Community Corner

What's On Your Summer Reading List?

I've read Patricia Cornwell and Ernest Hemingway books this summer, while Dundalk readers have been devouring works by Mary Higgins Clark and James Patterson.

Summer means trips to the beach and packing the requisite beach reading material.

I read all year long but tend to ramp up a little bit over the summer, with or without (mostly without) trips "downy oshun."

In the past couple of months, I've read Patricia Cornwell's The Bone Bed and Top of the Morning by New York Times writer and Maryland native Brian Stelter.

I was for the first time disappointed by the Cornwell offering. The plot seemed to be a little disjointed, and the book's title had little to nothing to do with the bulk of the storyline.

I've been a little less enthralled with the Kay Scarpetta series ever since the writing was changed to a first-person perspective. The dialogue puts the reader in Scarpetta's head too much of the time.

In this particular story, Scarpetta had the habit of jumping cryptically from topic to topic, all the while saying "I know where this is going," or something to that effect.

While she might know where something is headed, the reader does not and I was left frustrated and wanting more information on many occasions.

The book also ends abruptly. It almost seemed like Cornwell realized her page count had been reached and she said to herself, "Heck, I better end this thing."

The ending is thin and doesn't give the reader ample time or information to close the story.

At least that was my take.

I've also reread a couple of classics — Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls and Harper Lee's one hit, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Rereading those made me realize that a lot of good literature is wasted on high school students, many of whom aren't in a place to appreciate (or understand) the works.

I struggled through the Hemingway piece this time, which made it quite clear why I skipped through it when it was a high school assignment.

So, what are you reading?

According to those friendly folks at Baltimore County Public Library, North Point branch readers are partial to James Patterson in the fiction department (though a Mary Higgins Clark mystery topped the most-borrowed list for June) and healthy eating and diet books dominate the most-borrowed nonfiction list.

Here's the complete list of North Point's top-10 most-borrowed books for the month of June:

Fiction:

Daddy's Gone a Hunting (Mary Higgins Clark) 46 Loans
Private Berlin (James Patterson) 37 Loans
The Forgotten (David Baldacci) 34 Loans
Alex Cross, Run (James Patterson) 34 Loans
Private London (James Patterson) 33 Loans
Guilt: An Alex Delaware Novel (Jonathan Kellerman) 30 Loans
Unintended Consequences (Stuart Woods) 30 Loans
A Week in Winter (Maeve Binchy) 29 Loans
Secrets from the Past (Barbara Taylor Bradford) 25 Loans
12th of Never (James Patterson) 24 Loans

Nonfiction:

Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife (Eben Alexander) 10 Loans
Eat This, Not That!: The Best (& Worst) Foods in America (David Zinczenko) 8 Loans
Cook This Not That!: Skinny Comfort Foods (David Zinczenko) 7 Loans
Power Foods for the Brain: An Effective 3-Step Plan to Protect your Mind and Strengthen your Memory (Neal D. Barnard) 6 Loans
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Bill Bryson) 6 Loans
The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II (Denise Kiernan) 6 Loans
Trident K9 Warriors: My Tales from the Training Ground to the Battlefield with Elite Navy SEAL Canines (Mike Ritland) 6 Loans
Cooking Light Good Mood Food: Meals that Make you Smile (Cooking Light) 6 Loans
The Thyroid Solution Diet: Boost your Sluggish Metabolism for Optimal Weight Loss (Ridha Arem) 5 Loans
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity (Katherine Boo) 5 Loans

Let us know in the comments section what you're reading.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here