COLUMN: Viewpoint – Enjoy great summer reads

Abibliophobia is a humorous term for a fear of running out of reading material. To prevent you from experiencing abibliophobia this summer, here is my annual list of great reads to enjoy in July and August.

Two of my favourite authors released new books in June. Both are beautifully written stories that look at family relationships. Whistler by Ann Patchett explores how a car accident in a woman’s childhood impacted her whole life and her relationship with her stepfather. Elizabeth Strout’s latest novel, The Things We Never Say, reminds us that, even in the closest families, most people have secrets, doubts and burdens they can’t share with those they love.

There’s been a flurry of popular books recently that have older women as their protagonists. We may think, as people age, their lives get lonelier and less rich and meaningful. But just the opposite thing happens to Sybil, a retired law clerk in the novel The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, and Veronica, a former real estate investor in the book How The Penguins Saved Veronica. For Sybil, it is her correspondence with all kinds of interesting people that brings about a major life change, and in Veronica’s case, it is her interest in a penguin research facility in Antarctica.

I like to feature local authors in my annual summer reading roundup. David Bergen, a Niverville native, released his twelfth novel this year. It’s a bit of a departure from his other books, although his ability to stir emotion and suspense with his spare, unembellished style is still fully present. Days of Feasting and Rejoicing, set in Thailand, has mouth-watering descriptions of food. The authors’ detailed account of murder and its cover-up is spine-tingling! I was riveted by Children Like Us, Métis physician Brittany Penner’s memoir about her childhood in Steinbach. The title refers to Indigenous children who were adopted or fostered by white families.

A memoir I particularly enjoyed this past year was A Different Kind of Power by Jacinda Ardern, who was the prime minister of New Zealand from 2017 to 2023. She saw her country through COVID, a mass shooting and an endless stream of other crises. I was fascinated by Jacinda’s firm belief that kindness is the chief qualification for being a good leader and by the way she juggled parenting her daughter with her consuming political career.

A creative non-fiction book that totally engaged me was Force of Nature by Ann E. Burg. She tells the life story of Rachel Carson, a scientist, writer and environmentalist who was the author of the classic best-seller Silent Spring. Beautifully illustrated by Sophie Blackall, Force of Nature explains how Carson was a pioneer of the genre of writing that strives to interest the general public in nature’s wonders and helps them realize they have a responsibility to care for them.

I also want to recommend a couple of novels by Canadian authors. SNAP by Susin Nielsen is about three very different people who lose their tempers in public and embarrassing ways and become friends as they make amends for their behavior. Finding Flora by Elinor Florence vividly describes the hardships and triumphs experienced by women pioneers in Alberta at the turn of the century.

Finally, for a short but moving, evocative read, I’d suggest Foster by Claire Keegan. It’s about a young girl who goes to spend a rejuvenating and revealing summer with a family very different from her own.

All the literature referred to here has been reviewed at length on my blog, What Next, in the books section. Check it out for additional information. Happy summer reading!