Beach time, travel, summer leisure – what to read? Here’s something for everyone – mysteries, non-fiction, fiction, humor, cookbooks, children’s books, young adult reading. Here is a complete list of recommendations by some of Milton Library’s avid readers (in case you missed the presentation on June 9!)
Best Picks for Summer Reading
At the Milton Public Library, Monday, June 9,2014
Mysteries and Suspense – recommendations by Hallie Ephron
The Fever by Megan Abbott
Nobody writes adolescent girls like Abbott; a mysterious epidemic of frightening seizures infects teenaged girls, sending the terrified town into chaos.
Invisible City by Julia Dahl
A young journalist for a tabloid paper goes to Brooklyn to cover a murder and finds herself drawn into the Hasidic community.
Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia
The Shining meets Grease. Kids at a Catskills hotel for a music competition witness a murder … or did they?
Small Plates by Katherine Hall Page
Page writes culinary mysteries featuring Faith Fairchild. Smart cozies. This book of short stories is a great introduction to her work and her characters.
The Prime Minister’s Secret Agent by Susan Elia MacNeal
The 4th series novel featuring Maggie Hope, a British code-breaking heroine set in World War II. These are fun, clever, thoroughly researched.
Shots Fired by C. J. Box
One of our best crime fiction writers, Box has written 14 Joe Pickett novels; this new book of suspense short stories is a great introduction. Wyoming setting, nuanced characters.
The Other Typist by Susan Rindell
Set in the 20’s during Prohibition, Rose is a mousey typist for the police into whose world walks Odalie. Odalie is everything that Rose is not — sparkly champagne to Rose’s dishwater. An absorbing novel that leaves a deliciously nasty aftertaste.
Non-Fiction – recommendations by Gene Boylan
Enemies Within by Matt Apuzzo and Adam Goldman
Two AP writers dissect the NYPD’s surveillance of Muslims and the chase after a home grown terrorist.
A Colossal Failure of Common Sense by Lawrence G. McDonald
A boy from Cape Cod finds himself at the center of the controversial decision to jettison Lehman during the Great Recession.
Otherwise Normal People byAurelia C. Scott
The sharp knives come out as roses become the obsessive focus of gardeners.
Street Smarts by Jim Rogers
Billionaire moves to Singapore so daughter can be fluent in Chinese, and
investment tips.
The Coldest Winter by David Halberstam
Last book from a great author about response to the first police action of
the Cold War.
Education of a Coach by David Halberstam
Here’s what you get when you start breaking down NFL film at the age of nine,
a great coach.
Fiction – recommendations by Frank Schroth
Can’t and Won’t by Lydia Davis
A new collection spanning 122 stories over 289 pages presents a chance to revel in the possibilities of brevity. They may be one-liners or they may be lengthier investigations of the havoc wreaked by the most mundane disruptions to the most routine.
The O’Henry Prize Stories
Twenty of the best short stories of the year 2013, selected from thousands published in literary magazines
The Night in Question by Tobias Wolff
Seamless, ironic, dizzying in their emotional aptness, these fifteen stories deliver small, exquisite shocks that leave us feeling invigorated and intensely alive.
American Romantic by Ward Just
Harry Sanders is a young foreign service officer in 1960s Indochina when a dangerous and clandestine meeting with insurgents—ending in quiet disaster—and a brief but passionate encounter with Sieglinde, a young German woman, alter the course of his life.
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
Richly evoking a mid-nineteenth-century world of shipping, banking, and gold rush boom and bust, The Luminaries is a brilliantly constructed, fiendishly clever ghost story and a gripping page-turner.
The Patrick Melrose Novels by Edward St. Aubyn
For more than twenty years, acclaimed author Edward St. Aubyn has chronicled the life of Patrick Melrose, painting a portrait of the beleaguered and self-loathing world of privilege. This volume collects the first four novels—Never Mind, Bad News, Some Hope, and Mother’s Milk, a Man Booker finalist—to coincide with the publication of At Last, the final installment of this unique novel cycle.
Humor and Historical Fiction – recommendations by Suzette Martinez Standring
Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris
The newest humor essays from the funniest man in America, according to Oprah (and me!). David Sedaris’ observations are pointed, edgy, and endearing.
Elevating Overman by Bruce Ferber
A funny and painful story of redemption that explores the complex ramifications of what it means to get a second chance, written by one of America’s leading comedy writers. Character Ira Overman gets Lasik surgery and receives an almost magical clarity on life and self-empowerment. What will he do with it?
Lunatics by Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel
That the highly improbable seems probabe is the comic genius of these two writers. The lives of a pet store owner and Sunday referee for a local kids soccer league and the proud and loving father of a star girls ten and under soccer player, are about to collide and threaten global security. The literary journey is a masterpiece of inspiration, chaos and lunacy.
Mrs Poe by Linda Cullen
A dangerous emotional triangle is created when Edgar Allan Poe’s wife tries to break the seductive spell that exists between the write and a fledgling poet Frances Osgood who was the author of Puss N Boots.
