What to read this summer

For a great summer escape, slow down and read up on some titles recommended by your neighbors. (Photo: behance.net/runamokstudios)

Houston, we need a break. Something light to foil the past few months. Enter summer and our annual book recommendations from readers. We don’t promise total fluff, but at this point, heck if we aren’t geared up for any kind of escape, be it inspiration, suspense or good clean fun.

And that’s exactly what one reader’s new book is – fun. Native Houstonian Katherine Center has just released her fifth novel, Happiness for Beginners, to great reception. The book, about a recently divorced woman and her wilderness survival-course adventure, is nothing short of delightful. People all over town are smiling as they recommend it to one another – the books have flown off the shelves at Target. That’s not just because Katherine happens to have a history here, but it doesn’t hurt.

A graduate of St. John’s School, Katherine says she started writing stories at a young age. One of her most-cited stories involves the author having to make the decidedly tough decision of which member of Duran Duran (remember the ’80s pop group?) she should run off with. Of course, they all fell madly in love with her after a chance drop by her childhood home.

Katherine’s more grown-up stories – the five that have been published by big houses and the one that’s subsequently been optioned for a movie – stay true to that charm. Each one is, in some way, about love, resiliency and the evolutions of our most cherished relationships. They’ll have you smiling and cheering for the heroine from cover to cover. The Dallas Morning News said, “Reading a book by Katherine Center is a lot like having a long lunch conversation with a good friend.” Who doesn’t need that?

When we asked Katherine what she would recommend to Houstonians weary of rain and heat, here’s what she suggested: Attachments: A Novel, by Rainbow Rowell. “I just discovered Rainbow Rowell this year,” Katherine says. “She writes delicious, satisfying novels about flawed, funny people you can’t help but root for. Devoured this in a day.” 

Katherine also likes Bill Bryson’s Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States, a book that Amazon says “will supply you with interesting facts and cocktail chatter for a year or more.” Katherine’s take: “Tied with A Walk in the Woods (soon to be a movie!) for my favorite Bryson book of all time. It … just overflows with Bryson-esque trivia, warm humor and remarkable historical tidbits about this great and hilarious country of ours.”

For a dose of pure humor, Katherine backs Bossypants, by Tina Fey. “There might not be anyone funnier than Tina Fey. This book stays hilarious, insightful and wry through read after read.”

Barb Fowler, a mom of three and retired attorney, shared the books – among the many she’s read – that have stuck with her the most in recent months. Topping her list: The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates, by Wes Moore. The book tells the story, first-hand, of two boys with the same name growing up fatherless in similar underserved neighborhoods in Baltimore. One – the author – grew up to be successful by all accounts. The other is serving a life sentence for murder.

“I just finished reading this and really can’t stop thinking about it,” Barb says. “It is a thought-provoking book about all the many influences that shape us into the people we are.”

For young adults and grownups alike, Barb recommends Popular: How a Geek in Pearls Discovered the Secret to Confidence, by 16-year-old, Brownsville, Texas, native Maya Van Wagenen. Barb describes the book as “a fun read about [Maya’s] eighth grade experiences putting into practice the recommendations of a 1950s book about how to be popular. Surprisingly well-written; a great message for young girls and an inspiration for aspiring young writers.”

Where’d You Go, Bernadette: A Novel, by Maria Semple, is Amber Tabora’s pick for a fun summer read. Amber, vice president for marketing and public relations at Texas Children’s Hospital, says the book “introduces you slowly to a woman named Bernadette and her fascinating past that has led her to be the woman she is today, which you start to wonder about after only a few pages.” Bernadette is quirky and fun; the novel is a page-turner, reading like suspense, in a witty way. “At the root, it’s about the family, relationships and rediscovering your passion in life,” Amber says. “It will entertain and uplift you. I promise.”