Novels and mysteries, short stories and epic journeys, fantastical tales and
harrowing suspense: every summer our reading wish lists leave us wondering how
many books we can stuff into our beach bags. Join Host Mitch Wertlieb to hear recommendations for
great summer fiction from area librarians, booksellers and VPR listeners. (Listen)
(You can also send your suggestions via e-mail by clicking here.)
Also, Middlebury College Professor Jay Parini reminds us not
to forget about the joys of poetry. He
discusses his new book, Why Poetry
Matters. (Listen)
Fiction Recommendations:
Lynne Reed, co-owner Misty Valley Books
Palace Council by Stephen L. Carter
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
The Crazy School
by Cornelia Read
The Garden of Last
Days by Andre Dubus III
Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
The Enchantress of Florency by Salman Rushdie
Spies of Warsaw
by Alan Furst
Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian
The Other by David Guterson
So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Unaccustomed
Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
The
Commoner by John Burnham Schwartz
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Non-fiction
The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester
Stephanie Chase, Director of Stowe Free Library
Beginner’s Greek by James Collins
The Spies of Warsaw
by Alan Furst
The Girl with No Shadow by Joanne Harris
The Cruelest Month (a Three Pines mystery) by Louise Penny
An Incomplete Revenge (Maisie Dobbs series) by Jacqueline
Winspear
Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight vampire series
The Host, by Stephanie Meyer
Summer Favorites:
The Hamish Macbeth series by M.C. Beaton
Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Fun Beach
Reads:
Historical romances by Stephanie Laurens and Julia Quinn
Mysteries by Sarah Strohmeyer
Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series
Books for Teens:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini (Eragon series)
The Battle of
the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
Books for Kids:
The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems
John Sciezka’s Trucktown books
Skippyjon Jones
Ivy and Bean books
Non-fiction:
When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
Books recommended during the program:
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Last, Last Chance by Fiona Maazel
books by Stephanie Meyer
Because a Fire Was in My Head by Lynn Stegner
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Sarah Strohmeyer novels
Waiting for Teddy Williams by Howard Frank Mosher
Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
The Shell Game by Steve Alten
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Palace Council by Stephen L. Carter
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian
The Other by David Guterson
So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
A Few Short Notes on Tropical Butterflies by John Murray
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
The Cruelest Month (a Three Pines mystery) by Louise Penny
An Incomplete Revenge (Maisie Dobbs series) by Jacqueline
Winspear
Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
books by Charles Bukowski
Short stories by John B. Keane