Summer Reading

I’ve just felt our temperatures plummet from high-nineties to low sixties. Since this is Iowa, I am convinced that the gray skies will soon turn blue again, and Cedar Valley residents will be able to lounge in the shade, or on the beach, and read a book. In case you’re looking for some suggestions, let us help you out.

I’m currently reading The Widower’s Tale, by Julia Glass, and I hate to put it down. 70-year-old Percy discovers love again, but this is so much more than that, as are all of Glass’s stories. Family relationships, gentle humor, and the ethical dilemmas of college students and immigrants are so beautifully blended, I feel like I’ve just visited their little part of New England.

If you’re looking for a little lighter love story, try The Pioneer Woman: From Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, by Ree Drummond. Drummond’s cooking blog is very well-known for the great recipes, the photography, and the down-home chat. Check this one out if you want to know how she and The Marlboro Man of her dreams got together. Try The Paris Wife by Paula McLain if you like your novels to have a little historical twist. Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley, does for this story what Mamah Cheney’s fictional diary did for Loving Frank.

If you haven’t read Room by Emma Donoghue, grab it. Every book group in town either has or will be discussing it. It’s unsettling, about a kidnapped woman and her child (I’m not going to spoil it by telling you more), but that’s what makes it interesting. Alice Hoffman’s The Red Garden is a great read about the settling of a New England town, with a little mysticism sprinkled throughout. Start charting a family tree right away, and be prepared to not put it down until you finish.

A great nonfiction choice is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot. I never dreamed there was such a painless and interesting way to learn a little about DNA, and cells. That’s because there’s such an interesting family story woven throughout the science. And if you would like an interesting fictional twist on local history, pick up Dave Hoing’s Hammon Falls. A fictional love story, set against early Cedar Valley history leads to puzzles on several levels. Have a great summer!