By Chip SchraderBook Reviewer
The summertime brings to mind many traditions: vacations, baseball, cookouts, and beach days. More often than not, a good book is typically paired with a beach outing, and a handful of titles tend to be the “it” books for each summer. This summer is no different. Bestseller lists, personal recommendations and book clubs are the best indicators for the browser to find out what’s hot, and this year we have a few newer titles, and a few that have been around.
“Room” by Emily Donoghue, acclaimed author of “Slammerkin,” is the newest of these books. The life of the main character, Jack, is entirely lived in one room with his mother, who struggles to provide a normal life for him. They are held captive in this place by a man named “Old Nick.” On the author’s webpage, there is a video trailer of the book, a full description and a bevy of accolades from Donoghue’s contemporaries on how well she narrates from a five-year-old boy’s perspective. Currently, this is possibly the most popular book this summer. Little Brown, 336 pages (2010).
Earlier in the year, Abraham Verghese’s “Cutting for Stone” began catching fire. This is the story of twin boys born in Ethiopia, and then separated shortly after birth. The novel takes on an epic theme of humanity and the birth of modern medicine as it spans generations and continents to tie together how one person’s actions can be a consequence to someone a world away. This novel is also critically acclaimed and enjoying high summer sales. Vintage, 667 pages (2010).
Since last year, Kathryn Stockett’s “The Help” has dominated the bestseller list and continues to be a popular read for this summer. Set in the antebellum south, this story follows the help, or the housekeepers who are employed by wealthy southern families. Jackson Mississippi was a hotbed for the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, and readers will be surprised by the racial climate in that era. The book has been made into a film, and is enjoying a resurgence in sales and reading groups in anticipation of its August release. Berkely Trade, 544 pages (2010).
The 1996 novel, “The Game of Thrones” by George R. R. Martin, is the subject of barroom chatter and fodder amongst fantasy aficionados as its adaptation by HBO has just finished its first season. Set in medieval world, a king is slain, and the drama of two families unfolds. One family, the Lannisters, was thwarted from the throne by the recently deceased king, and the Starks are headed by a man assigned to be the new kings personal hand. This is the first of four volumes, and a giant book. Bantam Books, 720 pages (1996).
Among other hot titles for this summer is the trilogy by Steig Larsen with “The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo” as the first in the series. Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” also begins a trilogy, and a non-fiction epic about the horrors of World War II “Unbroken” by Lauren Hillenbrand. All titles are widely available at local and online bookstores, and libraries in various formats.
Photo caption: “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett is one of many books that people are continuing to bring to the beach this summer, largely due to its upcoming film release. (Courtesy book cover image)
The summertime brings to mind many traditions: vacations, baseball, cookouts, and beach days. More often than not, a good book is typically paired with a beach outing, and a handful of titles tend to be the “it” books for each summer. This summer is no different. Bestseller lists, personal recommendations and book clubs are the best indicators for the browser to find out what’s hot, and this year we have a few newer titles, and a few that have been around.
“Room” by Emily Donoghue, acclaimed author of “Slammerkin,” is the newest of these books. The life of the main character, Jack, is entirely lived in one room with his mother, who struggles to provide a normal life for him. They are held captive in this place by a man named “Old Nick.” On the author’s webpage, there is a video trailer of the book, a full description and a bevy of accolades from Donoghue’s contemporaries on how well she narrates from a five-year-old boy’s perspective. Currently, this is possibly the most popular book this summer. Little Brown, 336 pages (2010).
Earlier in the year, Abraham Verghese’s “Cutting for Stone” began catching fire. This is the story of twin boys born in Ethiopia, and then separated shortly after birth. The novel takes on an epic theme of humanity and the birth of modern medicine as it spans generations and continents to tie together how one person’s actions can be a consequence to someone a world away. This novel is also critically acclaimed and enjoying high summer sales. Vintage, 667 pages (2010).
Since last year, Kathryn Stockett’s “The Help” has dominated the bestseller list and continues to be a popular read for this summer. Set in the antebellum south, this story follows the help, or the housekeepers who are employed by wealthy southern families. Jackson Mississippi was a hotbed for the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, and readers will be surprised by the racial climate in that era. The book has been made into a film, and is enjoying a resurgence in sales and reading groups in anticipation of its August release. Berkely Trade, 544 pages (2010).
The 1996 novel, “The Game of Thrones” by George R. R. Martin, is the subject of barroom chatter and fodder amongst fantasy aficionados as its adaptation by HBO has just finished its first season. Set in medieval world, a king is slain, and the drama of two families unfolds. One family, the Lannisters, was thwarted from the throne by the recently deceased king, and the Starks are headed by a man assigned to be the new kings personal hand. This is the first of four volumes, and a giant book. Bantam Books, 720 pages (1996).
Among other hot titles for this summer is the trilogy by Steig Larsen with “The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo” as the first in the series. Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” also begins a trilogy, and a non-fiction epic about the horrors of World War II “Unbroken” by Lauren Hillenbrand. All titles are widely available at local and online bookstores, and libraries in various formats.
Photo caption: “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett is one of many books that people are continuing to bring to the beach this summer, largely due to its upcoming film release. (Courtesy book cover image)
