Friday, July 16, 2004

Summer reads beckon

Reading is recreation, too

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By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer

Summer, if one has the time, is the time to recreate in the warm weather and read. That’s right. Summer reading is as traditional a way to occupy one’s time as, say, hiking. In the Wood River Valley, trends present themselves as they do in all regional locales. So, what are people reading here in the valley this summer? What novels, mysteries, heady political non-fiction, classics and beach reads are folks who still honor the written word poring over?

At Iconoclast on Main Street in Ketchum, the children’s section upstairs is filled with great reads. Among the youth market books being snapped up this season is "The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place," the follow-up to Newbery Medal winning author E. L. Konigsburg's "Silent to the Bone." Another sequel selling like hotcakes is "Molly Moon Stops the World" by Georgia Byng.

For political reads Dick Morris’ new book, "Rewriting History" and Bill Clinton’s "My Life" (duh) are big hits. "The Shadow of the Wind," an international literary sensation, is a mystery with, as the jacket says, a heart piercing romance. Another heart piercer is "The Birth of Venus" by Sarah Dunant, a story of a young girl’s blossoming interest in art in 15th century Florence

Amazingly, the book "Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation" by Lynne Truss, continues to sell well, as it should. Across the street at Chapter One, their notable books include the Ivy League mystery thriller "The Rule of Four" by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason.

Mystery writer Janet Evanovich comes out on top again with her 10th Stephanie Plum caper, ‘Ten Big Ones." Slightly screwball, the prolific Evanovich never fails to amuse and titillate. Chapter One is also selling the penetrating look into an epic shipwreck diving, Robert Kurson’s "Shadow Divers The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II." Also booking along is John Avlon’s "Independent Nation How the Vital Center Is Changing American Politics"

Former Ketchum resident Charles Brandt’s shocking true tale "I Heard You Paint Houses" keeps flying off the shelf. In the taped-recorded words of late teamster and Mafia hit man Frank Sheeran, the mystery of Jimmy Hoffa’s death is solved. The book also reveals an amazing first person account of the life of a mobster.

Ex Libris in Sun Valley is selling all of the charming Botswana-based stories by Alexander McCall Smith. Other novels Ex Libris is restocking regularly are "Mrs. Kimball" by Jennifer Haigh, "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory, which concerns Anne’s older sister Mary who was Henry VIII mistress.

The top recommendation from owner Alin Shethar is "Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books" by Azar Nafisis. "It’s a wonderful book," she said.

In Hailey at Read All About It, "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks is selling well again due to interest generated by the movie, Harlan Coben’s "No Second Chance," and "My Life" is selling like hotcakes, Diane Heiner said. A valley penned book moving fast out of the store is "From Roberta’s Kitchen" with recipes form the late Roberta McKercher, a journalist and community activist for many years in Hailey. Carl Haissen’s new book "Skinny Dip" will soon be in stock and is a must read, Heiner added.

Choices, choices and books to peruse, it’s like candy. As, French author Baron de Montesquieu wrote in the 17th century, "To love to read is to exchange hours of ennui for hours of delight."

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.