Here we are in the middle of August, the month that most folks take off for a little R&R… In case you are sticking close to home this year, here’s a list from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel of “good stories [to] transport you to places you can’t afford to go.” I’ve only read Middlesex (and can’t imagine how it fits the above statement, although I loved it), so I’ve included the briefest plot summary possible for each…
photo credit: Ana Santos
The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper. A memoir about growing up in Liberia.
Brick Lane by Monica Ali. The story of a woman who moves from Bangladesh to London and embarks on a love affair with a younger man.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. Since I grew up in Michigan and spend most of my holidays in Detroit, I’m not sure how this wonderful, strange novel fits MJS’s criteria… but if you haven’t read this yet, do so immediately!
Blue Latitudes: Going Boldly Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before by Tony Horwitz. Recreating Cook’s journey from Polynesia to the Bering Sea.
My Father’s Paradise: A Son’s Search for His Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq by Ariel Sabar. Sabar’s family fled oppression, first to Israel and then to California.
A Supremely Bad Idea: Three Mad Birders and Their Quest to See it All by Luke Demsey. Three friends travel around the U.S. in search of the painted redstart, the buff-breasted flycatcher, the elf owl, and the elegant trogon.
Our book club meets tonight, so I was looking for some suggestions for us to consider for this coming year — that “birders” book is NOTHING like something I’d normally enjoy, yet I find myself intrigued.
One book I am recommending is a memoir of World War II, “Abandoned and Forgotten,” which covers a girl who’s orphaned, and her tale of survival. It’s told through the eyes of a child, and is about eight long years of her childhood. While it may sound grim (is Hitler ever fun?) it also ultimately is a tale of the resilience of the human spirit. And for book clubbers out there, it’s great because there are book club discussion questions.
I’m definitely putting the bird book on my list for tonight — thanks for the suggestion.
Thank you for the recommendation, Liz! Sounds interesting…