Westport Public Library BOOK blog

If your book club takes a break during the month of August, now may be the time for you to catch up on your personal summer reading. I always have a list of books I meant to get to during the year, but there never seems enough time to read just for pleasure. With a few weeks of summer still left to enjoy, maybe one of these novels will appeal to you.

The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean, parallels one woman’s descent into Alzheimer’s disease and her role in the concealment of paintings at the Hermitage during the siege of Leningrad. Ivan Doig’s The Whistling Season takes place in rural Montana in the early part of the 20th century. This humorous tale of life on the prairie revolves around what happens when a widow from Minnesota arrives.

In The Attack by Yasmina Khadra, a successful Arab-Israeli surgeon seeks to understand his wife’s death as a suicide bomber. Kate Granville’s The Secret River, is the story of an Englishman convicted of theft and sent to Australia. He creates a new life for himself and his family in this story of dreams transformed.

If you prefer non-fiction, one of these books may interest you. There is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene is a heartwarming story about Haregewoin Teferra, a humanitarian who runs an orphanage in Ethiopia. The extent of the Aids crisis in Ethiopia and what one person can do is a moving and fascinating story. Tom Zoellner, a journalist, is the author of The Heartless Stone: A Journey through the World of Diamonds, Deceit and Desire. Zoellner exposes the hardship and hype surrounding the diamond industry as he traces the journey from Africa to the Arctic and finally to our local jeweler.

Of course, if you have read something great over the summer, why not add it to your club’s list in the fall. I’m always happy to get multiple copies for your group or arrange for a discussion guide. Just send me an e-mail!