With the temperature rising as high as our imagination can reach, it’s the perfect time to curl up in the shade with a really good book, a wonderful exercise of leisure and literature at the time when the sun is high. Here are five recommendations for spending your precious time gloriously flipping pages:
1) “American Gods: A Novel” by Neil Gaiman (William Morrow): There is no better time to dive into this exploration of modern mythology as the “Sandman” creator Gaiman chronicles how a recently released convict named Shadow goes on the road with the mysterious man named Mr. Wednesday. Shadow soon finds himself immersed in an ancient struggle between immortals in a most American setting.
This atmospheric and ambitious novel first came out in 2001 to both critical and commercial acclaim; devour this 2017 TV tie-in edition as “American Gods” invades American TV this month. No one writes like Gaiman, in 2001 or in 2017.
2) “Crimetime: Inspector SJ Tuason Case Files” by Maria L.M. Fres-Felix (Anvil Publishing): Fans of Philippine crime fiction will rejoice with this four-story collection from fictionist Fres-Felix. The tales, all taut and tight, are tied together by Fres-Felix’s smart, standout protagonist, homicide investigator SJ Tuason, with the cases ranging from a “Star Wars” cosplayer’s death to the final fate of Tuason’s own father.
Gritty and gutsy, Tuason is much more Kay Scarpetta than she is Nancy Drew, as she works to overcome the many failings of the Philippine justice system to get to the terrible truths. This is highly recommended for readers who first discovered the thrill of Philippine crime fiction through F.H. Batacan’s “Smaller and Smaller Circles.”
3) “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race” by Margot Lee Shetterly (William Morrow): The premise of “Hidden Figures” is so amazing, you’d assume it was fiction, but the story of African American geniuses Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson and company is as compelling as it is true. This movie tie-in edition offers up an even more detailed, exhaustive and triumphant tale than that in the Oscar-nominated movie adaptation of the same title. “Hidden Figures” is a feel-good, heart-lifting behind-the-space-scenes read.
4) “Love and Gravity: A Novel” by Samantha Sotto (Ballantine Books): The diverting second novel from the “Before Ever After” author offers up an irresistible premise: Somehow, through a crack in her room’s wall, Andrea Louviere can see the young Isaac Newton—yes, that Isaac Newton—even though they are separated by centuries. He can see her, too, and the two glimpse each other briefly as the synesthete Andrea grows up, culminating in the love letter Andrea receives from Newton when she turns 17. Then really mind-blowing and emotionally challenging things happen. Romance and science clash and come together in this engaging time-travel tale.
5) “Rich People Problems: A Novel” by Kevin Kwan (Doubleday): Perhaps the perfect distillation of the beach-blanket read, “Rich People Problems” is the third novel from “Crazy Rich Asians” author Kwan. Its extremely dishy and, yes, crazy stories of Nicholas Young, Astrid Leong and Kitty Pong focus on the madness of family and fortune among these characters as events zip from cities around the world (Manila included). Full of extravagant plot devices and posh twists, “Rich People Problems” is, as critics have correctly stated, the guiltiest of modern guilty reading pleasures.