By Denise Oliveira
Summer is here, which for many of us means it’s time to settle into a hammock or beach chair and catch up on some reading. The task of picking the perfect book can be daunting, so we checked in with experts. Today we present your summer reading list, curated and annotated by the staff of Posman Books. Posman is a family-owned bookstore with three locations in Manhattan (Chelsea Market, Grand Central Station and Rockefeller Center), and a fourth store set to open in 2015. Happy reading!
A space opera which manages to balance the fantastic with the familiar. Gorgeous artwork, great action, weird sex, and hilarious dialogue, what more can you want? A great choice for that sleep-deprived new parent who can relate to their endearing alien counterparts in this beloved graphic novel.
Tibetan Peach Pie by Tom Robbins
We are always excited for anything new from Robbins and this time it’s a memoir of a career without misstep and life well lived. Good for long time devotees as well as new readers looking for a consistently hilarious, spiritual and psychedelic good time.
How Children Succeed by Paul Tough
Tough’s book explores the most recent scientific research on early childhood brain development and its link to successful performance in schools and careers. His focus rests not on IQ-based cognitive skills but, instead, on less quantifiable character traits such as grit, curiosity and perseverance. A perfect introduction to a less traditional approach to schooling and a great summer read for over stressed parents.
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
You might think it would be difficult to sell a Pulitzer prize winning Norwegian epic set in the early medieval ages as a summer read. However, the new translation by Tiina Nunnally reads like that HBO show you can’t stop binging on and you will become obsessed. An ideal choice for that reader who wants to appear pretentious but actually enjoys an adventurous, romantic and dramatic page-turner as much as the next guy.
Just in time for the World Cup, this British novel has the most American of baseball fans screaming GOOOAAALLLL! It’s perfect for that anglophile socialist sports fan in your life; you know the one.
