BEST BOOKS FOR SUMMER

L-P staffers make some suggestions

CRAIG BAIRD, REPORTER

Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty by Charles Leerhsen As a fan of baseball history growing up, I was always led to believe that Ty Cobb was the best-ofthe-best as a ballplayer, but the worst-of-the-worst as a human being. This biography dives deep into the life of the Georgia Peach, showing he was much more complex and, in many ways, a much better person than we all thought.

MICHAEL BELL, PHOTOGRAPHER

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders I read and then re-read this book twice this spring. It tells the story of Abraham Lincoln’s sons, and how Lincoln’s grief influenced him as the civil war was unfolding, the country experiencing mass death for the first time. But that’s just the backdrop: the real story takes place in the cemetery where Willy Lincoln was buried. The son passes from life to death, over to a kind of ghost limbo, where he meets some other interesting ghostlike characters. It’s a remarkable book.

PAMELA COWAN, REPORTER

Turbo Twenty-Three by Janet Evanovich Former English profs and wellread friends, please don’t judge me. No doubt about it, this is candy floss reading — light and fluffy, but fun. This whodunnit featuring bounty hunter Stephanie Plum will never receive a Pulitzer Prize, but it’s a comedic escape from the terrifying headlines generated by Trump and North Korea.

AUSTIN DAVIS, DIGITAL CO-ORDINATOR

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe “You’re either on the bus or off the bus.” What can be gleaned from a nearly 50-year-old book about hippies experimenting with LSD and travelling across America to spread their psychedelic message? It’s more than a time capsule: Wolfe’s book, the essential read on Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters, captures a generation’s desire to go further, to tap into something bigger. But it also illustrates why the longhaired freaky people didn’t win.

GREG FINGAS, COLUMNIST

Enlightenment 2.0 by Joseph Heath An entertaining and insightful examination of how our political environment is increasingly shaped by visceral reactions rather than thoughtful debate — and a guide to the collective action needed to escape the trap of anti-rationalism.

BRIAN FITZPATRICK, REPORTER

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway The reports of panicked bulls goring runners at the San Fermín festival in Pamplona, Spain flood in each July and remind us of this classic. Bullfighting itself isn’t for everyone, but this 1920s tale has so much more to offer. As we follow the war-wounded veteran Jake Barnes and his adventures in love and excess from Paris to the famous corridas in Navarre, it’s Hemingway at his dark, brilliant best. If you have time, read Death in the Afternoon, his non-fiction dissection of the moral weaklings and strongmen of Spanish bullfighting.

D.C. FRASER, REPORTER

The Whaling People of the West Coast of Vancouver Island and Cape Flattery, by Eugene Arima and Alan L. Hoover Perfect for the history lover’s trip to the Pacific this summer. Though not exactly a light read, the collection of First Nations histories within it offers phenomenal perspective on the organized societies found within Canada’s first people. As Canadians struggle to achieve reconciliation, this book is full of oral history and accounts to help understand and celebrate the complex societies found on the coast. Some great photos, too.

JOHN GORMLEY, COLUMNIST

The Alphabet Series by Sue Grafton Having walked for years past a bookcase full of Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone murder mysteries, I took the plunge as a summer project and have already made it from A is for Alibi to D is for Deadbeat. Still in the pre-cellphone era (even pre-fax) of the early 1980s, the books have aged well. Clever and compelling, just like their heroine, there are 20 left (Grafton’s “Y” book comes out this summer).

ASHLEY MARTIN, REPORTER

The Winners’ Circle by Gail Bowen (or any of her previous novels) Joanne Kilbourn is back for a 17th mystery in Bowen’s latest book, a thriller that meshes law, murder, politics and love, among other themes. Bowen writes the perfect summer beach reads — thoughtful, smart and entertaining. Since the author has spent half her life in Regina, it’s fun to see the city reflected in her stories, too.

MURRAY MCCORMICK, SPORTS WRITER

Slaying the Tiger: A Year inside the Ropes on the New PGA Tour by Shane Ryan For me, summer means golfing or reading about golf. Slaying the Tiger took me inside the PGA Tour after being dominated for years by Tiger Woods. Ryan’s book added personalities to the young players who are attempting to fill Tiger’s golf shoes.

MARK MELNYCHUK, REPORTER

It by Stephen King The movie doesn’t come out until Sept. 8, but the book is about 1,300 pages so now is a great time to get started. It’s also a good way to pass the time until season two of Stranger Things comes out. It not only features great supernatural horror, but also the everyday evils of suburban small-town life, be it psychotic bullies or abusive parents. If you’re new to Stephen King, It is essential reading.

BARB PACHOLIK, REPORTER AND COLUMNIST

Sour Milk, Paper Cows and Boiling Point & Cold Cases by Barb Pacholik and Jana G. Pruden I’m obviously biased, but this trilogy about more than a hundred true crime stories from Saskatchewan past and present is the perfect summer read. Each chapter delivers one irresistible crime tidbit — easy to put down and pick up again after a swim, a hike or exploring without missing a heartbeat.

HEATHER POLISCHUK, REPORTER

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King As a crime reporter who writes fiction in that genre in her spare time, I am always on the lookout for books on the craft by those with something to teach. Originally published in 2000, On Writing provides readers with a fascinating, honest and often amusing glimpse into King’s life — both personal and professional — as well as an indispensable “tool box” (his word) for aspiring writers.

STEPHEN RIPLEY, EDITOR

Wolf Willow by Wallace Stegner This 1962 autobiography about growing up on the edge of the Cypress Hills instils an appreciation for the often overlooked — by me, at least — “empty places” in this province. It has helped motivate and inform my weekend adventures in southwest Saskatchewan.

ASHLEY ROBINSON, REPORTER

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty You may have watched the HBO miniseries but did you know it is based on a 2014 novel? The book is gripping and has slightly different plot lines than the TV show, but still focuses on the drama surrounding a group of mothers. As well it delves deeper into the backstories of the characters. Personally, I think the novel is better than the show.

JAMES ROMANOW, WINE COLUMNIST

Sea to Sky by R. E. Donald There’s nothing like some sunshine, a chair, and a whodunit to make a good summer’s day for me. R. E. Donald’s Hunter Rayne novels are set on the West Coast, where Rayne, an ex-RCMP officer and now trucker, finds himself still drawn into homicide investigations. Somewhere between a procedural and a cosy (the violence is offstage) these are a great way to pass a couple of days.

TIM SWITZER, CITY CO-ORDINATOR

Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis What if animals were given human intelligence? When two gods give it to 15 dogs overnighting at a vet clinic, the story follows how the animals react to their new world. While offering some fun and heartbreaking glimpses at the animal-human connection, it looks at the bigger questions of how it is best to live one’s life and how we all adapt to change and new ways of thinking.

ROB VANSTONE, SPORTS WRITER

Shattered by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes This page-turner is a behind-thescenes look at Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and its myriad failures and shortcomings. When you read this book, it isn’t at all surprising that Donald Trump won the election. The Democrats pretty much defeated themselves.