Readers, rejoice — it is the time of year when daylight takes its time going away, and we can sit in parks reading books for hours on end. That, of course, lends itself beautifully to some al fresco book clubs taking place all summer. So the only issue facing you really is, what to read?
As always, this season has plenty of juicy, easy beach reads on offer, which occasionally end up being fabulous books in and of themselves. There's also plenty of tomes coming from heavy-hitting authors, who seem to be trying to sneak their more serious works into vacations and the like (which is just fine by us, to be honest).
Check out these ideas for what to read with your book club this month, and let us know if there's a must-read for us!
Book: Em and the Big Hoom by Jerry Pinto (available June 24, 2014)
Genre: Fiction
Elevator pitch: A story about a married couple in India as narrated by their child, this book looks at what it means when your mother is the centre of everyone's world — and what it means when she changes drastically.
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Falooda and samosas
Number of pages: 240 pages
Comparables: Life Is What You Make It; Family Matters
Book: The Untold by Courtney Collins
Genre: Adventure, love
Elevator pitch: A woman is on the run in the 1920s Australian Outback, trying to escape both her lover and the police.
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Meat pies
Number of pages: 288 pages
Comparables: The Sisters Brothers; Water For Elephants
Book: The Secret Life Of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams
Genre: Historical fiction
Elevator pitch: A 1960s privileged Manhattanite tries to exert her independence by working — then ends up discovering far more about her family (and where she gets her ambition) than she ever thought possible
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: A classic martini
Number of pages: 448 pages
Comparables: The Heiresses
Book: My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff
Genre: Autobiography
Elevator pitch: A year in the life of literary assistant Rakoff found her answering J.D. Salinger's fan mail, and sucked into that world more than she would have guessed.
Will it be a movie?: Yes — rights were sold in 2012
Goes best with: Apparently, Burger King
Number of pages: 272 pages
Comparables: The Devil Wears Prada; & Sons
Book: Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey
Genre: Mystery
Elevator pitch: A woman who is losing her memory is convinced her best friend has gone missing, but while searching for her, begins to uncover a long-lost crime about her sister
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Tea and cookies
Number of pages: 288 pages
Comparables: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry; Before I Go To Sleep
Book: Longbourn by Jo Baker
Genre: Historical fiction
Elevator pitch: This rewriting of Pride & Prejudice focuses on the Bennets' housemaid, and her own feelings of rebellion (now in paperback)
Will it be a movie?: Yes indeed
Goes best with: Ice cream and punch
Number of pages: 352 pages
Comparables: The Help; The Jane Austen Book Club
Book: The Rise & Fall Of Great Powers by Tom Rachman
Genre: Literary fiction
Elevator pitch: What becomes of a little girl who is kidnapped by criminal masterminds and used in their schemes around the world? This book has an idea.
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: A pint, for the book's Welsh roots
Number of pages: 400 pages
Comparables: The Goldfinch
Book: The Book Of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez
Genre: Fiction
Elevator pitch: An American immigrant story involving a Mexican family (whose daughter has just had a terrible accident) and a Panamanian teen
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Tacos and margaritas
Number of pages: 304 pages
Comparables: The Namesake; My New American Life
Book: The Quick by Lauren Owen
Genre: Historical suspense
Elevator pitch: A brother's death leads in Victorian England leads his sister to investigate, and discover an underground world few knew existed
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Chilled champagne
Number of pages: 544 pages
Comparables: The Night Circus; The Crimson Petal and the White
Book: Summer House With Swimming Pool by Herman Koch
Genre: Medical crime
Elevator pitch: A doctor to the stars loses a patient, and realizes how much he hates the people he treats in this psychological thriller/novel of manners
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Pomegranate juice (healthy and the colour of blood)
Number of pages: 400 pages
Comparables: The Surgeon; The Dinner
Book: The Vacationers by Emma Straub
Genre: Family fiction (but adult)
Elevator pitch: From the title to the cover, is there anything about this book that doesn't scream beach read? The plot is right on the same lines, about an American family's two-week trip to Mallorca (but with truly excellent writing)
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Sangria
Number of pages: 304 pages
Comparables: Seating Arrangements; Cutting Teeth
Book: Emancipation Day by Wayne Grady
Genre: Historical fiction
Elevator pitch: A love story that brings together two people from very different backgrounds and pulls them through mid-century Newfoundland, Toronto and Detroit
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Screech
Number of pages: 336 pages
Comparables: The Orenda; Boy Snow Bird
Book: Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Genre: Autobiography
Elevator pitch: Basically a pre-Presidential run pitch, this book looks at the former Secretary of State's four years in office, and what her decisions meant
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Wine. Hillary seems like a wine kind of lady
Number of pages: 656 pages
Comparables: My Life; A Fighting Chance
Book: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
Genre: Young adult fiction
Elevator pitch: Two teenagers with cancer fall in love, beautifully
Will it be a movie?: You bet it is!
