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TwitThis"I need a recommendation," you are saying, "for when I go away. I need something to take with me. What's fabulous? What's worth my time?"
For many of us, summer doesn't start until we're away from it all, sunk into a chair on the sand with the sound of the ocean in our ears, feeling the spray on our faces, rocking in a boat somewhere out on a peaceful lake—or any number of other getaway scenarios. Or maybe, this parched year, summer simply means not having to show up somewhere. For any situation where a little downtime suddenly presents itself, here's my first of three lists of outstanding summer reading.
GREAT SUMMER READING, 2008 -- Book Fare List #1
1. If Brooklyn has ever been on your mind, or if you've ever stepped foot in that inimitable borough—never mind lived in it—check out Brooklyn Was Mine (Riverhead Books, paper, $15), a collection of 19 well-crafted essays, edited by Chris Knutsen and Valerie Steiker and with a lovely intro by Phillip Lopate. Each piece, in its own way, captures the diversity, the artistry, the yearning, the history of the place. Contributors include Katie Roiphe, Colin Harrison, Alexandra Styron and John Burnham Schwartz. Every reader will have his or her favorites, and each piece can be polished off in a short chunk of time (helpful for when you need to reach for another lemonade, get up for a stroll, or check on the kids or the dog one more time). I can tell you my favorites, though it probably doesn't matter—each one is awash with compelling feelings for the place. For the record, I loved Roiphe's "Coney Island of the Mind," and Styron's tale of her novelist father's life, "A Sentimental Education." These are not all feel-good pieces, by the way, but for me, that was part of this book's bedrock authenticity: They're all written with heart. (There's another great Brooklyn book on the horizon this fall—more to come on that in another post.)
2. Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin (Scribner, $25) is such a good book that I can't believe this is my first mention of it here. We ran a stirring excerpt from it in an issue of Reader's Digest earlier this year; you can read that excerpt by clicking here. (There was terrific reader feedback on that piece, by the way—thanks to all those who let us know how much you appreciated it.) With almost heartbreaking honesty and clarity, the entertainer shares tales of his early life and the steps he took toward becoming the star he is today. Right before your eyes, you can see a comedian and actor taking shape, molding and forming himself into a polished, enlightened pro. I so loved this book that I have gone back to it several times to drink in certain passages again and again—and I wish it hadn't ended. (Note to Steve: Will you write another soon? Please?) Jerry Seinfeld's praise for this book is so right-on: "Absolutely magnificent. One of the best books about comedy and being a comedian ever written."
3. Debra Jarvis is a chaplain at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, someone who helps others deal with personal trauma and tragedy. So when she found herself in that same position—diagnosed with breast cancer—her life was thrown so off balance she had to renegotiate just about everything. In her well written and moving book, It's Not About the Hair: And Other Certainties of Life and Cancer (Sasquatch Books, $23.95), she takes the reader through her journey with wisdom, warmth and humor. You don't need to have experienced cancer to appreciate this book—not by a long shot.
4. Imagine a father who lets his kid drop out of high school, as long as the boy watches three films a week under the father's close supervision. Talk about an unconventional educational approach (not one that anyone I know would condone, just for the record). But as David Gilmour explains in his lovingly written and memorable book, The Film Club (Twelve/Hachette Books Group, $21.99), there was nothing else to be done, it served the boy well, and by the way, all's well that ends well. Gilmour is an award-winning Canadian writer, a former film critic. Reading his tale of tending to his troubled son, Jesse, is pretty close to eye-opening; I'd defy any parent of a child teetering in the world to resist it. (It oughta be made into a film, if that isn't already happening. You read it here first.)
5. And don't miss Epilogue: A Memoir by Anne Roiphe (out in late August from Harper, $24.95), an outstanding piece of writing about grief and moving beyond it, as much as such a thing is possible. For a definition of thoughtful, see this book. Roiphe (mother of the Katie Roiphe referenced earlier in this post) writes of her husband's passing so vividly she makes you feel he's still with us, in the flesh. In these pages, he is—as she tries to figure out living alone for the first time; mixing and mingling with others at dinner and other public places, as a reluctant and awkward single; and negotiating the difficult new passages of dating again. For a book about coping with death, it is so intensely full of life I couldn't release it from my sweaty, sticky grasp.
Next great summer reading list in a few short days—stay tuned.
NEXT POST: A Brand New Round of Great Summer Reads
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