Anthologizing Summer: Books, Activities, Simple Pleasures and Sheer Fun

Book Bag – June 2014

reviews by Sharon L. Shervington

Summertime is that time of year that offers unparalleled opportunity for outdoor pleasures, including dining al fresco, and reveling in nature’s beauty and bounty. But it also offers plentiful time for reading, reflection, and conversation. Our books this month offer hands-on ways to enhance these many delights.

In Summertime, dozens of photographs bring to mind the immediacy of long days at the beach by pristine water, sitting cross-legged in sunshine on docks on lakes waiting to leap in, dives and hot dogs, trees, kites, swings, and more. Quotes about summer and its many joys are scattered throughout by noted authors, poets and thinkers. (Edited by Joanne Dugan; Chronicle Books; $29.95; 144 pages)

If you’d rather relax by working with your hands, try Woodwork Step by Step, a primer on tools, techniques, and instructions to create eight lovely pieces, among them a chopping board, wine rack, and bookcase. This introduction is perfect for the first-timer, novice, or those who may want to resume an earlier love and anyone who loves the beauty of wood. (Dorling Kindersley; Various Contributors; $15.95; 224 pages)

Crafting Calm is also about creating objects, but with a spiritual element attached. It advocates painting as a form of prayer and gardening as a spiritual practice while offering step-by-step instructions to make jewelry, journals, and talking sticks among other ojects. (By Maggie Oman Shannon; Viva Editions; $16.95; 242 pages)

If anyone in North America loves beer more than the populations of Boston and Asheville, it is our Canadian neighbors. From Random House Canada comes Beerology: Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Beer … Even More. Whether you are trying beer for the first time or have lost count of how many you’ve had, this simple compendium will add depth to your knowledge of beer styles, beer tastings, and beer pairings with food. Who knew beer had style? (By Mirella Amalo; Random House Canada; $24.95; 177 pages)

If history is your thing or a favorite of dads and grads on your list, a new narrative of the Spanish attempt to invade Protestant England is compelling. The Catholic forces suffered a staggering defeat. Of 125 ships, just 60 returned from the battle. In The Spanish Armada, the author offers intimate accounts of the principal players on both sides and refutes the received wisdom that this was a David and Goliath story with the English forces in the role of David. This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking example of military history. (The Spanish Armada by Robert Hutchinson, 432 pages.)

Also for fans of military history, and a great gift, is Smithsonian World War I, the Definitive Visual History: From Sarajevo to Versaille. Using DK’s trademark mix of photographs, paintings, drawings, timelines, and text, this book deconstructs the numerous conflicts that together created a global catastrophe that changed the face of the world. (DK; Editorial Consultant Richard Overy; $40; 360 pages.)

For entrepreneurs or those who are considering a move in that direction, The Business Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained is a good choice. It starts with concepts like vision and markets and progresses to topics including leadership roles, ethical standards, and money issues. This is an excellent presentation of a large body of material, well-organized and easily accessible. (DK; Various Editors; $25; 352 pages)

Another of summer’s delights is adequate time for extended conversations on important issues. An Idea Whose Time Has Come: Two Presidents, Two Parties and the Battle for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 focuses its narrative on this pivotal moment in U.S. history. But if it is the bumpy path to the passage of the Act that is at the center of the book, it is the reality of what remains undone that lingers in the mind. (By Todd S. Purdum; Henry Holt; $30; 399 pages)

The Sixth Extinction has been creating buzz since before its release. Its thesis is that our planet is getting set to experience another intense contraction of life forms—something that has happened only five times in the last half-billion years. But this time the culprit will be mankind. This thoroughly researched book looks closely at species such as the Panamanian golden frog and other species nearing extinction; it also highlights what this crisis says about our species. (By Elizabeth Kolbert; Henry Holt; $28; 319 pages)

Sun Power: How Energy from the Sun is Changing Lives around the World, Empowering America and Saving the Planet makes a compelling case for a global energy revolution. And the author tells his own story working with both high-profile and ordinary people in politics, business and science to make this happen. (By Neville Williams; Forge Books; $27; 383 pages)

Another thing on people’s minds these days is addiction to prescription drugs, because the numbers of people with this problem have multiplied in just the last ten or so years. Painkillers, Heroin and the Road to Sanity: Real Solutions for Long-Term Recovery explains the nature of opiate addiction, gives a history of the drug in its many permutations, and discusses the author’s own struggles. (By Joani Gammill; Hazelden; $14.95; 180 pages)

Two fantastic anthologies round out our segue-into-summer list starting with: Time on Two Crosses: the Collected Writings of Bayard Rustin. Mr. Rustin was the man, the gay man, who taught Martin Luther King Jr. strategies of nonviolence and organized the March on Washington. What fewer people may know is that he spent the remainder of his life promoting social justice around the world. (Edited by Devon W. Carbado and Donald Weise; Cleis Press; $18.95; 354 pages)

Also from Cleis and with the same editors is Black Like Us: A Century of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual African American Fiction. This enormously powerful and expansive book covers the eras from 1900 to 2000 in dozens of entries that showcase writers who are household names, and others who aren’t, as America experienced sea changes around gender, race, and sexual orientation. (Also Edited by Dwight A. McBride; $24.95; 555 pages)

Another story that continues to fascinate is about the daughters of the last Tsar. In the eagerly-awaited The Romanov Sisters: the Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra, author Helen Rappaport, a noted expert in imperial Russian history, takes readers behind the scenes of the sisters’ last years and their many joys and difficulties. The author uses many previously unseen or unpublished letters, diaries and archival sources for these vivid portraits. (St. Martin’s Press; $27.99; 492 pages)

Well, after all that activity you will surely want something good to eat and drink. For that I recommend Rawlicious at Home: More than 100 Raw, Vegan and Gluten-Free Recipes to Make You Feel Great. It is just what the title suggests and includes soups, smoothies, entrees, and sweet treats. (By Angus Crawford and Chelsea Clark; Random House of Canada; $29.95; 174 pages)

You can also introduce yourself to Canada’s favorite cocktail with Caesars: the Essential Guide to Your Favorite Cocktail. The essential ingredient is Mott’s Clamato juice: perfect for summer and with seafood of every kind. (By Clint Pattemore; $19.95; 200 pages)

And what else does one need for a really great summer? The answer to that is smiles, of course, lots and lots of smiles. And for that I leave you with The Noble Hustle, by the awesome Colson Whitehead. This is his hilarious account of being sent on assignment to take part in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. From his warm-ups in Atlantic City to his performance in the main event, you will have a tableside seat. You will be in stitches, but some of them will hurt. (Doubleday; $24.95; (234 pages)