Summer is all about finding that delicious summer book to read. The other night, I was at Kramerbooks, one of the best bookstores in DC. Their selection makes you feel erudite and ignorant at the same time. I thought I would send along some of my favorite books. I confess I am a divergent reader as this list demonstrates. And it is in no particular order. So if you are looking to pick up something new and interesting, noodle around in some of these ditties.

Woman: An Intimate Geography. Natalie Angier (non fiction). Angier is one of the best science writers out there. A must read for women and men who love women. You’ll laugh out loud and learn a lot about what makes a woman a woman.

Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant that Ever Lived. Ralph Helfer (non fiction). Any animal lover will be awe-struck by this true story of an elephant and a boy born on the same day. Yes, there are some hard passages, but the ending is all good.

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time. Dava Sobel (non fiction). Sobel unwinds the “discovery” of longitude. Like gravity, it always existed, we just never knew how to measure it. This story reveals its historic significance, relationship to the dominance of the high seas, the invention of the wrist watch, and Greenwich Mean Time.

Shardik. Richard Adams (fiction/fantasy). Adam is famous for writing “Watership Down” but what I love about this book is how you can tell it was written long hand in pencil in a pre-word processing era. The sentences are long and textured but they weave so much description into them. This tale has multiple layers of complexity and symbolism. Tolkien and Rawlings learned a thing or two from Adams.

Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea. Charles Seife (non fiction). Mathematically, conceptually, and philosophically, the idea of “nothingness” is very problematic concept—which is what makes this book so fascinating. Not for the math-adverse or math-phobic. Counting zero may be one of the greatest mental accomplishments of mankind and this book explains why.

Myths of Innovation. Scott Berkun (non fiction). It should be no surprise that I am fascinated by the creative process. What makes an idea unique? This quick read challenges some taboo topics and long-held assumptions about what constitutes a “breakthrough.”

Secret Lives of Lobsters. Trevor Corson (non fiction). My mother was a fishmonger, so I grew up selling fish outside of Boston since I was 12 (she even wrote a cookbook). Like Longitude, this book gives whole new insight into the biology, sociology, and historical significance of this bottom dwelling crustacean. I confess that lobsters really aren't my thing, but I know how much people love them!

History of Love. Nicole Krauss (fiction). Don’t let the title detract you from this novel. This is actually a book within a book about a book. I love those types of stories. Beyond her skilled, fluid writing, Krauss takes right angles in her characters that I didn’t see coming. Each nuance is to be savored. This book reminded me not to predict the outcome and just enjoy the story as it unfolds. When it ended, I cried because it was so beautiful and because its trance had ended. So I flipped it over and read it all over again.

River God & Seventh Seal. Wilbur Smith (fiction). Pure brain candy for the erudite mind. A healthy dose of Egyptology mixed with delicious suspense and a masterful protagonist (Tiata). Seventh Seal is the sequel to River God. There are other books in the series. These are the only ones I’ve read.

Golden Compass | Subtle Knife | Amber Spyglass. Phil Pullman (fiction/fantasy). Trilogy. Also great brain candy and it is not your average adolescent literature. If you can get through the first ~75 pages, you will be flying through this series. It mixes my three favorite themes together: religion, science, and identity development.

The Far Pavillions. M. M. Kaye (fiction). This 960-page epic is set against the backdrop of India and Afghanistan during the 1860s. You feel vaulted back in time and experience deep cultural traditions and stunning landscapes with such thick detail. There’s love, lost, cruelty, survival, betrayal, and everything in between.  Like Shardik, this read is full of long narrative hand-written sentences.

If you have read any of these, or have any suggestions you'd like to share, please add a comment!