As you put together your summer reading list, the books you plan to take to the beach, the lake, or wherever you escape for a bit of sanity, here are a few books I’ve read and enjoyed lately that I simply have not had time to give a complete review. They are worth your time, worthy of attention, either for the solitary reader, or book discussion group.

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, by Matthew Perry. Of course I watched Friends, and Matthew Perry was part of what made the group comedically click. This is a memoir of great honesty, a sincere look at the inner life, and sad consequences of addiction. It takes everything away, sometimes even your life. The upsides for Perry were a renewed appreciation for simple joys and blessings, and the desire to help others. I recommend the audiobook, read by Perry.

The Deerfield Massacre: A Surprise Attack, A Forced March, and The Fight for Survival in Early America, by James L. Swanson. The night of February 29, 1704 is memorably described by Swanson, when hundreds of Indians stormed the village outpost of Deerfield, Massachusetts, killing many, and taking many prisoner, subjected to a forced march, then either sold in slavery to other tribes, or inculturated in tribal life. Swanson provides the context for the attack, as well as a complete description of how the event is memorialized, and what became of the captives.

North Woods, by Daniel Mason. This is the type of literary novel I enjoy, in that the descriptions are specific and sensitively rendered, by an author with great attention to detail and love of language. This is an epistolary novel, told with letters, diary entries, poems, and detective case notes. It follows the history of a specific place, a house and its surroundings, situated in the Berkshires. Beginning with Puritan lovers escaping their colony, down to the recent past, we learn of the various occupants, and their unexpected ends. At times somewhat contrived to make the plot work, it is nonetheless a greatly enjoyable, fascinating book.

Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt. This one took a little time and patience to draw me in, but I did finally get there. The hook was the sections narrated by the Great Pacific Octopus, Marcellus. He had a clever sense of humor, excellent powers of observation, and a good heart. We meet Tova, a spry, elderly woman who performs janitorial duties at the aquarium at night, and has a friendship and mutual understanding with the octopus that transcends spoken language (and species.) A delightful cast of characters, that gradually become intertwined and uplifted, each reaching a new phase of life thanks to the help of each other, and that intelligence octopus.

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop, by Hwang Bo-Reum. Yeongju is a woman who decides to leave the corporate world to pursue an old dream, that of running a community bookshop. Set in an off-the-beaten path neighborhood of Seoul, South Korea, the story unfolds like a series of short stories, as we see how each person makes their way to the bookshop, their personal story, and what impact the shop has on their lives. The characters each deal with questions about what their lives mean, how life should be lived, and how community can influence, assist, or deter that process. This is a marvelous book, and good for book discussions.

Clear, by Carys Davies. Set in 1843, this historical novel sheds light on a part of Scottish history I did not know about: the remote islands in the North Sea between Scotland and Scandinavia were intentionally depopulated by wealthy land owners; residents whose families carved out a living for generations were forcibly removed and sent to work in factories or to other British colonies. Sheep were put in their place, as more lucrative. The story centers on Ivar, the last resident of such a remote island; John Ferguson, a preacher in need of money who takes on the task of “clearing” this resident; and John’s wife, Mary, who makes the journey to the island, upon realizing that John might need her help. Beautifully written, finely observed, yet my personal quibble is with the author’s resolution. In my view, this could have been a very good novel, except the author felt it necessary to provide a highly unlikely, woke ending. Except for that disappointment, it was a worthwhile literary effort.