Ah, summer nears and, most likely, you have vacation plans. Perhaps, it’s the beach or the mountains or maybe leisurely days on your very own veranda. Whatever the target, I hope you take a good book along for the journey. From my perspective, there are few pleasures better than idling away a summer’s eve with a good book in hand and an icy beverage on standby.
The question is: what to read? In our over-communicated world, choices abound and any pursuit of a good book can be a tedious, time-consuming, and confusing proposition.
A guide helps. Here are some books and authors you might consider.
Barbara Kingsolver spent her formative years in Carlisle, which is just about 45 miles south of Maysville and only an hour or so from Florence. If you’ve not read her books, you should certainly consider them. The genre is historical; the insight pointed and peppered with relevant social themes.
Among her many books is the best-selling Poisonwood Bible, perhaps her most famous work. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, this book tells the story of Nathan Price, as seen through the eyes of his wife and daughters. In 1959, Price a fiery, evangelical Baptist minister moves his family and mission to the Belgian Congo, back then a place of intrigue in world events.
The family carries with them everything needed to fashion a new home in a mysterious land. However, soon everything they cherish morphs in the heat and turmoil of Africa. What follows is a suspenseful, decades-long epic about a family’s tragic collapse and its remarkable restoration in postcolonial Africa.
Kingsolver’s writing style is superb. Here’s a sample: “Every few years, even now, I catch the scent of Africa… ripe fruits, acrid sweat, urine, flowers, dark spices… a piquant blend, much like its jungles, of the beauty of nature and the less-than-glamorous realities of human life.” Good stuff.
Other books by Kingsolver include Animal, Vegetable, Miracle; The Lacuna; The Bean Trees; and Pigs in Heaven. Kingsolver’s website offers many insights: www.kingsolver.com.
If you’re a mystery buff, and many of us are, don’t overlook Kentucky’s very own Abigail Keam, www.abigailkeam.com.
Keam pens the Josiah Reynolds mystery series. Among her best are the “Death by” books: Death by a Honeybee, Death by Bourbon, Death by Chocolate, Death by Lotto, and Death by Derby. These are entertaining books, off-beat at times, but always engaging. Keam’s tag line is forceful: there’s the law and then there’s Kentucky justice. That statement alone should entice you to pick up one of her books.
Stepping away from Kentucky authors for a moment and delving into the world of nonfiction, you can never go wrong reading a book by Hampton Sides. His are marvelous stories, rooted in fact, and they compare nicely to fictional thrillers. His latest effort, In the Kingdom of Ice, is the tale of the misguided polar voyage of the USS Jeannette in the late 19th Century.
Here’s the tease: “The ship sailed into uncharted seas, but soon was trapped in pack ice. Two years into the harrowing voyage, the hull was breached. Amid the rush of water and the shrieks of breaking wooden boards, the crew abandoned the ship. Less than an hour later, the Jeannette sank to the bottom, and the men found themselves marooned a thousand miles north of Siberia with only the barest supplies. Thus began their long march across the endless ice—a frozen hell in the most lonesome corner of the world. Facing everything from snow blindness and polar bears to ferocious storms and frosty labyrinths, the expedition battled madness and starvation as they desperately strove for survival.” Also, good stuff.
This one will keep you on the edge of your seat, a Hampton Sides trademark. Hellhound on His Trail, the story of how James Earl Ray stalked and killed Martin Luther King, is one of the finest books I have ever read. I could not put it down. I highly recommend this author’s books to you: www.hamptonsides.com.
Lastly, don’t overlook Hallee Bridgeman’s jewel series: Sapphire Ice, Greater than Rubies, Emerald Fire, and Topaz Heat. Bridgeman, a resident of Winchester, is a best-selling Christian-oriented author. Her romantic suspense novels, packed with action, feature realistic characters embracing real world problems.
Bridgeman’s refreshing books teem with edginess and heart-stopping excitement. A prolific writer, she also pens parody cookbooks. Her suspense stories, I call them her ‘song’ books, are fine reads: An Aria for Nick, A Melody for James, and A Carol for Kent. Learn more at www.bridgemanfamily/hallee.
Enjoy the summer.
Donald Then, a novelist and experienced editor and journalist, is NKyTribune’s literary editor. He reviews books written by local authors or those with a Northern Kentucky setting. Reach him at author@djamesthen.com Visit his website at www.djamesthen.com.