Lately, the heat has been tough to beat. In fact, I’ve spent a lot of downtime in the AC, reading. But if you’re looking for something to read with a great story and a cool climate, I’ve got some suggestions for you…
A Reliable Wife, by Robert Goolrick. Set in a small town in 1907 Wisconsin, where the winters are harsh enough to drive people mad, Catherine Land arrives in answer to Ralph Truitt’s want-ad for “a reliable wife”. From the start, there’s something that doesn’t ring true with Catherine’s story, but she’s not the only one with secrets to hide. A dark psychological tale that builds to an ending you never saw coming.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson. This novel, the first in Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy, was a complete sleeper hit two summers ago. Yet its appeal hasn’t dropped off in the slightest, perhaps due to the striking originality of its multi-faceted thrilling plotline (which takes place in chilly Sweden), and also perhaps due to the odd pairing of main characters. Mikael Blomkvist, disgraced financial journalist, accepts help from young, socially awkward and somewhat hostile computer hacker Lisbeth Salander as he tries to redeem himself and rescue his career by helping ailing industrialist Henrik Vanger discover what happened to his long-missing niece before he dies. Hugely compelling, with characters that stick with you for years afterward. If you’re a fan of audiobooks, I highly recommend this one and its sequels—they are fantastic.
Northern Lights, by Nora Roberts. While it’s a few years old, this one is a favorite of mine. Former Baltimore cop Nate Burke finds himself running from his past and winds up as police chief in Lunacy, Alaska…population 506. A far cry from the busy city, Lunacy still has its challenges, and when a man who disappeared 16 years ago is found frozen in a remote mountain ice cave, an ice axe in his chest, it’s up to Nate to solve a years-old murder and keep order as locals begin to suspect one another. Told in Roberts’s signature effortless prose, with a romantic subplot (of course), this is a great one to add to your beach tote.
Next up in our summer reading series, another list of non-fiction favorites. Stay cool!
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