and the lush green and blue beauty of Michigan. All year long I long for that next great read.
Give me a summer vacation, or a get away, that allows me time between the pages of a book;
where I am content, satisfied, easily lost in my imagination....
It's time to look at recommended summer reading lists; and, please find me recommendations
from a reading advocate, a reading addict. Bill Gates professes to make time
to read everyday; and his vacations involve a "big canvas tote bag full of books." (Does Bill
Gates not pack a library of eBooks? But then again, there is just something substantial about
a book that you can hold in your hand....the look, the feel, the heft, the connection....)
Gates has assembled a reading list of 5 books that "are fun to read, and most of them are
pretty short...What makes a genius tick? Why do bad things happen to good people? Where
does humanity come from, and where are we headed?" (From the GoodReads Blog: Bill Gates
Shares His Top Picks for Summer Reading.)
- Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson "I think Leonardo was one of the most fascinating people ever. Although today he's best known as a painter, Leonardo had an absurdly wide range of interests, from human anatomy to the theater. Isaacson does the best job I've seen of pulling together the different strands of Leonardo's life and explaining what made him so exceptional. A worthy follow-up to Isaacson's great biographies of Albert Einstein & Steve Jobs." 4.18 Stars (Possible 5 Stars) from GoodReads, 600 pages
- Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I've Loved by Kate Bowler "When Bowler, a professor at the Duke Divinity School, is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer, she sets out to understand why it happened. Is it a test of her character? The result is a heartbreaking, surprisingly funny memoir about faith & coming to grips with your own mortality." 3.91 Stars from GoodReads, 178 pages
- Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. "I thought I knew everything I needed to know about Abraham Lincoln, but this novel made me rethink parks of his life. It blends historical facts from the Civil War with fantastical elements --it's basically a long conversation among 166 ghosts, including Lincoln's deceased son. I got new insight into the way Lincoln must have been crushed by the weight of both grief and responsibility. This is one of those fascinating ambiguous books you'll want to discuss with a friend when you are done." (We looked at this book 2x as a possible book discussion book but as yet the membership hasn't embraced it; although, the Evening Book Group did discuss it last year.) 3.82 Stars from Goodreads, 343 pages
- Origin Story: A Big History of Everything by David Christian "David created my favorite course of all time, Big History. It tells the story of the universe from the big bang to today's complex societies, weaving together insights and evidence from various disciplines into a single narrative. If you haven't taken Big History yet, Origin Story is a great introduction. If you have, it's a great refresher. Either way, the book will leave you with a greater appreciation of humanity's place in the universe." 4.11 Stars from Goodreads, 357 pages
- Factfulness by Hans Rosling "I've been recommending this book since the day it came out. Hans, the brilliant global-health lecturer who died last year, gives you a breakthrough way of understanding basic truths about the world -- how life is getting better, and where the world still needs to improve. And he weaves in unforgettable anecdotes from his life. It's a fitting final word from a brilliant man and sone of the best books I've ever read." 4.41 Stars from GoodReads, 352 pages