Whether you’re by the pool, in a hammock or at the beach, summer
is a great time for reading. In the interest of passing along some great tips,
we asked four of Hartman Simons’ most avid readers which books they’re
currently plowing through and if they would recommend those books to others.
Here’s what they had to say.
Gil Burstiner: Among other books, I just finished “The Bourne Objective,” a Jason
Bourne novel written by Eric Van Lustbader, the heir to Robert Ludlum for these
Bourne novels. Van Lustbader is a great spy novelist, and it’s an enjoyable and
easy read.
The next book I
hope to read is “The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of
Paradise.” I am a Floridian by birth, and this book gives a history of the
Everglades and many of the characters in Florida’s history whose names are on
many of the landmarks and local governmental jurisdictions in and around my
hometown of Miami. Should be an interesting read.
Will Lovell: I am currently reading “Anonymous Sources.”
This is the first novel by Atlanta native Mary Louise Kelly, who is a former
foreign correspondent for NPR who covered the spy beat, Pentagon, wars,
terrorism and rising nuclear powers. She also is the sister of famed CBRE
broker C.J. Kelly.
I am about
one-third finished with it, and it is spectacular. A total page-turner with
realistic characters and plot lines. The story takes you all over the world and
is filled with twists and turns. It is very apparent that Mary Louise draws on
her past journalistic experience to make this story live and breathe. In short,
I can’t wait to leave the office to finish it.
Summey Orr: My daughter gave me David Sedaris’s “Let’s
Explore Diabetes with Owls” for Father’s Day, and I’ve just started it.
Sedaris would have made a great real estate developer – he’s funny, optimistic
and a little unhinged.
I just finished
Nelson DeMille’s “The Panther.” I enjoy his writing, and this one is a great
read. At something just short of a trillion pages, it will also last you all
summer long.
Benno Rothschild: As usual, my reading is mixed between audiobooks that I listen to on
my commute and the books on my nightstand. I have a Kindle Fire, but haven’t
really gotten excited about using it much.
On audiobook, I
am currently listening to William Prescott’s classic history (from 1843) “A
History of the Conquest of Mexico.” The story of Cortes and Montezuma is
fascinating, and Prescott’s storytelling style makes the tale rush along. I
became interested in finding out a bit more about Mexican history after
listening to Barbara Kingsolver’s “Lacuna,” in which the fictional protagonist
works in the kitchen for Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo even as he writes
historical fiction about the ancient Aztecs during the years of conquest.
On the bedside
table, I just finished a biography of cartoonist Alex Toth, and I am about to
start Neil Gaiman’s new novel “The Ocean at the End of the Lane.” I just saw
Gaiman read excerpts from the book at a signing here in Atlanta last weekend,
and I can’t wait to jump in and start this one. I have enjoyed most of his
books, and of course it makes me happy that he got his big break writing the
comic series “Sandman,” which has become a classic in the burgeoning world of
graphic novels.