I am a born traveler. My very first photo, snapped at the hospital shortly after my birth, became my first passport photo. I boarded my first international flight shortly thereafter, and I have been traveling ever since. To date, I have visited 4 continents, 24 countries outside of the USA, and 31 states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. My very patient husband jokes that I always start planning the next trip on the flight home (sometimes I actually start before that!). I think the planning is half the fun. Some of my favorite travel memories include family trips with my daughter and husband to Aspen, our honeymoon in Rome, Christmas with my parents in London, our little family's favorite beach trip to Puerto Rico, and my first solo adventure to Big Sky, Montana. I am also an avid reader, reading more than 100 books every year and currently working my way through the Boxall 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list. I come by my love of books naturally. I was raised by a librar...
If you are planning a multi-generational family trip this
summer, I recommend The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams. A
lonely widower and a struggling teenage girl who is working at the local public
library for the summer come together and forge an unlikely friendship through a
shared reading list. The books they read help them form connections both with
each other and with others, and the books help them to heal.
If you’ll be taking kids on college visits this summer or
traveling with teens who will be plugged into their video games, check out Tomorrow
and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. It may help you connect.
This is the epic story of Sam and Sadie who first meet as children and later
come together as college students to collaborate to create a smash video game
that makes them famous. Not interested in video games? Neither was I. I
recently had the pleasure of seeing Zevin speak, and she explained her view
that video games are simply a new form of storytelling. It’s an interesting
thought, and this is a fantastic read.
If you will be traveling with tiny humans who like to
interrupt your reading with lots of questions, demands, or shouts, I am
recommending The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. I honestly
loved everything about this book. It’s like a mash up of the best factoids in
Trivial Pursuit plus a long talk with your best friend plus a quirky and
compelling Amazon review mixed with a really great New Yorker article
that you can’t wait to share. Read it in bursts and then dazzle your partner
with your interesting tidbits over cocktails in the evening. Good for your
brain and good for your marriage, five stars.
For those planning a fun girls trip this summer, I’m
suggesting Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus for the ultimate
girl power read. Chemist Elizabeth Zott finds herself a single mother and the
beloved but reluctant host of a cooking show called Supper at Six. Set in the
early 1960s, Zott pushes against every glass ceiling. This book is quirky and
funny and not at all what it seems.
If your summer plans involve a seaside escape or a European
getaway, pack the classic novel, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
Maxim de Winter brings his shy, young bride to Manderley, his ancient estate on
the sea. His deceased wife, Rebecca, haunts his new bride (not literally) who
struggles to find her footing and to hold on to her husband. I would describe
this as a gothic romance with a little bit of mystery. It’s also beautifully
written and timeless, a story you can read again and again.
For those heading to a beach or even a destination with a
fabulous aquarium, check out Remarkably Bright Creatures by
Shelby Van Pelt. A novel where one of the primary narrators is a giant Pacific
octopus named Marcellus can best be described as quirky. I was reluctant to
read this because it sounded just a little too weird, but it’s charming and was
one of my favorite books of 2022. It’s a story of friendship, hope, and
redemption.
If your vacation plans involve adventure seeking –
ziplining, white water rafting, or maybe rock climbing – then take the ultimate
adventure into space with Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Ryland
Grace wakes up in space, and he can’t remember how he got there or what his
mission will be. Grace quickly discovers that his crewmates are dead, and he is
humanity’s last hope of survival. This high-stakes science fiction novel is
packed with thrills.
If fruity drinks on the beach is more your speed this
summer, I am recommending The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J.
Klune. This is the story of Linus Baker, a lonely case worker at the Department
in Charge of Magical Youth. Linus is unexpectedly assigned a highly classified
project and must visit the Marsays Island Orphanage where six children reside. These
aren’t typical orphans, but rather, the residents include a gnome, a sprite, a
wyvern, a green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. This is a heartfelt,
charming story about family and breaking outside of yourself.
If you are hitting the open road this summer, I suggest The
Best of Me by David Sedaris. This greatest hits book will have you
laughing wherever you go, and listening to Sedaris read his own work always
makes it just a little bit funnier. These are David Sedaris’ best stories and
essays spanning his more than 25-year career, as selected by the author. But
beware, my husband and I drove through Texas listening to Sedaris one spring
break, and I thought I might have to pull over, I was laughing and crying so
hard. Clocking in at just over 13 hours
in length, this should take you wherever you plan to go.
For those who are traveling to a big city, I suggest the
gritty Kenzie and Gennaro mystery series by Dennis Lehane, which begins with A
Drink Before the War. Kenzie and Gennaro are tough as nails private
investigators working in a blue-collar Boston neighborhood. This series is not
for the faint of heart, as the detectives take on what first appears to be an
easy missing persons assignment that takes them through a series of vicious
crimes and corruption.
Since I have already read all of these, this summer I plan to read these 10 books on my shelves: Book Lovers by Emily Henry (her books are sheer chick lit fun); newer entries from some of the authors on the above list, including I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai, Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane, and In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune; The Winners by Frederick Backman (a book I have been saving because I don’t want the Beartown series to end), the classic novels Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe; and new releases, Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese, and Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. Feel free to join me and let me know what you think!
Congratulations to contest winner, Brendy Corley! Brendy chose Remarkably Bright Creatures. Happy reading everyone!
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