Goes best with: Heineken (you'll get it once you read the book)
Number of pages: 336
Comparables: Eleanor & Park; Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Book: Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand
Genre: Family fiction
Elevator pitch: Family and friends gather in Nantucket for a wedding that has been "planned" by the bride's deceased mother — and it goes as well as would be expected
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: A Nantucket cocktail
Number of pages: 416 pages
Comparables: The World Without You; Girls In White Dresses
Book: Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead
Genre: Psychological fiction
Elevator pitch: Like "Black Swan," except about a woman who didn't make it to the top, got married instead, and found herself back at the ballet with her prodigy son
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Tea (ballerinas don't drink!)
Number of pages: 272 pages
Comparables: All My Puny Sorrows; The Cranes Dance
Book: Orange Is The New Black by Piper Kerman
Genre: Memoir of prison
Elevator pitch: Who doesn't want to compare the TV show to the source material? Kerman's autobiography of her time in prison is quite different from the show, but equally entertaining
Will it be a movie?: It's better than a movie!
Goes best with: Anything from roast chicken to coconut cake
Number of pages: 327 pages
Comparables: Brain On Fire: My Month Of Madness; Life Without Parole: Living And Dying In Prison Today
Book: The Opposite Of Loneliness by Marina Keegan
Genre: Essays
Elevator pitch: A collection of hope written by and for millennials, by a woman who died far too young
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Absolutely anything you feel like consoling yourself with
Number of pages: 240 pages
Comparables: 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found a Self-Help that Actually Works -- A True Story; After the Fire, A Still Small Voice
Book: One More Thing Stories And Other Stories by B.J. Novak
Genre: Short stories
Elevator pitch: The first effort by the actor known best for playing Ryan Howard on "The Office" will make you laugh out loud in recognition and surprise
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Scotch. Because why not?
Number of pages: 288
Comparables: Tenth of December; Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls
Book: Age Of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth And Faith In The New China by Evan Osnos
Genre: Non-fiction
Elevator pitch: The "New Yorker's" correspondent in China writes about his experiences watches the changes in the country, the psychological of the people and government and what will happen next
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Tsingtao beer
Number of pages: 416 pages
Comparables: How To Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia; The Corpse Walker: Real Life Stories: China From the Bottom Up
As always, this season has plenty of juicy, easy beach reads on offer, which occasionally end up being fabulous books in and of themselves. There's also plenty of tomes coming from heavy-hitting authors, who seem to be trying to sneak their more serious works into vacations and the like (which is just fine by us, to be honest).
Check out these ideas for what to read with your book club this month, and let us know if there's a must-read for us!
Book: Em and the Big Hoom by Jerry Pinto (available June 24, 2014)
Genre: Fiction
Elevator pitch: A story about a married couple in India as narrated by their child, this book looks at what it means when your mother is the centre of everyone's world — and what it means when she changes drastically.
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Falooda and samosas
Number of pages: 240 pages
Comparables: Life Is What You Make It; Family Matters
Book: The Untold by Courtney Collins
Genre: Adventure, love
Elevator pitch: A woman is on the run in the 1920s Australian Outback, trying to escape both her lover and the police.
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Meat pies
Number of pages: 288 pages
Comparables: The Sisters Brothers; Water For Elephants
Book: The Secret Life Of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams
Genre: Historical fiction
Elevator pitch: A 1960s privileged Manhattanite tries to exert her independence by working — then ends up discovering far more about her family (and where she gets her ambition) than she ever thought possible
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: A classic martini
Number of pages: 448 pages
Comparables: The Heiresses
Book: My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff
Genre: Autobiography
Elevator pitch: A year in the life of literary assistant Rakoff found her answering J.D. Salinger's fan mail, and sucked into that world more than she would have guessed.
Will it be a movie?: Yes — rights were sold in 2012
Goes best with: Apparently, Burger King
Number of pages: 272 pages
Comparables: The Devil Wears Prada; & Sons
Book: Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey
Genre: Mystery
Elevator pitch: A woman who is losing her memory is convinced her best friend has gone missing, but while searching for her, begins to uncover a long-lost crime about her sister
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Tea and cookies
Number of pages: 288 pages
Comparables: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry; Before I Go To Sleep
Book: Longbourn by Jo Baker
Genre: Historical fiction
Elevator pitch: This rewriting of Pride & Prejudice focuses on the Bennets' housemaid, and her own feelings of rebellion (now in paperback)
Will it be a movie?: Yes indeed
Goes best with: Ice cream and punch
Number of pages: 352 pages
Comparables: The Help; The Jane Austen Book Club
Book: The Rise & Fall Of Great Powers by Tom Rachman
Genre: Literary fiction
Elevator pitch: What becomes of a little girl who is kidnapped by criminal masterminds and used in their schemes around the world? This book has an idea.
