READING GOALS
Each June, I set myself the goal of reading a set list of books over the summer. Most years, I read some of them, but seldom all. Along the way, I purchase or borrow books, and they end up taking priority. This year’s list is a mix of notable books and bestsellers, both fiction and nonfiction.
I’ve read many of Verghese’s earlier works and almost all Toibin’s and Strout’s novels; they are favorite writers of mine! Years ago, I read Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips for my book group and then later her Quiet Dell.
Claire Keegan is a recent discovery, and as part of becoming a Tar Heel, I will read Wilmington’s Lie. Sadly, Jacqueline Winspear is giving up Maisie Dobbs, detective, and the title here is her last appearance. Overall, this list includes many writers whom I’ve read previously.
MY SUMMER READING LIST
The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear (#18, end of the Maisie Dobbs series)
Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
The Demon of Unrest by Eric Larson (Abraham Lincoln & the months before the Civil War)
Homecoming by Kate Morton
Long Island by Colm Toibin (return of Ellis Lacey of his earlier Brooklyn)
Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo (2024 Pulitzer Prize winner in biography)
Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips
North Woods by Daniel Mason
Tables for Two by Amor Towles (stories)
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
The Marriage Question by Maggie O’Farrell
The Postcard by Anne Berest (autobiographical fiction, Holocaust family)
Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin (life & politics in the 1960’s)
Walk the Blue Fields by Claire Keegan (stories)
Wilmington’s Lie by David Zucchino
Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)
Homecoming and Covenant are both terrific, immersive, sit-on-the porch and read-all-day books. I had very mixed feelings about North Woods. Some of your other choices are waiting for me on my Kindle, thanks to NetGalley. Happy reading and watching the waves.
I can lend you Wilmington’s Lie, if you like. But I think it’s worth owning a copy: I found the history it recounted to be astonishing.
Another good one for you: Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali.