Janet Maslin of The New York Times offers a great article on
recent “guilt-free” beach reads. She calls summer “the time to stop lying about
what you read for fun.” With that in mind, we at The Writer drew up a list of
our own favorite books to read just for pleasure, but we didn’t limit ourselves to new releases.
If you’re looking for something for the beach, the plane or
the backyard, we suggest the following:
Agatha Christie mysteries featuring Hercule Poirot,
especially Cards on the Table, Five Little Pigs, Murder on the Orient Express
and Third Girl. Many years ago I spent a summer reading through Christie’s
books. Miss Marple and the stand-alones are good, too, but, as Poirot himself
would say, he’s the best. (Sarah)
Bitter Is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending,
Egomanical, Self-Centered Smartass, or Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag
to the Unemployment Office by Jen Lancaster. Delightfully snarky. (Martha and
Sarah)
The Bodies Left Behind by Jeffery Deaver. A fast-action cat-and-mouse game between sheriff’s deputy Brynn McKenzie and the killers she’s looking for in the North Woods of Wisconsin. To add to the complexity of the chase, McKenzie gets a few surprises along the way as she tries to sort out who the bad guys really are. (Martha)
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. An adventure featuring
“literary detectives” who enter the novels of Charles Dickens and Charlotte
Brontë to solve crimes. Fun! (Sarah)
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
and Sea of Glory—America’s Voyage of Discovery: The U.S. Exploring Expedition
by Nathaniel Philbrick. Great historical-narrative sea stories. (Ron)
In the Woods by Tana French. After reading this impressive
double mystery, you’ll want to run back to the bookstore to get French’s second
novel, The Likeness. Her third, Faithful Place, comes out in July. I don’t know
that I’ll be able to wait for it to come out in paperback. (Sarah)
Any Jack Reacher book (the most recent is 61 Hours) by Lee
Child. Follow the adventures of a disillusioned former Army MP as he travels through the United States finding troubled people to help using his military skills, his street smarts, and his not-always-legal moral compass. Great escape reading. (Martha and Ron)
Making the Mummies Dance: Inside the Metropolitan Museum of
Art by Thomas Hoving takes you on a tour behind the scenes at one of the
world’s most powerful art museums. There's no better guide than Hoving, who served as
the museum’s director from 1967-77, during a period of great expansion—both of
collections and buildings. Hoving, who died last year, was credited with adding
important collections to the museum and figuring out how to get the masses to
come see them with blockbuster shows. A brilliant curator with encyclopedic
knowledge, Hoving is also blessed with wit and charm. It’s a treat to look at
the politics, history and culture of the art world through his eyes. (Elfrieda)
Any of Michael Connelly’s crime-fiction books (Ron)
Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis by Cara Black. All of Black’s
mysteries are tied to a Parisian locale, and she takes you on some great side
trips through Paris. Her high-fashion detective, Aimée Leduc, and sidekick,
Rene, run a computer-security business, but spend more time solving murders. No
wonder they can barely pay the bills. I love the tough but feminine Leduc.
Can’t help but wonder: How many designer outfits and shoes has she ruined?
(Elfrieda)
The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by
Candice Millard. An unforgettable tale about a dangerous voyage down the mighty
Amazon River, in the company of some very nasty creatures. Not just a journey,
but an interesting look at the region’s ecology and wildlife. (Ron)
Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who
Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II by Robert
Kurson. Gripping, hard-to-believe nonfiction about a lost World War II German
submarine set in the current day. (Ron)
Something Borrowed and Something Blue by Emily Giffin. Chick
lit at its best. (Martha and Sarah)
Three Junes by Julia Glass. Smoothly, smartly written. (Ron)
The Venetian Betrayal by Steve Berry. An action/suspense story that roams through Denmark, Venice and the Pamir mountains of Central Asia in pursuit of a treasure supposedly buried in the lost grave of Alexander the Great. (Martha)
What are your favorite beach reads?
—Sarah C. Lange, associate editor