B.C. summer anthology a warm, sunny antidote to all the madness in the world

The Summer Book

24 B.C. writers Edited by Mona Fertig Mother Tongue Publishing

There are a few universal rules when it comes to enjoying summer: Always use sunscreen, stay hydrated and make sure you have something to read.

The summer read, while often light in nature, can be a weighty topic. Some people put only fiction on their lazy days list. Others prefer going down memoir lane, while some use the time to catch up on history. We all have our things, right?

Salt Spring Island’s Mother Tongue Publishing editor Mona Fertig decided a good summer read this season would be a collection of short stories by 24 B.C. authors. Called The Summer Book, the previously unpublished stories are aptly described by Fertig as “stories about summer, memories, meditations on nature and warm tales.”

Fertig hopes this book is a bit of an antidote to the wacky world in which we live. Perhaps the stories of warm, summer days and successful coming-of-age adventures will soften the edges of life and offer a bit of respite.

“It’s my counterbalance against all the madness in the world, especially the American election and Donald Trump, the angst and everything,” Fertig said.

“I thought, I want to do something positive and I like the essay form. It’s not done enough in Canada.”

The book is a great, no-heavylifting vacation companion. Kind of like a summer fling. You can dive in and get out pretty quickly.

Stop for a moment on the porch and read Briony Penn’s look at the benefits of being a tomboy in her piece, My Summer as a Boy, or let Anne Cameron’s Blackberry Grunt send you back to learning to swim the old-fashioned way — tossed into the water. Jane Eaton Hamilton delivers a laugh-out-loud conversation between a grandmother and a young boy in Bull Shark Summer.

An easy and enjoyable read, The Summer Book offers a sense of B.C. without delivering the usual tourism trope. Done with art and line work, there is spaciousness to the text.

The variety of topics makes for a well-stocked read. Like a bursting garden, you can simply pick what you want and enjoy it right there on the spot. It’s a quick escape.