Online - June 20, 2008

On the Books

Summer Reading Roundup

Say adios to DeAnna, Denise, and Dina and stimulate the mind with some interesting characters.

Kid Nation
In Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop’s poignant second novel, December, 11-year-old Isabelle hasn’t spoken in nearly a year — and her parents and psychiatrists are at a loss for words. Facing an ultimatum from Isabelle’s fed-up school, she’s got less than a month to start talking.

The Apprentice
Jack Smith, a vice-plagued, unfulfilled businessman, is abducted by a California-born emerging cult (hello, scientology). The surprising part: Its crazy teachings actually seem to help him. Or do they? The truth awaits in Josh Emmons’s second book, Prescription for a Superior Existence.

Survivor
If you seek to be moved — to laughter, that is — look no further than newbie Meredith Norton’s memoir, Lopsided: How Having Breast Cancer Can Be Really Distracting. Her victimless approach doesn’t sugarcoat the experience but rather brings to light hilarious universals (e.g., constant Lance Armstrong mentions from friends and family).

Beauty and the Geek
Okay, so the cover may have a half-naked chick on it, but if you’re seeking a page-turner for the beach, put your nose in Seth Greenland’s Shining City, due out July 8. Average Joe Marcus Ripps’s deceased brother leaves him an abnormally lucrative dry-cleaning business. The catch: It’s actually an upscale brothel.

The Simple Life
New novelist David Wroblewski’s The Story of Edgar Sawtelle gives us Edgar, a mute boy implicated in his father’s murder and forced to flee the pristine farm of his upbringing. With only his three dogs as companions, Edgar faces an unknown wilderness. We predict Wroblewski is the next big thing.