A selection of summer reads from our staff
Dr. Herron's Summer Reading Recommendation: John Grisham’s Camino Island
John Grisham's Camino Island is a departure from his typical very well-known legal thrillers. This first novel in a new series delves into the world of rare books and literary theft.
The story revolves around the heist of priceless F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts and the ensuing investigation that takes the reader into the world of bibliophiles. The trail leads to the charming bookseller, Bruce Cable, who owns a popular bookstore on Camino Island, Florida. He is a book lover hiding darker dealings under the cover of a respectable businessman.
The author's research into the rare book trade and his portrayal of the colorful characters inhabiting Camino Island add interest to the story. The novel blends mystery and literary history, and kept me engaged with the intricate plot and well-developed characters. Perfect for a quick summer read.
Dr. McKelvey's Summer Reading Recommendation: Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead
For the past decade, JD Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy has been heralded as the definitive primer of rural white and Appalachian culture for the broader public. As a native of Southeastern Ohio, I would submit that there is no better book that captures the people, spirit, challenges, and struggles of the region than Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead.
Set in 00’s Western Virginia and told in the structure of Dickens’ David Copperfield, the book tells the story of a boy growing up without a father to a teenage addict mother and trying to navigating life through foster care, abuse, and his own addiction.
Kingsolver’s characters are richly imagined, and their personalities and tribulations parallel many real people that I knew growing up. The book puts a spotlight on the region’s socioeconomic struggles and gives an unflinching portrait of how the opioid epidemic has ravaged the area. Yet somehow, remains remarkably upbeat as Demon navigates his lot in life with humor, grit, and resilience that is a proxy for the culture as a whole.
Dr. Cotell's Summer Reading Recommendation: The Goddess of Warsaw by Lisa Barr
This is a fast-paced fascinating story about a famous elderly Hollywood actress who hides a dark secret from her past life as a young woman in the Warsaw Ghetto. When a young Hollywood starlet approaches her to make a biopic of her life, the memories of the famous actress are brought to life.
Through the decades we see how her war torn struggles shape her and ultimately when someone from her past reemerges to threaten her, she puts into play both her survival and theatrical skills to protect herself and the ones she loves.
Molly Verhoff's Summer Reading Recommendation: The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration by Sarah Everts
I have been reading a lot of historical fiction recently, but the titles I've enjoyed are all already widely recommended (can I add to the chorus for all things Kristin Hannah?! Her most recent, The Women, is still on my mind months after reading).
Today, I am sharing something a little different, but very apropos for summer - the season of sweat! As we continue the warming trend with the hottest year on record, none of us are strangers to this basic and essential temperature-control process. I loved Sara Everts's non-fiction The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration as a very entertaining tour of all things sweat.
I appreciated her very readable description of the physiologic process of sweat- approachable for all interested readers, not just medical professionals. She goes on to explore some fun science: Yes - you can sweat in colors! No - we can't yet bottle human pheromones (but we'll keep trying)! And be careful before you commit your next crime! Your fingerprint pattern may reveal your identity, but they are inked in sweat with chemical content that reveals even more.
A dive into the cultural views on sweating takes readers on a trip through Finnish sauna culture and provides a history of deodorants and antiperspirants with associated marketing and fashion trends. Overall, what I was most impressed by was the opportunity to celebrate a bodily function that we all too often associate with stress, embarrassment, and shame. Companies continue to exploit this with new products like "whole body deodorant" and non-underarm special site deodorants. The marketing message with products like this is that, when sweating, your body must be doing something wrong; the biggest gift of Everts's book is the reminder of the power of this uniquely human process. The freedom of efficient temperature control is one of the essential ingredients in humanity's prolonged success. So sweat on, my friends!
Kaitlin Schupp's Summer Reading Recommendation: The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden
The Housemaid is a psychological thriller that revolves around Millie, a young woman who becomes the live-in housemaid for the wealthy Winchester family. As she settles into her new role, Millie begins to uncover disturbing secrets about her employers and the mysterious events surrounding the previous housemaid's disappearance. The story delves into themes of deception, power dynamics, and survival, building tension as Millie navigates a web of lies and dangerous truths within the seemingly perfect household.