Our Summer Book Recommendations Are Perfect for Staying Inside
The worst place for beach reading is the beach. Screaming children and seagulls surround you. Sand hits the pages, the sun burns your skin and makes your iPad unreadable. And you will definitely hit the glasses with the volleyball. Instead, turn on the air conditioner, put on a sweater, and try reading indoors during the summer from Lifehacker.
Patrick Allan, staff writer
Samurai William: The Englishman Who Discovered Japan , Giles Milton
Calling all history lovers! This book tells the story of William Adams, one of the first Englishmen to visit Japan. It’s filled with dangerous sea voyages, battles between samurai warlords, and an incredible take on life in 1600s Japan. If you are familiar with the books or the film adaptation of The Shogun , then this is about the real person these stories are based on.
Ego is the enemy , Ryan Holiday
The name speaks for itself; our own ego is often our worst enemy. It prevents us from learning, blinds us to our mistakes, and makes failure seem like a death sentence. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Many people in history have overcome their egos to do great things. In this sequel to Obstacle is the Way, Ryan Holiday showcases prominent historical figures who have struggled with egos and avoided attention in order to focus on their goals. There are many great lessons here.
The Girl Who Drank the Moon , Kelly Barnhill
Because sometimes you just want a fun fantasy filled with magic, monsters and witches that will make you feel like a child again.
Patrick Austin, staff writer
The Intestine: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ, Julia Enders
If you’re curious about the human digestive tract and why you should probably skip Cheetos for breakfast, check out Julia Enders’s Intestines : The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ . Anders and her conversational tone make this an easy informative reading that will take you on a journey and answer questions you are likely to have about your body, gut, and how what you eat affects your body and mind. in more quantities than you might imagine. Medical jargon is explained in just a few sentences, and detailed explanations of what you really want to know (like how farts work) are always exposed.
Alice Bradley, Associate Editor
Eileen , Ottessa Moshfeg
Eileen is a depressed, friendless, deeply troubled young woman in a dire situation: she lives with her alcoholic father, works in a boys’ prison, wears (for some reason) the clothes of her deceased mother. On weekends, she steals from shops, hides her father’s shoes, and chases the prison guard she is attached to. Eileen then makes a friend (apparently for the first time in her life) and things take an even weirder turn. What a wonderful summer reading!
Okay, maybe this one isn’t for the beach, but it’s good for lying under the covers, the air conditioner is on high, and everyone else is frolicking outside in the summer sun. Eileen is an irresistible character; the book is (in spite of everything) often funny and always entertaining; and you will not forget the ending in the near future.
Nick Douglas, staff writer
The Flintstones, Vol. 1 by Mark Russell and Steve Pugh
This new interpretation of the comics draws a poignant satire from Bedrock’s stupid world, where cavemen reinvent modern society on the fly. Their main religion is constantly changing gods, all their adaptations require food, and scientists launch a monkey into space using a slingshot. Fred Flintston, a tragic commoner, introduces some Neanderthals to the concept of work: “How do you like making rock?” “Hated it.” They ask what to do with their first paycheck. “I don’t know,” he tells them. Buy what someone else hates to do.
John Darniel’s universal harvester
At a video rental store in rural Iowa in the 1990s, someone tapes creepy home movies onto videotapes. The videos aren’t overtly violent or terrifying, but they are dangerous enough to harass multiple staff members who are tracking down the creator. John Darniel of The Mountain Goats, poet laureate of Lonely Souls in Secluded Areas, writes an inconsolable horror story that exposes the dual identity of the idyllic but isolated American countryside.
Melissa Kirsch, Editor-in-Chief
Scales by Don DeLillo
If you’re going to hide under a blanket with air conditioning on while smaller people chase Kadima balls on rocky shores, you need a big, expansive romance to keep you company, a kind of juicy and captivating story that’s more captivating than any beachfront rest can ever be. I spent the best of my years reading in the captivity of just such a book. In August 2002, I drove from Seattle to Los Angeles, stopping by friends on my way. My constant companion on this trip – and therefore the only thing I could talk about at a barbecue in Portland or while sightseeing in Big Sur – was Don DeLillo’s Libra .
The Libra represents the life of Lee Harvey Oswald, an often speculated cryptographer who took over history in November 1963. If you’re the kind of person who, like me, thinks, “Oh no, I saw Oliver. John Kennedy Stone, I don’t need another speculative look at the Kennedy assassination – think again. Libra is a character exploration and an intriguing romance with an intriguing storyline. DeLillo masterfully creates from overrated biographical facts about Oswald a charming and sympathetic man whose passions and motives seem far more complex than history books can ever convey. When you’re done, you can watcha Zapruder movie on YouTube and come up with some fresh conspiracy theories to tire your tanned and hot-blooded friends when they get home.
Lily Lou, trainee
1Q84 Haruki Murakami
Whether you like George Orwell’s 1984 or not, you will love Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 . The two books are set in 1984 and have similar titles, but that’s where the parallels end. 1Q84 takes place between two worlds: a normal and an alternate universe with two moons (this is dystopian). There are many different interesting elements in the book, such as a religious cult led by a leader no one has ever met, and hidden references to classical music and jazz. I’m not usually a fan of dystopian novels, but I really liked Murakami’s surreal storyline and the pace of the book.
Claire Lower, staff writer
This Wheel on Fire: Levon Helm and the Story of Stephen Davis’ Group
I know Robbie Robertson just released his book, but while I fully intend to read it, I have always found Robbie a little narcissistic and overly romantic. In this book, Levon presents a rather determined and sometimes depressing take on the group’s history, but he does so with warmth and wit. It’s totally addictive and wildly addicting, but keep in mind that it will ruin your Last Waltz .
At the All-Night Café: A Flashback to Belle and Sebastian, Stuart David
I just really enjoy reading about my favorite bands and Stuart David’s book is simply adorable. Not only will you get a comprehensive picture of what it was like to watch Belle and Sebastian take shape, but you can also see David grappling with his limitations as an artist and his secondary role in the band, which he somehow does without any restrictions. self-pity or bitterness towards “the other Stuart.” The only thing I criticize is that I would like this to continue for the first year, and I would like there to be no audiobook. I love a good Scottish accent and David has a pretty stellar language.
Beth Skorecki, staff writer
Orphan’s Tales: In the Garden of the Night by Catherine Valente
It is a series of interconnected fantasy stories told in the style of Arabian nights, where each story leads to another. Their action takes place in a world with its own mythology and magic, and you will learn something new about it with each fairy tale. Let’s start with the girl who was expelled from the palace because of a mole, which consists of stories written in her for centuries. Soon we will find out how a certain witch got her magic, and where she came from in the first place, and what you can do with the skin of a certain wild beast, and from that moment everything becomes better.
It’s a great read for a busy summer because it’s easy to digest in small chunks. However, don’t expect to put it off for long, because you will end up forgetting what happens in some of the storylines. Book A +, Enjoy Responsibly.