Recommended Reads

When I was in college, a few friends had a lovely tradition of emailing everyone they knew at the end of spring semester to solicit reading recommendations for the summer, then sending out a compiled list. They're restarting that tradition this year; here's what I sent them - not an all-time favorites list, but a few titles I've liked recently. Share your suggestions for the summer in the comments! -Martha

The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell - I have a feeling a lot of people have read this already, but I didn't think it looked like my kind of thing until my book group decided to read it, and it turned out to be totally my thing. A Jesuit-organized mission makes first contact with an alien society; this was marketed as science fiction for people who don't read science fiction, but definitely very much science fiction (think Ursula K. le Guin). A heavy read; I loved the tone.

The Spellman Files and sequels, by Lisa Lutz - if my family decided to jointly write a detective series, it would look like this. A family of private eyes has wacky shenanigans, narrated by the slacker 27-year-old daughter, with footnotes and pop culture references!

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz - a nerdy Dominican, a family curse - people I've talked to either loved or hated this one; the voices and the plotline completely grabbed me, but the language and cultural references are definitely not for everyone.

What the Dead Know, by Laura Lippman - a woman claims to be one of two sisters who disappeared from a shopping mall 30 years earlier. Switches between the investigation of her story, and earlier flashbacks. More psychological suspense and exploration of character, rather than an action-packed page-turner, but compelling enough to read in a couple of sittings.

The Inn at Lake Devine, by Elinor Lipman - opens with 12-year-old Natalie Marx's family receiving a letter from an inn in Vermont, in response to an inquiry about summer openings, stating that Gentile guests feel most comfortable there; the inn goes on to play a large part in Natalie's life over the years. A funny, sweet family novel, with romance and cooking.