Here we are again … it’s Summer reading time. Whatever that means! I know you enthusiastic readers read all year long but there’s something about the permission we give ourselves to sink into a book on a summer day that feels different. We seem to plan and think about our reading more in the warm months. Only so much room in a beach bag so we need to be efficient. Great big classic? Light and frolicky? What’s your leaning? Let us know if you have a list of your own going and if you have any interesting titles bookmarked.

Amy Mair and I met up again virtually for another fun blog/podcast tie-in chat about books on her Podcast, Red Fern Book Review. Tune in here to listen to us talk about summer reading and the background to these first six titles. Selections were narrowed down from a list of fifty-three! Finalists were chosen for the ability to broaden our horizons in a well-written, entertaining way. Hope you enjoy any and all journeys you choose!

Finding Freedom – A Cook’s Story: Remaking a Life from Scratch by Erin French

Just to be clear, this is not the Royal tell-all featuring Harry and Meghan. While they may also be Finding Freedom, this is not that. This is a memoir by the admirably successful Chef, Erin French of The Lost Kitchen fame. The Lost Kitchen is a renowned farm-to-table restaurant in the tiny town of Freedom, Maine and the inspiration for the cookbook, The Lost Kitchen – Recipes and A Good Life Found in Freedom, Maine: A Cookbook. While the restaurant itself could fill pages with it’s own iconic story, Chef Erin’s personal story is where this memoir focuses. Raised on a Maine farm, Erin spent her youth working in her Dad’s diner, developing a proficiency and love for making special meals. She set off for Medical school and then was faced with the reality of an unexpected pregnancy. This change in plans brought her back to the kitchen and then an unpleasant marriage and divorce, addiction to prescription drugs, loss of her first restaurant and just generally rock bottom. This is Erin’s story of finding her passion and courage to overcome while discovering success and happiness again. Lots of warm hearted reviews for this one and it will likely to appeal to lovers of Tembi Locke’s “From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home” which I adored and Jackie Kai Ellis’ “The Measure of my Powers: A Memoir of Food, Misery and Paris” Also good and a little grittier.

Hot Stew by Fiona Mozley

Here’s a glimpse into the fraught world of real estate development, set in London’s old SoHo district. This apparently reads like “a great night out in a city that never sleeps” and features an array of strong characters: a real estate maven who wasn’t expecting the strength of conviction and solidarity among the sex trade worker, drug addict and alcoholic residents of the building she’s seeking to turn into condos. While a strong message about the spirit and heart of a city being compromised by development exists in the story, with an air of Dickens, it also manages to keep an “ambitious, clever, brilliant, very funny” tone. Author Fiona Mozley was on the Booker Prize shortlist with her first book, Elmet, so is considered an accomplished writer.

Under the Wave at Waimea by Paul Theroux

Author Paul Theroux has been a resident of Hawaii for some 30 years so it can be assumed he knows the world he writes about in this new novel. He is, of course, known for his earlier works, The Mosquito Coast (soon to be a new movie, again) and Riding the Iron Rooster along with a great number of other significant travel stories. Under the Wave at Waimea follows the story of an aging surfer, who’s “a man who’s come undone” and is struggling with his lost step in the surfing scene he previously dominated and with the tragic results of a drunk driving incident. His girlfriend, who happens to be a nurse, makes it her mission to try to set him right again. The story does follow along on some travels to the mainland but also delves into the sub-culture of the homeless in Hawaii. This is not a superficial travelogue but rather a dive into the deep essence of Hawaii and its social cultures. “A dramatic, affecting commentary on privilege, mortality, and the lives we choose to remember. It is a masterstroke by one of the greatest writers of our time.”(HMH)

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara

“Unpredictable, cheeky and moving” ” Endearing and engaging” Those reviews sound like the types of reads we like! Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line follows the story of a young boy, living in an unnamed slum in a large Indian city. He loves the Police reality shows he watches on his family’s prized television and fancies himself a bit of a detective. When a child goes missing in the slum, our narrator sets off to solve the mystery but this isn’t Harriet the Spy, the crimes become greater in scope and more grim. It’s a detective story, a coming of age story and a social commentary. Writer Deepa Anappara is an award-winning Indian journalist who has extensively covered the impact of poverty in her country. In every review I’ve read, her incredible ability to capture and convey the very essence of the world in which her novel takes place is commented upon with admiration. I, personally, am not drawn to the new paperback cover but will not judge a book. I will however, take into account that the New York Times, Washington Post, and Time Magazine all deem this read one of the best books of the year.

The Music of the Bees by Eileen Garvin

This debut novel takes us to rural Oregon where three lonely souls find one another and a common love for beekeeping. A unique friendship forms and the likeable characters learn to overcome their grief and losses to become a sort of family to one another. The bees feature prominently and when their existence comes under threat, the friends strive to take a stand. “Eileen Garvin’s beautiful descriptions throughout this lovely novel immerse the reader in the seasons, the weather, the trees and the flowers, the river and the land and the rhythms of small-town life, but it’s the bees, with all their wonder and intricacy and intrigue, that make this story sing.”(Laurie Frankel) Eileen Garvin is a beekeeper herself in rural Oregon and has managed to share a “moving, warm and uplifting” story from her world. So looking forward to this. So many sources have named this as a “Favourite” for the season and beyond. Note that Eileen Garvin is scheduled to appear on an upcoming episode of Red Fern Book Review podcast.

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

Author Sara Nisha Adams is a mere 26 years old, lives in England, and is no doubt enjoying the release of her debut novel. The Reading List created a feeding frenzy among International publishers and is said to be “emotional and uplifting” as well as “an absolute joy” and “will make you fall in love with reading” The main character is a quiet widower who makes his way to Temple and to the shops in the west London suburb of Wembley and spends a great deal of time worrying about his bookworm granddaughter. Seeking a way to connect with her, the grandfather makes his way to the library where he finds guidance from another teen, a young girl working there. She has discovered a crumpled up list of novels tucked in the back of a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird and has found great solace in exploring the books. She suggests the grandfather tackle the list as well and they begin to forge a special friendship around their reading. This book is a five-star-worthy read on almost every reviewing platform. Wonderful to see a young author achieve such great success. Can’t wait to join the legion of fans! (Releasing June 8th, 2021)

Fifty-three titles and a still growing list – it doesn’t seem fair not to share at least a few more titles with you. Stay tuned for an addition to Summer Reading 2021 in a separate post coming soon!

Meanwhile, tune in to Red Fern Book Review!