For me one of the best parts of summer is stretching out in the
sun at the cottage with a good book. Summer reading can also be
done at the beach, in front of a campfire, on a lawn chair in
the backyard, or snuggled up in bed at night with the window
wide open.
For those of you who have vacation time coming up, I've gone
through my book collection to find the Top Five books to read
this summer.
A good summer book can be light and funny or actually make
you think. It's preferably available in paperback so that it's
easily carried around and doesn't make your wrists sore from
holding it up. My whole list is currently in paperback.
This is a totally subjective list of books based on my own tastes. I know my former English professors at Laurentian are likely to keep long Victorian novels next to their iced teas, while others may enjoy superhero comics, science fiction, how-to books or political memoirs.
The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown, Doubleday,
2003)
Although DaVinci seems like an obvious choice, this international bestseller is the perfect book to while away a few free afternoons. For those who haven't read it yet (or seen the popular movie currently playing at Rainbow Cinemas), the novel is based on the controversial premise that there is a conspiracy within the Roman Catholic Church to cover up the true story of Jesus. I like the scavenger-hunt aspect of the book, although the writing itself is not particularly well-crafted. Also worth reading is Angels & Demons (2000), which features the same main character, Harvard professor Robert Langdon.
The Undomestic Goddess (Sophie Kinsella, The Dial Press, 2005)
This is probably the best "chick lit" book I've ever read. It's
about a high-powered lawyer who blows a multi-million dollar
deal and ends up working as a housekeeper. The main character,
Samantha Sweeting, has no idea how to use a washing machine or
even make a sandwich. Some of her screw-ups are hilarious.
Kinsella, whose real name is Madeleine Wickham, is also the
author of Confessions of a Shopaholic (2001), Shopaholic Takes
Manhattan (2002), Shopaholic Ties the Knot (2003), Shopaholic
and Sister (2004), Shopaholic and Baby (to be published 2007)
and Can You Keep a Secret? (2004).
The Devil Wears Prada (Lauren Weisberger, Doubleday, 2003)
Another great example of "chick lit," this book follows the
life of a naïve aspiring journalist named Andrea Sachs, who
finds herself working as an assistant to Miranda Priestly, the
ruthless, successful editor of Runway magazine. Her job becomes
increasingly hellish as she tries to keep up with Miranda's
impossible requests. At one point, Andrea is asked to procure
the latest Harry Potter book before it is officially released.
Miranda's character is widely believed to be based on real-life
Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, although Weisberger denies
this is the case. The author used to be Wintour's assistant.
Also check out the movie, which is currently playing at Silver
City.
The Way the Crow Flies (Ann-Marie MacDonald, Knopf Canada, 2003)
At over 700 pages, this book could keep you going for an entire
camping trip. The main character is eight-year-old Madeleine
McCarthy, who lives on an airforce base in southwestern Ontario
just after the Second World War. One of her friends is
murdered, and the community searches for the killer. The book
is a fascinating examination of the post-war era. MacDonald
partly modeled the book after the real-life case of Stephen
Truscott, a 14-year-old boy from RCAF Clinton, who was
wrongfully convicted of murdering a classmate in 1959. The book
shares several themes with MacDonald's first novel, Fall on
Your Knees (1996), including childhood sexual abuse, lesbianism
and tragic death.
Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast (Bill Richardson, Douglas & McIntyre, 1993)
CBC broadcaster Bill Richardson won the Stephen Leacock Award
for Humour for this book, which features fraternal twin
brothers who run a bed and breakfast on an island off the coast
of British Columbia. Virgil and Hector live with an outspoken
parrot named Mrs. Rochester and a cat named Waffle, and have
many quirky friends. The book makes me laugh out loud. Also
worth checking out is the sequel, Bachelor Brothers' Bed &
Breakfast Pillow Book (1995). Richardson wrote a third Virgil
and Hector book, Bachelor Brothers' Bedside Companion (1996),
although I've never been able to find it. If you have a copy
and are willing to lend it to me, e-mail me at
[email protected]
.