Summer reading holds a special place on many of our
bookshelves. For some of us, warmer
temperatures offer a chance to escape into a good yarn– like an engrossing
legal thriller or a captivating tale of romance. Others of us turn to the classics or to fresh
voices in fiction. And for still others,
it’s a chance to catch up on historical biographies or current events. Whatever type of book you bring to the beach or
sit outside under the stars reading, summer seems to offer up the possibility
of long stretches of uninterrupted reading time. To help fill the time, Vermont Edition,
brings you its annual summer reading show, and we’re asking for your recommendations.
We also hear top recommendations from area booksellers, including Linda Ramsdell at the Galaxy Bookshop in Hardwick, and Stan Hynds from Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center.
We also hear top picks for children’s books from Beth Wright at the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington. Listen
Books recommended on the program-
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel
Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Lake Champlain: A Natural History by
Mike Winslow
City of Thieves
by David Benioff
Border Songs by Jim Lynch
Hermann Maier: The Race of My Life by Hermann Maier
The Lightning Thief series by Rick Riordan
Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Slayer by Seth Grahame-Smith
True Blood/Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
The Lamoille Stories by Bill Schubart
Portrait of a Turkish Family by Irfan Orga
A Mad Desire to Dance by Elie Wiesel
Curse of the Spellmans (series) by Lisa Lutz
Father Joe by Tony Hendra
Sherlock Holmes and the Plague of Dracula by Stephen Seitz
Sweetwater: A Novel by Roxana Robinson
Timeline by Michael Crichton
Life in the Universe by Michael J. Farrell
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
That Old Cape Magic
by Richard Russo
Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder
South of Broad by Pat Conroy
Selected Works of T.S. Spiget by Reif Larsen
The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King
Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
City of Strangers
by Ian MacKenzie
Saturday by Ian McEwan
Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, An American
Town by Warren St. John
All That I Have and Go With Me by Castle Freeman, Jr.
The River of Doubt
by Candice Millard
Josie Leavitt, Flying Pig Bookstore
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
Boo Boo Bird by Jeremy Tankard
Dogs on the Bed by Elizabeth Bluemle
In the Kitchen by Monica Ali
Service Included: Four Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping
Waiter by Phoebe Damrosch
Books by Linda Greenlaw
Stan Hynds, Book buyer at Northshire Bookstore
Fiction
Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned, by Wells Tower
Border Songs, by Jim Lynch
City of Strangers, by Ian MacKenzie
South of Broad, by Pat Conroy (due 8/11)
City of Thieves, by David Benioff
Mudbound, Hillary Jordan
Five Skies, by Ron Carlson
Mystery
Shadows Still Remain, by Peter de Jonge
Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley
Scarecrow, by Michael Connelly
Nonfiction
Champlain’s Dream, by David Hackett Fischer
War on the Run, by John Ross
Lost City of Z, by David Grann
Beth Wright Redford, Children’s Librarian at Fletcher Free
Libraray
Picture Books
A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee
Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall, Thin Tale by Deborah Hopkinson
Early
Readers
Luke on the Loose by Harry Bliss
Pee Wee’s Tale by Johanna Hurwitz
Middle
Readers
Heat by Mike Lupica
Also The Big Field (baseball)
and Travel Team and Summer Ball (basketball)
Saffy’s Angel and its sequels about the Casson family by
Hillary McKay
Older
Readers
The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause
and Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – a
mix of modern reality survival tv show and the Roman gladiatorial games
Host Jane Lindholm’s recommendations-
I’m currently reading "The River of Doubt" by Candice Millard.
It’s about Teddy Roosevelt’s exploration of an Amazon River tributary.
He undertook the expedition after losing his bid for a third term as
president. Roosevelt often used difficult travel and adventure to
overcome life’s disappointments, but this trip was almost his last. A
fascinating read about a complex and adventurous man, and a journey that
held incredible potential for both danger and discovery.
I’ve recently read two books by Southern Vermont author Castle
Freeman: "All That I Have" and "Go With Me." These stories are so
neatly encapsulated in short form. If you have a long plane ride or a
free afternoon you can devour either in one sitting. Both are set in
Vermont and focus on small town characters.
I loved a book called "Water Dogs" by Lewis Robinson. It’s a book set
in the Maine winter, but it might be a nice mental change of season to
read it when the weather gets really hot and muggy. Robinson wrote this
novel in a nine foot by nine foot shed in his backyard in Portland,
Maine and managed to capture a main character struggling to forge his
own identity but still stay true to the "real Maine" he feels like he
comes from. Suspenseful, atmospheric, and captivating.
For personal reasons I am really eager to read a book coming out in a
few months which is called "Flawed Light: American Women Poets and
Alcohol." The author is Brett Millier, and she’s my stepmother, so I’m
very excited to have a copy in my hands.