Local luminaries disclose their summer reading lists
We asked five Capital Region book lovers to tell us what they’ve read lately (and recommend), how books fit into their daily busy lives, and what’s on deck for
the summer.
Joe Donahue, radio show host, WAMC
Q: Between hosting the “The Book Show” and interviewing authors on “The Roundtable” you must feature hundreds of books every year so asking what you What’s the Best Book You’ve Read Lately seems ludicrous. What’s the best book you’ve read lately?
A: This has been a good year for novels, so far. “French Braid” by Anne Tyler is one of her best ever, which is saying a lot. I can’t get “Young Mungo” by Douglas Stuart out of my mind. It is a haunting, beautiful novel with lush language and unforgettable characters. And “Sea of Tranquility” by Emily St. John Mandel deserves every word of praise it is getting. It is a time-traveling triumph.
Q: I’m sure you have a tall stack of books in your “to read” pile. Which are you most excited to get to?
A: The two books I can’t wait to read are “Tracy Flick Can’t Win” by Tom Perrotta and “Horse” by Geraldine Brooks. Also, Cormac McCarthy has two books coming in the fall. I have been waiting 16 years for those. And Stephen King ’s “Fairy Tale” is out in September, and I may need to take a personal day to fully enjoy that one.
Q: Your personal book collection must be vast. How do you decide what to keep?
A: It is a huge collection. Thousands and thousands of volumes — mostly signed. The most special ones are in bookcases in the house. The others are cataloged, protected and stored in crates. (It kind of resembles the final scene of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”) For everyday books I don’t want or need, they go to friends or are donated to the library.
Sarah Craig, executive director, Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs
Q: What’s the best book you’ve read recently? A: I take pleasure in books that improve my vision, sharpen my hearing and make me feel fully awake. My latest eye-opener was “My Name Is Chellis and I'm In Recovery from Western Civilization” by Chellis Glendinning. She examines the broad consequences of humanity's sudden and severe separation from nature over the last few hundred years. It's radical and fascinating.
Q: What do you hope to get to over the summer?
A:
The top four books in my pile are “Dwellers In the Land” by Kirkpatrick Sale, “Liberation Theology” by Rosemary (Radford) Ruether, “In the Absence of the Sacred” by Jerry Mander, and “Civilized to Death” by Christopher Ryan. I read nonfiction in the morning and fiction at night, and that means I'm usually reading fiction when I'm very tired. I often give it low marks. Maybe I should try it in the morning!
Q: With shows at Caffe Lena almost every night, when do you find the time to read?
A: I do my Caffe work from 1 p.m. to midnight. I try really hard not to let meetings and phone calls creep into my morning because that's my time for