Ah, summer is upon us, the heat and humidity easing in after a too-long winter and too-wet spring. What better time to lay out on the beach or curl up on the patio with a good book? If you are looking for something to wrap your head and heart around over the coming months, here are a few suggestions that might ignite the imagination.
'Divisadero' Michael Ondaatje
In the 1970s in northern California, a father and his teenage daughters, Anna and Claire, work their farm with the help of Coop, an enigmatic young man who makes his home with them. Theirs is a makeshift family, until it is rocked by an incident of violence that sets fire to the rest of their lives. Divisadero takes us from the city of San Francisco to the raucous backrooms of Nevada's casinos, and eventually to the landscape of south central France. It is here, outside a small rural village, that Anna becomes immersed in the life and the world of a writer from an earlier time. His compelling story circles around Anna's own life, the one she's left behind but can never truly leave. And as the narrative moves back and forth in time and place, we discover each of the characters managing to find some foothold in a present rough-hewn from the past.
'Between Trains' Barry Callaghan
Unlike his famous literary father Morley, Barry Callaghan writes of life in the shadows, where gangsters, princes of the Church, murderous children, survivors of the concentration camps, farmers yearning for the rapture, the idle rich learning to be feckless, a blues singer and a sniper yearn for the light. These people, though they have no faith, try desperately to believe; though their hearts have been broken they try desperately to love; though they feel forgotten they try desperately to tell their stories. Callaghan's stories unfold in a quietude that is like the stillness of the hour between trains.
'Rant' Chuck Palahniuk
From the author of Fight Club comes a new work of intense fiction. Buster Casey is destined to live fast, die young and murder as many people as he can. Set in a future where urbanites are segregated by strict curfews into Day-timers and Night-timers, the narrative unfolds as an oral history comprising contradictory accounts from people who knew Buster. These include childhood friends horrified by the boy's macabre behaviour, policemen and doctors, and thrill-seekers who turn city streets into demolition derby arenas. A series of deaths lead to a police investigation of Buster that peaks just as he apparently commits suicide in a blaze of car-crash glory. This dark religious parable from the master of grotesque excess may not attract new readers, but it will delight old ones.
'The Assault on Reason' Al Gore
This time around it's the political environment that is on Gore's mind; the way we debate and decide on the critical issues of the day. In an account that balances theoretical discussion of the foundations of democracy with a lacerating critique of the Bush administration, Gore argues that the marketplace of reasoned debate his country was founded on is being endangered by a variety of allied forces; the use of fear and the misuse of faith, the distractions of our entertainment culture, and the concentrations of power in the national media and the executive branch.
'28' - Stephanie Nolen
Veteran Globe & Mail Africa bureau chief, Stephanie Nolen offers 28 searing portraits of Africans affected by AIDS. Scattered across the continent from the slums of Lagos, Nigeria, to the bush in southern Zambia, these Africans present a mosaic of a continent in crisis and a collective cry for help. With a seasoned journalist's finesse, Nolen effortlessly weaves technical information into these deeply intimate glimpses of people often overlooked in the flood of contemporary media.
'The Children of Hurin' J.R.R Tolkien
The first complete book by J.R.R. Tolkien in three decades, The Children of Hϊrin reunites fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with Elves and Men, dragons and Dwarves, Eagles and Orcs. Presented for the first time as a complete, standalone story, this stirring narrative will appeal to casual fans and expert readers alike, returning them to the rich landscape and characters unique to Tolkien.
'Obit' Anne Emery
Father Declan Burke fled Ireland forty years ago and never looked back. Now settled in New York, he thinks he's put the old country behind him, until he reads the obituary of one Cathal Murphy. The obituary, he sees at once, is not about Murphy at all. It is a coded indictment of Burke's own life, and an announcement of his impending death. Burke's former lawyer Monty Collins investigates the obit with its allusions to Burke's IRA past, but he gets no help from Burke, who keeps the silence of the grave.
'Shopaholic and Baby' Sophie Kinsella Kinsella's latest work finds the irrepressible Becky expecting her first child with her dashing husband, Luke. Naturally, there's shopping to be done: Becky is determined that her child will be as stylish as a baby can be. That includes having the best obstetrician, and when Becky learns about Venetia Carter, who caters to models and movie stars, she's determined to get herself into Venetia's practice. She succeeds, only to discover to her dismay that the stunning Venetia dated Luke in college and may still be carrying a torch for him. Becky will go to any length to keep her husband, whether it be intercepting text messages from Venetia in Latin or hiring a private detective to trail Luke and learn whether or not he has actually been unfaithful to her, rendering marriage over before it has really begun.
'The Wedding Officer' Anthony Capella
Twenty-two-year-old James Gould arrives in Occupied Naples in 1943, where his duties include dissuading Allied soldiers form marrying their beautiful Italian girlfriends, and his diet includes little more than spam fritters and warmed up rations. The girls of Naples, however, soon arrange for a beautiful young country girl to join his staff as a cook. Under the twin influences of Italian food and Italian passion, James has only just realized that his heart is more important than his orders when an eruption of Vesuvius sets in motion a series of epic events that will change their lives forever.
'The Reagan Diaries' Ronald Reagan
During his two terms as the fortieth president of the United States, Ronald Reagan kept a daily diary in which he recorded his relationships with other world leaders and the unforgettable moments that defined the era - from his first inauguration to the end of the Cold War, the Iran hostage crisis to John Hinckley Jr.'s assassination attempt. The work also recounts the president's private thoughts and feelings: his love and devotion for Nancy Reagan and their family, his belief in God and the power of prayer. Filled with Reagan's trademark wit, this work gives us a unique understanding of one of the most beloved, and controversial, occupants of the Oval Office in history.
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows' J.K Rowling
Of course, what summer would be complete without another instalment of the Harry Potter series? Due out July.21st, advance word is that this, his final saga, is the best of the lot. You might consider pre-ordering the work from your local bookstores as it will most likely be flying off the shelf faster than a magic carpet.
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