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June 25, 2004/Tamuz 6 5764, Vol. 56, No. 40
Readers make choice summer picks
VICKI CABOT
Contributing Editor
It's summertime and the reading is easy - or not. Contrary to popular opinion, the books of summer often include more substantive tomes along with the trashy romance novels or action-packed thrillers which have "vacation" stamped all over them.
Readers often look to the warmer months, when the pace seems to slow as the heat rises, to tackle weighty classics or more serious contemporary reads. Too, travel often sparks an interest in history, politics or religion to provide context for those summer getaways.
An informal survey of local readers bears out the theory of diversity of choice - and choices. Sandy Adler, who is chairwoman of the third annual Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center Book Fair, set for the first two weeks of November, is reading with a vengeance right now, vetting selections. Many are new releases picked up on a trip to Book Expo America in Chicago earlier this month.
Currently, Adler's immersed in Jennifer Weiner's latest novel, "Little Earthquakes" (Atria Books, $26 hardcover), due out in September but already a top pick. Next in line is Jodi Piccoult's "My Sister's Keeper" (Atria Books, $25 hardcover) which tells the chilling story of a girl who is conceived to provide a bone marrow transplant for an older sibling.
Adler suspects that a good portion of her summer will be consumed with Bill Clinton's memoir, "My Life" (Knopf, $35 hardcover), out this month and already generating quite a buzz. Adler heard Clinton speak at the book expo and says she can't wait to read the book.
"It was fascinating to hear about his writing process," she relayed by e-mail. "And I am interested in hearing how he felt about the events of his life. He's a natural storyteller, and he has an exceptional story to tell (and a long one at 950 pages)."
Adler, a realtor, says she will be doing some of her beach reading (where else?) at the beach, but also will find time for one of her favorite pastimes right at home in Arizona: "My favorite place," she says.
Ben Cooper responded to an e-mail query with the understatement that his summer reading "may not be terribly light." Cooper, an attorney, is tackling some pretty impressive stuff. Straight from the nightstand, in his words: "Abraham Joshua Heschel's "Man is Not Alone: A Philosophy of Religion (The Noonday Press, $15 paperback). This book, by one of the great Jewish theologians, reflects a poetically beautiful understanding of the nature of spirituality and religion in coming to grips with the existence of God and the sanctification of life. It introduces his concept of 'the ineffable' and 'radical amazement,' and goes to the heart of what lies behind Jewish ritual - or any ritual."
Also, he'll be reading Robert K. Massie's "The Romanovs: The Final Chapter" (Ballantine Books, $14.95 paperback).
"Massie, who wrote a thoroughly enjoyable biography of Peter the Great, now has delved into the debate over the mysterious last days of Czar Nicholas II and his family, including the forensic dispute over their remains and whether Grand Duchess Anastasia really survived," writes Cooper. "The book has received glowing reviews as a scientific and investigative thriller, and the truth is often more entertaining than fiction."
Scottsdale resident Annette Segal Prioste suggests two memoirs, Walter Anderson's "Meant to Be" (HarperCollins, $23.95 hardcover), and Kirk Douglas'"Climbing the Mountain, My Search for Meaning" (Simon and Schuster, $24 hardcover).
"Anderson, the chairman and CEO of Parade Publications, describes his abusive childhood and his discovering his real (Jewish) father. Once you get to page 92, you will be magnetized," promises Prioste in an e-mail.
Actor Kirk Douglas' book tells of his spiritual awakening after surviving a plane crash.
"His discovery and return to Judaism inspires laughter and tears," writes Prioste.
Tina Sheinbein was inspired by a recent trip to Boston for a niece's graduation to add Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The House of Seven Gables" to her book list. Also picked up on the trip - and positioned for summer reading on her nightstand - is an autographed copy of Bruce Feiler's "Abraham, A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths" (Harper-Collins, $12.95 paperback).
But her top picks for summer are Ross King's "Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling" (Penguin Books, $15 paperback) and Gloria Feldt's "War on Choice, The Right-Wing Attack on Women's Rights and How to Fight Back" (Bantam/Random House, $12 paperback).
King's novel will fascinate readers who loved Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" and "The Da Vinci Code," says Sheinbein. "It describes the four years it took for Michelangelo to complete the Sistine Chapel ... learning history in an interesting period of time ... fascinating ... now I want to go see the chapel."
Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, details the history of the movement for women's reproductive rights. "It recaps the 30-year battle to protect women's rights and tells how we can win/keep this protection," writes Sheinbein.
Another Sheinbein reader, Sandra, added her top picks.
She writes, "This summer I hope to read 'The Future of Life,' by Edward Osborne Wilson" (Vintage, $13 paperback). Star Sacks, who is my favorite librarian, gave it to me. Wilson is a biologist and a Pulitzer Prize winning author at Harvard, and the book examines the state of the environment.
"I also plan to read two books by Mark Salzman, "Lying Awake" (Vintage, $12 paperback) and "True Notebooks" (Knopf, $13.95 paperback). I read his earlier work 'Iron and Silk' and was blown away by his sensitivity and elegant style in this story about his teaching in China. 'Lying Awake' is a novel about faith; 'True Notebooks' is the account of his teaching writing to juvenile offenders.
"Also, I hope to finish Umberto Eco's 'Serendipities: Language and Lunacy' (Harcourt, $12 paperback), essays on language written by this brilliant scholar."
Natalie Lang, also an avid reader, weighed in with a few choice reads. "I am working my way through several books. 'The Elegant Gathering of White Snows' (BantamDell, $11 paperback), a novel by Kris Radish about eight women on a journey that changes their lives forever. 'At Home in Mitford' (Penguin, $12.95 paperback), by Jan Karon, part of a series of five books. Marilyn French's book, 'My Summer with George' (Ballantine Books, paperback out of print). I like her writing very much because she challenges convention. I'm working my way through Anna Quindlen's 'Black and Blue.' (Delta, $14 paperback). She is a first-class writer and thinker, and this is a story that begins in passion and becomes violent - it's a brilliant novel."
Lang, who totes her current stack of must-reads with her on her travels, says that she also hopes to get through the lengthy Clinton memoir "before my life is over."
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