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: A pint, for the book's Welsh roots
Number of pages: 400 pages
Comparables: The Goldfinch
Book: The Book Of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez
Genre: Fiction
Elevator pitch: An American immigrant story involving a Mexican family (whose daughter has just had a terrible accident) and a Panamanian teen
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Tacos and margaritas
Number of pages: 304 pages
Comparables: The Namesake; My New American Life
Book: The Quick by Lauren Owen
Genre: Historical suspense
Elevator pitch: A brother's death leads in Victorian England leads his sister to investigate, and discover an underground world few knew existed
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Chilled champagne
Number of pages: 544 pages
Comparables: The Night Circus; The Crimson Petal and the White
Book: Summer House With Swimming Pool by Herman Koch
Genre: Medical crime
Elevator pitch: A doctor to the stars loses a patient, and realizes how much he hates the people he treats in this psychological thriller/novel of manners
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Pomegranate juice (healthy and the colour of blood)
Number of pages: 400 pages
Comparables: The Surgeon; The Dinner
Book: The Vacationers by Emma Straub
Genre: Family fiction (but adult)
Elevator pitch: From the title to the cover, is there anything about this book that doesn't scream beach read? The plot is right on the same lines, about an American family's two-week trip to Mallorca (but with truly excellent writing)
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Sangria
Number of pages: 304 pages
Comparables: Seating Arrangements; Cutting Teeth
Book: Emancipation Day by Wayne Grady
Genre: Historical fiction
Elevator pitch: A love story that brings together two people from very different backgrounds and pulls them through mid-century Newfoundland, Toronto and Detroit
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Screech
Number of pages: 336 pages
Comparables: The Orenda; Boy Snow Bird
Book: Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Genre: Autobiography
Elevator pitch: Basically a pre-Presidential run pitch, this book looks at the former Secretary of State's four years in office, and what her decisions meant
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Wine. Hillary seems like a wine kind of lady
Number of pages: 656 pages
Comparables: My Life; A Fighting Chance
Book: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
Genre: Young adult fiction
Elevator pitch: Two teenagers with cancer fall in love, beautifully
Will it be a movie?: You bet it is!
Goes best with: Heineken (you'll get it once you read the book)
Number of pages: 336
Comparables: Eleanor & Park; Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Book: Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand
Genre: Family fiction
Elevator pitch: Family and friends gather in Nantucket for a wedding that has been "planned" by the bride's deceased mother — and it goes as well as would be expected
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: A Nantucket cocktail
Number of pages: 416 pages
Comparables: The World Without You; Girls In White Dresses
Book: Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead
Genre: Psychological fiction
Elevator pitch: Like "Black Swan," except about a woman who didn't make it to the top, got married instead, and found herself back at the ballet with her prodigy son
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Tea (ballerinas don't drink!)
Number of pages: 272 pages
Comparables: All My Puny Sorrows; The Cranes Dance
Book: Orange Is The New Black by Piper Kerman
Genre: Memoir of prison
Elevator pitch: Who doesn't want to compare the TV show to the source material? Kerman's autobiography of her time in prison is quite different from the show, but equally entertaining
Will it be a movie?: It's better than a movie!
Goes best with: Anything from roast chicken to coconut cake
Number of pages: 327 pages
Comparables: Brain On Fire: My Month Of Madness; Life Without Parole: Living And Dying In Prison Today
Book: The Opposite Of Loneliness by Marina Keegan
Genre: Essays
Elevator pitch: A collection of hope written by and for millennials, by a woman who died far too young
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Absolutely anything you feel like consoling yourself with
Number of pages: 240 pages
Comparables: 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found a Self-Help that Actually Works -- A True Story; After the Fire, A Still Small Voice
Book: One More Thing Stories And Other Stories by B.J. Novak
Genre: Short stories
Elevator pitch: The first effort by the actor known best for playing Ryan Howard on "The Office" will make you laugh out loud in recognition and surprise
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Scotch. Because why not?
Number of pages: 288
Comparables: Tenth of December; Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls
Book: Age Of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth And Faith In The New China by Evan Osnos
Genre: Non-fiction
Elevator pitch: The "New Yorker's" correspondent in China writes about his experiences watches the changes in the country, the psychological of the people and government and what will happen next
Will it be a movie?: Not yet
Goes best with: Tsingtao beer
Number of pages: 416 pages
Comparables: How To Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia; The Corpse Walker: Real Life Stories: China From the Bottom Up