Advantage magazine once again spoke with Linda McLoughlin Figel of {pages} a bookstore about her top summer reading book recommendations. Located in Manhattan Beach, {pages} is an independent bookstore serving the South Bay. Linda and her book-savvy staff are masterful in matching readers with just the right books. Their well-curated inventory makes finding your next read a delightful adventure. Here are some summer reading suggestions from Linda.
The Demon of Unrest
by Erik Larson
This is an epic work of historical narrative fiction. This story explores the complex political landscape of the period immediately preceding the Civil War, paralleling it with today’s political climate. The book presents the voices of key figures, providing insight into the tumultuous era and the profound struggles and convictions that defined a nation on the brink of war.
Same As It Ever Was
by Claire Lombardo
Protagonist Julia Ames is on the brink of so many things: sending her youngest off to college, marrying off her firstborn, relaxing into mid-life, enjoying the peace of an empty nest and the comfort of a decades-long marriage. Except she’s not. Things are going to get messy. We cringe with her missteps, cheer for her near-triumphs and want her to see what is right in front of her.
The Women
by Kristin Hannah
Hannah’s best book yet, this is the story of 20-year-old Frances McGrath and the women she served with in Vietnam. It’s the story of relations forged in war and the challenges of returning home to a country divided and in denial that women ever served. It delivers history lessons told through rich, complex, relatable characters about whom we care deeply and whose plights break our hearts and then put them back together, at least partially. Keep your tissues handy!
Perfect Eloquence: An Appreciation of Vin Scully
by Tom Hoffarth
Collected and edited with deep admiration and affection, this tribute to the Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster is in the words of writers, broadcasters and others—including Chris Erskine, who knew him and celebrated him not just for his 67 years of calling games for the Dodgers but for his values, actions and contributions away from the game.
The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook
by Hampton Sides
From this New York Times bestselling author, an epic account of the most momentous voyage of the Age of Exploration, which culminated in Captain James Cook’s death in Hawaii and left a complex and controversial legacy still debated to this day. This account of Cook’s last journey both wrestles with Cook’s legacy and provides a thrilling narrative of the titanic efforts and continual danger that characterized exploration in the 1700s.
The God of the Woods
by Liz Moore
In this literary, character- and plot-driven, twisty mystery, Barbara disappears from her summer camp in the Adirondacks 16 years after her brother’s disappearance—and that’s just the beginning. This book has it all: family drama, page-turning suspense and the perfect setting. Sit back and carve out some time and enjoy. You won’t be able to put this one down.
All the Colors of the Dark
by Chris Whitaker
This is a gem of a page-turner full of characters with whom you will be deeply vested. The Pirate and the Beekeeper are childhood friends whose friendship unwittingly leads them into the darkest depths of life-altering mystery, murder and hostage situations and missing persons! Run, don’t walk, to this treasure.
