Summer Lovin’ Picks
What
is summer if not the time to fall in love?!? So why not settle yourself
in to a comfy beach chair (even if it’s on the sidewalk) and let
yourself be seduced by these summer hotties.
Petty Theft by the love of my life Pascal Girard
You
may think I’m hyperbolizing here, but I really do love Pascal Girard.
His writing is slapstick and sensitive and full of love for the places
he lives, which just happens to be where I live, right here in
Montreal. He plays the awkward charming detective all the while
highlighting the wonderful cityscapes of Montreal’s Mile-End. Not only
is this book highlighted this month by another local talent - Michel
Hellman, but it is also August’s graphic novel pick for our Graphic
Novel Book Club held right here at 211 Bernard on Wednesday August 12. Aussi disponible sous le titre La Collectioneuse en français.
Drawn & Quarterly 25 years of contemporary cartooning, comics and graphic novels - Ed. Tom Devlin
Oh
this book. This is the book that stole my heart and made me leave the
job I was in to come running to D&Q. Perhaps most people wouldn’t
call this book seductive, but if a giant volume full of the greatest
cartoonist in the world and a massive outpouring of love and
appreciation for the most beloved publisher of comic books doesn’t
seduce you, well then, I don’t know what will. This is one hunk a hunk of burning love.
What’s
doubly great about this book for summer is that there is so much to
read, and reread. And what’s more, it’s not the kind of jealous lover
that keeps you to itself. You can read all the other books on my list
and still find a quick minute for an essay here, or a short strip
there.
The Neapolitan Novels – Elena Ferrante
These
books will keep you up all night long. And no my friend you may not
read other books while you are reading these. These are the type of
all-consuming books that have your Facebook friends wondering if your
phone was destroyed, that leave your plants wilting, and your eyes
burning. They are, however, absolutely wonderful for reading in the
park for hours, for plane rides and for tuning out anything and
everything. The real clincher is that you are left until September for
the fourth book of this series to come out, and so like any classic
jealous lover type these books demand your all and leave you pining for
more. Fortunately, you don’t have to pine for too long. But you don’t
have to trust me, you can trust everybody. So far these books have
wooed everyone.
Miseryland – Keiler Roberts
This
book is perfect for bringing home to Mom, because it’s pretty much
about being a Mom, but to a hilarious toddler. Now I suppose that
anyone that has spent any amount of time with small children knows –
children say and do some very comedic things. What Keiler Roberts has
done is document these charming anecdotes, along with any other
completely normal exchanges that happen throughout her day with
side-splitting timing. She catches the slyness of children and the
overall weirdness of everyday life and I love her for it.
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo.
In the hot, hot heat of moving boxes and reevaluating what of your objects really brings you joy. This little gem brings you the Konmari method of letting go. So far I've gotten rid of my second popcorn maker, a couch, 3 bags of clothes, terrible art projects from 10 years ago and it really does work! I do feel better! It's really hard not to verge into the maniacal when talking about this book, because it really does make you want to get rid of EVERYTHING or almost everything. And while it does feel great to get rid of all that clutter, making the house feel light and airy it can be slightly disturbing to those around you when taken up with almost religious type zeal. If you are ready for a summer makeover then this book is for you.
