Regan says:

While waiting to get your hands on Clyde Edgerton’s latest, The Bible Salesman, you might want to stop by Rosehaven where Aunt Lil will entertain you for an hour or two.  Lunch at the Piccadilly is another sweet, funny and wise slice of pie novel by Edgerton.  We can all learn so much from our elders—and if you don’t have your own, visiting with Edgerton’s will do just as well.  There is some dangerous driving, a little song writing, and a glimpse of what is just down the road.  You won’t be sorry if you stop for Lunch at the Piccadilly.

Diane says:

I have been reading books by Janet Evanovich. I can’t really say which one is my favorite because I love them all. They are funny, full of suspence and they really make you want to keep reading. I have read all but maybe 4 books and I can’t wait to read the rest. The other thing I like about her books is you don’t have to read them in order. Great books, all of them.

Suzanne says:

“Kerplunk!”
Patrick McManus’ collection of short stories describes, with self depricating humor, how I imagined many boys grew up in the 50’s and 60’s:
Huntin’, fishin’ and living moments that later become tall, tall tales.

“The Book of General Ignorance“
A fun read full of trivia snippets, it’s written by John Lloyd and John
Mitchinson and challenges many well know cultural “facts”. While it is
classified as nonfiction, the authors do not cite their sources. This leads
me to the question the veracity of the book’s factual content. Whether true
or not, the authors entertain and amuse.

Suzanne says:

Austin Grossman turns the world of supervillains and superheros on it’s head by building the supervillain up as the supreme underdog. Filled with humor and surprising hits of compassion, this book  makes for a fast summer read.

Soon I will be Invincible

Philirya says:

This is going to be a long dark summer for me as my favorite television series ended in a cliff hanger. To distract myself, I’m taking off my floaties and jumping in the deep end of the reading pool, hoping to read books outside my comfort zone.

My first book is Apples are from Kazakhstan by Christopher Robbins.
 If you are anything like me, the only things you know about Kazakhstan are the name, and that it is a former Soviet Republic.
What I didn’t know before reading this book is that wild apples originated in Kazakhstan and spread around the world from there. I also didn’t know that both Fyodor Dostoyevsky  and Alexandr Solzhenitsyn were exiled there.
The book covers a year’s stay by Mr. Robbins as he takes a tour and learns the history of Kazakhstan.

The second book is Gadget Nation by Steve Greenberg.
 Mr. Greenberg profiles American inventors and their strange and sometimes useful inventions. For instance, Clocky, the alarm clock on wheels. When you press the snooze button, Clocky rolls off your table and across the room, forcing you to get out of bed if you wish to shut if off when the alarm goes off again.
Also there are Mac and Cool bowls. You place Mac and Cool bowls in the freezer. After you make supper, you place it in a Mac and Cool bowl.  This way, your child can eat supper when it is the right temperature for them.

Last, I have The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley.
 It is the first in a series of books about Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, descendants of Wilhelm Grimm. They are surprised to find out that Grimm’s Fairy Tales are a chronology of actual events as experienced by Wilhelm.
They are sent to live with their grandmother Relda Grimm because their parents are dead and there is no one else to care for them. When they come to live with Granny Grimm and her lodger Mr. Canis, they meet Puck, Jack the Giant Killer, and Mayor Prince Charming.
At this point, either you get why Mr Canis living with Granny is clever, or you don’t. Look up ‘canis’ if you don’t. I’ll wait.

See, wasn’t that clever? Granny Grimm takes the girls to find out why a local farmhouse appears to be flattened, with an imprint of a foot surrounding the wreckage. When Granny and Mr. Canis are kidnapped, it’s up to Sabrina and Daphne to save the day.

Regan says:

Summer reading is a good time to laugh, even out loud.  And Roger Rosenblatt (you may recognize the name if you watch the PBS’ News Hour) turns in a fast, funny, final exam on New England’s small liberal arts college culture.  From a professor hero named Peace (by hippie parents) to the porcine mascot of Beet College—there are lots of characters to cheer and boo.  A deadline looms for the college and as the school year ends– will it be the college’s last or will Peace find a way?