We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
A remarkable literary debut, this is the unflinching and powerful story of a young girl’s journey out of Zimbabwe and to America. It won the top 2014 PEN Hemingway Award for Fiction.
Books for Children -recommendations by Children’s Librarian Elaine Weischedel
Who’s on First? By Bud Abbott
The famous comedy routine is now a children’s book.
Tooth and Claw: The Wild World of Big Predators by Jim Arnosky
Get up close and personal with massive jaws, acute sense, and lightning fast claws.
The Griffin and the Dinosaur: How Adrienne Mayor Discovered a Fascinating Link Between Myth and Science by Marc Aronson, An curious, and determined woman solves the mystery of the Griffin.
President Taft is Stuck in the Bath by Mac Barnett
George Washington crossed the Delaware, Lincoln saved the Union, Taft stuck in a bathtub?
Stubby the war dog: The True Story of WWI’s Bravest Dog by Ann Bausum
A stray dog makes it to the Western front, earning medals and the affection of a nation.
Zoobots: Wild Robots Inspired by Real Animals by Helaine Becker
Young readers explore the world of robot-animals, or zoobots.
Flora &Ulysses: The Iluminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo
A superhero squirrel named Ulysses meets a cynic named Flora. See what happens.
The Battle for WondLa (Book III- The Search for WondLa) by Tony DiTerlizzi
Latest installment in the popular series.
Mouseheart by Lisa Fiedler
The first in a series of animal adventures set in the subways of Brooklyn.
Harriet the Spy by Lois Fitzhugh
Controversial when published, Harriet is now 50 and a certified classic.
The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes
7 year old Billy starts school with a bump on his head and a lot of worries.
Eye to Eye: How Animals See the World by Steve Jenkins
Four kinds of eyes, 2 dozen animals and incredible art work. Not to be missed.
Greek Mythology by Ken Jennings
The all-time Jeopardy champion is now creating super trivia books for children.
Bones Never Lie: How Forensics Helps Solve History’s Mysteries by Elizabeth MacLeod
Mysterious historical questions are given full-blown forensic scrutiny, with amazing facts.
Jubilee! One Man’s Big, Bold, and Very, Very Loud Celebration of Peace by Alicia Potter
The story of an all-but-forgotten concert that happened in Boston in 1869.
To Dare Mighty Things: The Life of Theodore Roosevelt by Doreen Rappaport
This biography is sprinkled with quotes from TR’s writings, making it a gem.
Octopus’s Garden by Ringo Starr
Illustrated with a CD included!
Queen Victoria’s Bathing Machine by Gloria Whelan
The queen loved to swim but was concerned about her subjects seeing her in a bathing suit, so Prince Albert came to the rescue with his invention. Includes a photo of the machine!
Books for Teens – recommendations by Teen Librarian Amy Rosa
All the Truth That’s in Me by Julie Berry (historical fiction/mystery),
This original novel that will shock and disturb, and its mysteries will keep the reader feverishly turning the pages until the very last.
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi (dystopian scifi)
Aria has lived her life in a dome, her world confined to its spaces, never thinking about what lies outside. When her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving outside are slim — until she meets an outsider.
Every Day by David Levithan (general fiction with elements of scifi/fantasy)
There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere. Then, something changes all that.
Winger by Andrew Smith (realistic fiction for boys)
An exceptional balance of hilariouis and heartbreaking, this story of a fourteen year old boy who loves doodling comics, is also a story of how to survive life’s complications and even perhaps find some happiness along the way.
Cookbooks -recommended by Connie Spiros
50 Best Plants on the Planet by Cathy Thomas
A listing of the most nutrient-dense rich fruits and vegetables and 150 recipes featuring them.
Grill to Perfection by Andy Husbands and Chris Hart
Two champion pit masters share recipes and techniques for great backyard grilling.
Pizza on the Grill by Eiizabeth Karmel and Bob Blumer
110+ recipes for Pizza made on your grill along with some great sides to accompany them.
Fruitful: Four Seasons of Fresh Fruit Recipes by Brian Nicholson and Sarah Huck
From sweets to savory, every chapter is devoted to the produce of the moment.
Showcases the bounty of the Red Jacket Farm in the finger lake region of Geneva, NY.
Sweet Gratitude by Judith Sutton
Bake a thank you for the really important people in your life.
How to Pick a Peach, the Search for flavor from Farm to Table by Russ Parsons
How do you tell if a melon is ripe? Which corn is sweeter, white or yellow?
You’ll get the answers in this book. Should you refrigerate eggplants?
We Sure Can, How Jams and Pickles are Reviving the Lure and Lore of Local Food by Sarah B. Hood
Celebrate the Canvolution where urban preservationists are food bloggers and rediscovering the lost art of home canning their own jams, pickles and preserves.
Cape Cod Chef’s Table by John F.Carafoli
The Cape’s best chefs, restaurant, farmers, and purvegyors under one “roof, featuring recipes for the home cook from the Cape’s most celebrated eateries.
This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Milton Public Library
Visit us at www.mplfriends.org.
