Speaking of books...

For me, the summer is a time to clear the palette with an intensive diet of mysteries and spy novels that perk up my powers of deduction without making any demands on my "literary" sensibilities.  Lately I find that a juicy mystery works to sharpen the appetite all year long.   This year, as usual,  I am particularly enjoying books with foreign settings that not only provide a mystery foreground but are saturated with the atmosphere that makes us feel we know that place.  Donna Leon has published her 30th book about Venice -- every one a winner.  That leads me to the series by Philip Kerr about Bernie Gunther in Nazi Germany that will give you a satisfying history lesson as well as solving a crime.  Guaranteed to keep you reading through the night and sharpen your wits for the next Book Club meeting.  And where else can you find such morally satisfying outcomes?  In a circular world, linear thinking is very reassuring.

As most of you know, I am always on the look-out for new and unusual work or books from unexpected sources.  In that spirit, here is a list of books that recently appeared to public acclaim. They are all different and guaranteed to open up your mind.  My new absolute favorite is Edna O'Brien's THE LITTLE RED CHAIRS.  Whatever else you read this season, don't miss this.  At 85, as Philip Roth says, she has produced her masterpiece.   Another interesting and emotionally satisfying book is Stewart O'Nan's CITY OF SECRETS set in Jerusalem in 1946.  Its very ambiguity presages the fate of Israel as it unfolds.  And for those of you who are unable to attend the lecture in Boca, THE DOOR by Magda Szabo is unforgettable.