BookLovers: 5 books to read before summer ends
As Labor Day approaches, my friends, remember this:
Summer is a calendar season — but summer reading is a state-of-mind.
Since June, I’ve been running an ongoing summer series, “Five Books to Add to Your Beach Bag.” As this weekend traditionally marks the end of summer (although the first day of fall is Sept. 22, and I’ll be on the beach until they drag me off) this is our last “Five Books to Add to your Beach Bag” column.
But fear not: I’m going to keep this series alive, as simply: Five Books To Read Right Now.
Because whether or not you’re physically at the beach or the pool, the state-of-mind we allow ourselves in the summer — to read whatever we want for the pure joy of it — should be kept alive year-round. That’s what reading is all about.
That said, here are five more books to add to your beach bag.
“The Island,” by Adrian McKinty. This is probably my favorite book of the year so far. I read it in 24 hours. Could not put it down — because there was no place to pause. It was non-stop adrenaline, and you guys know I love my thrillers. It’s “Lost” meets the action and fast-paced ride of “Breaking Bad,” with a dash of “Lord of the Flies.” The Irish-born novelist and Oxford professor delivers one of the most jaw-dropping thrillers of the year — ostensibly about a family’s vacation to Australia — and you will not want to go on vacation any time soon.
"If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal: What Animal Intelligence Reveals About Human Stupidity,” by Justin Gregg. Hilarious, insightful, and thought-provoking.
The argument: humans might be a less successful animal species because of our complex intelligence. Scientist Justin Gregg submits: would humans be better off as narwhals? Or some other, less brainy species? As the synopsis reads:
Our unique gifts like language, math, and science do not make us happier than other species. We split the atom — but we’ve harnessed that knowledge to make war machines. Our bizarre obsession with lawns has contributed to the growing threat of climate change; we are sexually diverse like many species yet stand apart as homophobic. Is our intelligence more of a curse than a gift? #FoodForThought.
“Afterlives,” by Abdulrazak Gurnah. Released last week, this novel from the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in literature is one of the most anticipated novels of summer. Gurnah is brilliant.
His latest is a sweeping saga set against the colonization of east Africa. According to the publisher’s synopsis: When he was just a boy, Ilyas was stolen from east Africa by German colonial troops. After years away, he returns to find his parents gone and his sister, Afiya, abandoned into de facto slavery. Hamza also returns home from war, with nothing but the clothes on his back–-until he meets the beautiful, undaunted Afiya. The young people's fates are knotted ever more tightly as the shadow of a new war on another continent falls over them…
“Mercury Pictures Presents,” by Anthony Marra. I’ve been a Marra fan since his 2015 story collection “The Tsar of Love and Techno.” His recent New York Times bestselling novel is just as satisfying. The basic plot, according to the publisher’s synopsis:
Born in Rome, Maria immigrates to LA with her mother after her father’s arrest. Fifteen years later, on the eve of America’s entry into World War II, Maria is an associate producer at Mercury Pictures, trying to keep her life from falling apart. As the world descends into war, a stranger arrives from her father’s past and Maria must finally confront her father’s fate — and her own.
“Small Angels,” by Lauren Owen. A page-turning paranormal/fantasy thriller, with gothic vibes and a hint of Agatha Christie. I usually don’t like my fantasy and thrillers mix, but this was an exception. As the publisher’s synopsis tells us:
Seeking refuge from her parents' fighting, teenage Kate finds safe harbor with the Gonne sisters, who live by Small Angels — a church on the edge of dense woods. The first outsider to ever get close to the sisters, Kate eventually learns the family's secret: They believe the woods are home to a ghost. But then a horrifying act drives a wedge between the sisters and Kate…
Years later, Chloe is set to marry Sam at Small Angels, a charming old village church near where Sam and his sister, Kate, grew up. But days before the ceremony, Chloe starts to hear unsettling stories about Small Angels— and worse, she begins to see things that couldn't possibly be real…
Very fun, with just the right amount of chills.
Lauren Daley is a freelance writer. She tweets @laurendaley1. Read more at https://www.facebook.com/daley.writer
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Daley's 5 books to read before summer ends
