on the Train."
Dennis
Lehane's "Since We Fell"—It's 12 hours long, but intriguing, complex,
character rich, the story of a young journalist whose breakdown changes her
life. She becomes a recluse until a chance encounter with dangerous deception. Also
in hardcover.
On arrival
First,
fiction:
From Sweden—"A Man Called Ove,"
"Britt-Marie Was Here" and "My Grandmother Asked me to Tell you
She's Sorry." Fredrick Bachman's amusing and uniquely touching novels of
grief and recovery, guilt and reaching out. Quick, rewarding reads.
"Ordinary Grace," William Kent Krueger—Beautifully written, although not his latest ("Sulphur Springs," hardback). Mystery: "All the dying that summer began with the death of a child, a boy with golden hair and thick glasses, killed on the railroad tracks outside New Bremen, Minnesota, sliced into pieces by a thousand tons of steel speeding across the prairie toward South Dakota."
"Ordinary Grace," William Kent Krueger—Beautifully written, although not his latest ("Sulphur Springs," hardback). Mystery: "All the dying that summer began with the death of a child, a boy with golden hair and thick glasses, killed on the railroad tracks outside New Bremen, Minnesota, sliced into pieces by a thousand tons of steel speeding across the prairie toward South Dakota."
"Underground
Airlines"—Ben H. Winters presents an alternate history, in
which slavery did not end after the Civil War, but continued to the present day
in four southern states.
"The Nest," Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney—A common
inheritance plummets siblings into funny, dysfunctional dealings. The Plumbs are
the best and worst of us, twisting family ties into disappointment, jealousy
and loss.
"Everybody's Fool"—Richard Russo brings
back the unique townspeople of North Bath, N.Y., in a sequel to "Nobody's
Fool." Loved it.
"The Fifth Petal"—Brunonia Barry of Salem presents
a taut mystery set in the north shore town. Loved her previous novels—"The
Lace Reader,""The Map of True Places"—and expect the same mystery
and enjoyment.
"Lilac Girls"—Martha Hall Kelly
interweaves the lives of three women altered by World War II, the Nazis and
resistance. Every book about that war reveals some new, often shocking detail,
about cruelty and kindness. This one is readable, moving and memorable.
"The Widow's House," Carol Goodman—now in
paperback, and a creepy read: a contemporary Gothic about a couple who leave
Brooklyn for caretaker positions at Riven House, in a small Hudson Valley town.
"The Stars are Fire," by Anita
Shreve—Based on actual 1947 forest fires that raged along Maine's coast, Shreve
writes of a woman left with nothing but her tiny daughters after a night spent
in the water. She faces an uncertain—and far more challenging—future, learning
to recreate herself after tragedy.
"American Gods"—Neil Gaiman's novel has
hit the TV screen. It is a unique story—for Gaiman fans. Suspend your sense of
reality and gravitate into fantasy, a world in which Shadow, an ex-con, finds
himself wedged in a conflict between the gods of antiquity and avatars of
contemporary America's faith in industry, wealth, and celebrity.
"The Girl in the Spider's Web"—Lizbeth
lives. David Lagercrantz picks up where the late Stieg Larsson left off in his
Lizbeth Salander series. Lizbeth, the girl with the dragon tattoo, and editor
Mikael Blomkvist inhabit a plot rooted in the underworld of government bad-boys
and cyberspies.
"Commonwealth"—Ann Patchett examines the
dissolution of two families after a flirtation turns to a kiss at a christening
party. The resulting upheaval becomes fodder for a writer who steals the family
story and puts it into a book. Wit, mortality, faithfulness, ethics.
"American War," Omar El Akkad—Dystopian
America during its second civil war, a novel written by an accomplished
journalist.
"Everyone Brave is Forgiven"—Chris Cleave's
"Little Bee" is memorable. This one is in paperback and audiobook.
It's about three people during World War II, depicting the war's impact on
soldiers and those who remain behind in a war.
For moms—"Confessions of a Domestic
Failure." Bunmi Laditan brings it all up: the early mornings, the humor
and the myriad ways to fail.
Nonfiction:
"Born a Crime," by Trevor Noah—Comedy Central’s "The Daily Show" host describes a turbulent childhood in apartheid South Africa with wit and wistfulness.
"Born a Crime," by Trevor Noah—Comedy Central’s "The Daily Show" host describes a turbulent childhood in apartheid South Africa with wit and wistfulness.
"You Don't Have to Say You Love
Me"—Sherman Alexie won me as a fan with "The Absolutely True Diary of
a Part-time Indian." Now, he confronts a harrowing reservation upbringing,
thanks to a bipolar, emotionally screwed-up mother.
"X"— Journalist and cultural observer
Chuck Klosterman talked with Tim Tebow, Kobe Bryant, Taylor Swift and Miley
Cyrus, Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen, others. Inspired interviews and essays about
living in the 21st century by a writer curious about the people and times. Don't
miss "And What if We're Wrong?" for a view of today's cultural
absurdity as it may be remembered tomorrow.
"The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck"—A
self-help book for summer learners. Mark Manson guides the way to real
happiness, despite the past year. His lead: "Charles Bukowski was an
alcoholic, a womanizer, a chronic gambler, a lout, a cheapskate, a deadbeat,
and on his worst days, a poet. He’s probably the last person on earth you would
ever look to for life advice or expect to see in any sort of self-help book.
Which is why he’s the perfect place to start."
"Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy"—A new biography
of Ernest Hemingway. Nicholas Reynolds profiles the lesser-known life of one of
America's most iconic writers. Try also Lesley L.L. Blume's "Everyone
Behaves Badly," about Hemingway's 1925 visit to Spain before he wrote
"The Sun Also Rises."
"Broke Millenial"—For young adults
starting to realize saving for the future isn't happening without help. Get a
funny overview of the reality in popular blogger (www.BrokeMillenial.com) Erin
Lowry's book. She'll get you past reluctance and into an amusing but helpful
road map.
"Astrophysics for People in a Hurry"—Neil
DeGrasse Tyson brings "the greatest story ever told" to the table. It's
clear and smart, even witty. Finally, you can understand the universe, just
from reading this small, concise volume.
This
summer will see the release of multiple favorite authors, including Tom
Perrotta, Sue Grafton, Elin Hilderbrand and Adriana Triagiani.
