Beach reading, Anteater style
UCI faculty and staff share their summer book selections.
Nothing says summer quite like a languid afternoon at the beach with a good book. We asked an eclectic group of Anteater faculty and staff what new releases and old favorites they’ll tuck into totes this season – or download to Kindle. Below are some of their picks.
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
By Aimee Bender, M.F.A. ’98 (2010)
Recommended by Julie Sully, interim development director, UCI Libraries:
“The topic of Bender’s second novel – about a girl who cannot eat without tasting the emotions of whoever prepared the food – is fascinating.”
Orange County Noir
Edited by Gary Phillips; foreword by T. Jefferson Parker ’76 (2010)
Recommended by Vicki Ruiz, humanities dean:
“Mayhem and murder in Orange County – it’ll give you the chills as you sit on the sand. This masterful collection of short fiction provides both insight and intrigue inside and beyond gated communities, Disneyland and the local strip mall.”
The Solitude of Prime Numbers
By Paolo Giordano (2009)
Recommended by Matt Astrella, co-director, The UCI Bookstore:
“A brilliantly conceived and written book about two teenage misfits who find each other in a coming-of-age tale. Some of it is unpleasant, but it’s strangely beautiful and melancholy.”
Replay
By Ken Grimwood (1987)
Recommended by Randy Black, research development director:
“What if you could live your life over? Grimwood’s protagonist dies of a heart attack at 43 and finds himself back in his 18-year-old body in 1963, living out his own alternative history. “Groundhog Day” on a mind-blowing scale.”
Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal
By Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen (1996)
Recommended by Dr. Roger Walsh, psychiatry & human behavior professor, with joint appointments in philosophy and anthropology:
“I recommend this book to medical students to keep themselves sane during training. Written by a wise physician, it consists of short stories about her work, her patients, life, death and everything in between. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll wonder. Do yourself a favor: Put this by your bed and read a couple of stories each night.”
The Help
By Kathryn Stockett (2009)
Recommended by Julie Sully, interim development director, UCI Libraries:
“I can’t wait to read this well-received novel about three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town – and about the way mothers, daughters, caregivers and friends view one another.”
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
By Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (2009)
Recommended by Glen Mimura, associate humanities dean and Asian American studies and film & media studies associate professor:
“This mash-up novel – take literary classic, add contrary new ingredients and stir – has launched a brain-dead, zombie-like legion of bad spin-offs. The ‘original’ playfully yet faithfully sutures to Austen’s style and social commentary the zombie aesthetic and biting social critique of horror master George Romero. With modest doses of martial arts choreography to animate the action, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies makes for fine beach reading.”
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
By Stieg Larsson (2005)
Recommended by Matt Astrella, co-director, The UCI Bookstore:
“I recommend anything by Stieg Larsson, the Swedish writer who found fame and notoriety with the posthumous publication of the first of the trilogy, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, followed by The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest. Protagonist Lisbeth Salander is brilliant, troubled and mesmerizing.”
The Difference Engine
By William Gibson and Bruce Sterling (1990)
Recommended by Randy Black, research development director:
“This book is set in 1855 London, where Charles Babbage’s computer has been realized in a steam-powered world. Compelling premise and setting.”
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
By Eckhart Tolle (1999)
Recommended by Dr. Roger Walsh, psychiatry & human behavior professor, with joint appointments in philosophy and anthropology:
“This deceptively simple little book swept the country, even to the point of being plugged by Oprah. But don’t be fooled – it’s a profound riff on the transformative power of being more present in each moment and the gifts this offers to ourselves and those around us.”
The Shadow of the Wind
By Carlos Ruiz Zafón (2004)
Recommended by Julie Sully, interim development director, UCI Libraries:
“A coming-of-age tale about a young boy who, through the magic of a single book, finds a purpose greater than himself. A favorite of the UCI Libraries book club.”
Peel My Love Like an Onion
By Ana Castillo (1999)
Recommended by Rodrigo Lazo, associate humanities dean and English associate professor:
“Both hilarious and moving, Castillo’s novel takes you into the world of flamenco dancing through the eyes of Carmen, a dancer whose career is coming to an end. Facing a variety of questions at midlife, Carmen takes a job in a fast-food joint and considers how to move into the future while moving past the steamy romances of her former dance troupe.”
The Jane Austen Book Club
By Karen Joy Fowler (2004)
Recommended by Vicki Ruiz, humanities dean:
“Fowler offers a funny and loving portrait of an unlikely community of Austen fans in California’s Central Valley who seek life lessons from the iconic works of the English novelist. With a wonderful sense of dialogue and setting, Fowler – who recently delivered the keynote address at UCI’s Literary Orange event – conveys the possibilities of romance in the everyday.”
A Canticle for Leibowitz
By Walter M. Miller Jr. (1960)
Recommended by Randy Black, research development director:
“This novel describes a religious sect devoted to keeping the flame of knowledge alive after a Cold War nuclear exchange. It’s not really an alternative history but a version of the future we can hope to elude. It leaves an impression.”
A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils & Promises of Spiritual Life
By Jack Kornfield (1993)
Recommended by Dr. Roger Walsh, psychiatry & human behavior professor, with joint appointments in philosophy and anthropology:
“If you would like to begin or deepen a meditation practice or spiritual path, Jack Kornfield is a wonderfully wise guide for the journey. This book makes wisdom painless.”
Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual
By Michael Pollan (2009)
Recommended by Julie Sully, interim development director, UCI Libraries:
“Simple wisdom for anyone concerned about health and food. My goal is to incorporate many of these tips into my diet this summer.”