Amado, Jorge. Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands: A Moral and Amorous Tale. NY: Knopf, 1969.
       PQ 9697 .A647 D613
If you enjoy Brazilian literature, or if you have not read Brazilian literature, then pick up this book. This novel as all the ingredients a summer story needs to have – gossip, romance, music, and food.
 

Amado, Jorge. Gabriela, Clove, and Cinnamon. NY: Avon Books, 1978.
       PQ 9697 .A647 G313 1978
A vibrant romp through the 1920’s. Intricate plots, the struggle between old and new, and an interesting cast of characters. A must read!
 

Best, Joel. Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians, and Activists. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2001.
       HM 535 .B47 2001
This book explains how statistics can be manipulated or misinterpreted using many familiar events, such as the Million Man March. An interesting read in this election year when politicians use “facts” and statistics to argue their positions.
 

Broyard, Bliss. One Drop: My Father’s Hidden Life – A Story of Race and Family Secrets. NY: Little, Brown, 2007.
       PS 3552 .R79154 Z46 2007
The author learns that she is of mixed race when her father is dying and that he lived his adult life “passing” as white. Broyard tries to come to terms with her own racial identify, her father’s reasons for keeping this a secret, and the family history she was denied knowing as she grew up.
 

Coel, Margaret. The Girl with Braided Hair. NY: Berkley Prime Crime, 2007.
       PS 3553 .O347 G57 2007
Missing teeth, a long braid of hair, and a race to find the killer will engage the reader to the end. This author’s thirteenth novel is intelligently written. You do not need to have read the previous books, but after reading this story you will want to go back and read the first twelve.
 

Coutinho, Paul, S.J. How Big Is Your God? The Freedom to Experience the Divine. Chicago, IL: Loyola Press, 2007.
Although not an academic read, Coutinho’s text is a great summer read if you are interested in personal reflection. Chapter titles such as “Do You React or Respond to Life?” and “Are We Enslaved by Things We Do Not Fully Enjoy?” challenge you to think outside traditional religion and beyond the God we think we know. This book will stretch you and inspire you --- and leave you with an unforgettable summer read.
 

Damrosch, Phoebe. Service Included: Four-star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter. NY: Wm. Morrow, 2007.
       TX 910.5 D36 A3  2007
Ever wonder what it’s like to work as a waiter in a very high-end restaurant? This book will definitely tell you!  The author/waiter takes the reader into the world of exquisite dishes, challenging patrons, and dealing with food critics and celebrities. After reading, you won’t look at a waiter/waitress the same way you do now.
 

Davis, Ronald L. Mary Martin, Broadway Legend. Norman, OK: Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 2008.
       ML 420 .M332 D38 2008
If you enjoy reading about Broadway and theater history, you will truly enjoy Davis’ new biography. Tracing her life from the beginning in Weatherford, Texas, the author takes the reader on Martin’s travels, disappointments, and triumphs trying to break into the acting industry. She finally achieves and the rest, as they say, is history.
 

Doty, Mark. Dog Years: A Memoir (P.S.). NY: HarperCollins, 2007.
       PS 3554.O798 Z46 2007
This is a very touching story about how the author’s two dogs helped him through extremely difficult times and who, in turn, assisted each one at the end of their lives. You will be moved from laughter to tears and back again.
 

Drennan, William R. Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin  Murders. Madison: Terrace Books, 2007.
       NA 737 .W7 D74 2007
A compelling account of the murders and destruction of one of Wright’s most famous buildings Taliesin. Learn about this monumental architect’s complex life, time spent in Europe with his mistress, and his attempt to have some semblance of normalcy. A great companion read is Loving Frank: A Novel  by Nancy Horan (NY: Ballantine Books, 2007) written from the perspective of Wright’s companion.
 

Evanovich, Janet. Fearless Fourteen. NY: St. Martin’s Press, June 2008.
Every summer has an identified “chick-lit” book and this year it is Fearless Fourteen. Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter seeking fugitives in New Jersey, finds herself in quite humorous situations as she tries to catch the bad-guys, keep her on-again, off-again romance with Joe Morelli, and tries to deal with her dysfunctional family. A fun and witty read.
 

Faulks, Sebastian. Engleby: A Novel. NY: Doubleday, 2007.
       PR 6056 .A89 E542 2007
Written in diary form, this is a story about a high-achieving college student – Engleby -- who becomes the focus of an investigation of a missing, a presumed murdered, college classmate. We learn of the taunting of Engleby by others, of his nickname “Toilet,” and of the disturbed individual who cannot remember if he committed this heinous crime. A very fascinating read.
 

