Summer Reading with Jack

I have just completed the fourth book of my summer reading list and I recommend all four of these:

First in non-fiction, two of the best authors who can chronicle historic events as if telling you about your ancestors are David McCullough and Rick Atkinson. David McCullough’s new book Pioneers tells about the development of… Ohio. Sure, in 1787 Ohio was wilderness, accessible from Massachusetts by ox cart, river boat and on horseback – a trip taking more than sixty days. Following a number of families for multiple generations McCullough makes the hardships, struggles, failures and successes a compelling read.

Rick Atkinson has been a favorite author of mine for years. He wrote a Pulitzer prize winner An Army at Dawn the first in his WWII trilogy - the three books which make the rigors of war come alive. His new quest is a trilogy of the Revolutionary war – the first volume The British are Coming is a wonderful read. It is the kind of book that wakes you at 5:00 am eager to continue the story from when you fell asleep.

Two really good fiction reads are Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens and Big Sky by Kate Atkinson. Both are mysteries that will keep you awake at night eager to discover who did what to whom. These authors have crafted suspenseful endings that will leave your wondering “How did she do that?”. I love mysteries with unpredictable endings that keep you guessing until the last paragraph.