Hurd, Mary G. Women Directors and Their Films. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007.
       PN 1998.2 .H86 2007
If you are interested in film directing and want to learn about women who have directed films over time, then this is the book for you. Hurd covers 29 women from various time periods and countries. All genres of films – from documentaries to independents to commercial – are included. You will learn about the lives of up-and-coming directors as well as seasoned professionals.
 

Lahiri, Jhumpa. Unaccustomed Earth. NY: Knopf, 2008.
       PS 3562 .A316 U53 2008
Mary Stephen, Director of the Reinert Center for Teaching Excellence at Saint Louis University, highly recommends this book. Lahiri has written a series of short stories where the first story is as engaging as the last. Daily challenges, family relationships, and coming-of-age are themes that run throughout. Lahiri’s other two books -- Interpreter of Maladies and The Namesake – are good companion reads.
 

Murray, David, Joel Schwartz, and S. Robert Lichter. It Ain’t Necessarily So: How Media Make and Unmake the Scientific Picture of Reality. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2001.
       PN 4784 .T3 M87 2001
It Ain’t Necessarily So looks at misinterpretation and distortion of scientific information in the media. Is global warming really happening and, if so, to what degree? The authors argue that readers need to take into account what industry or organization funded the research being explained.
 

Nguyen, Bich Minh. Stealing Buddha’s Dinner: A Memoir. NY: Viking Press, 2007.
       CT 275 .N523 A3 2007
The author re-tells her story of coming to America as an infant from Vietnam in the 1970’s. Peppered with references to 1980’s pop culture (e.g.: TV, junk food, etc.), Nguyen describes her coming-of-age in a Midwestern town with a Mexican-American stepmother, and an alcoholic father. Information about her mother, who stayed in Saigon, is revealed at the end.
 

Nissenson, Marilyn. The Lady Upstairs: Dorothy Schiff and the New York Post. NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2007.
       PN 4874 .S33 N47 2007
What better to read during the hot, steamy summer than a true-life story of a wealthy, steamy businesswoman who owned and then sold the longest running newspaper in the history of the U.S. as well as exposed the corruption of top level politicians during her time.  This is a story about a spicy individual who fought for women’s rights while whirling through relationships including a possible extra-marital affair with FDR.
 

Nouwen, Henri. Adam: God’s Beloved. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1997.
       BX 4705 .A7325 N68 1997
This is a story about the author’s experience with Adam, a person with significant disabilities who lived in a L’Arche community. This type of community is a unique, worldwide organization devoted to people with physical and developmental disabilities. If you are interested in spiritual reflection, this is the book for you.
 

Oates, Joyce Carol. The Museum of Dr. Moses: Tales of Mystery and Suspense. Orlando: Harcourt, 2007.
       PS 3565 .A8 M87 2007
Award-winning author Oates has penned a series of 10 short stories, each one more lurid than the next. A summer reading page turner!
 

Rhodes, Richard. John James Audubon: The Making of an American. NY: Knopf, 2004.
       QL 31 .A9 R524 2004
This biography of Audubon takes you back to early 19th-century America where you learn about a very charismatic man obsessed with painting birds. Recapture the unspoiled land of our nation. Read about flocks of Passenger Pigeons so large that they darken the sky. A perfect summer journey into American history, art history, and natural history.
 

Sansom, C.J. Sovereign. NY: Viking, 2007.
       PR 6119 .A57 S68 2007
Readers of historical fiction will not be disappointed in Sansom’s latest novel. Sansom (author of Dark Fire and Dissolution) reprises attorney Matthew Shardlake who weaves through murder, intrique, and the occasional brutality of Tudor England. It may take all summer to read this story’s 592 pages.
 

Tammet, Daniel. Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant: A Memoir. NY: Free Press, 2007.
       RC 553 .A88 T36 2007
The author, a 27-year old autistic savant with Asperger’s syndrome, describes his life which is truly extraordinary. Approximately 50 people share Tammet’s medical condition world wide. He also has synaethesia, a condition where one sees days as colors and numbers as shapes with colors and textures. A very intriguing story about an amazing individual.
 

Ware, Chris. Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth. NY: Pantheon Books, 2000.
       PN 6727 .W285 J56 2000
Ware tells the story of several generations of men of the Corrigan family. The plot and symbolism is woven between the 1980s and Columbian Exposition era Chicago. A compelling story.
 

Weiner, Eric. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Place in the World. NY: Twelve, 2008.
       G 465 .W435 2008
Take a journey with NPR correspondent Eric Weiner to find the happiest, most joyous plan on Earth. Filled with stories of discovery – from Qatar to Holland, from Bhutan to India – Weiner does not disappoint! You will be surprised at what he finds in the end.