What have you read lately that you couldn’t put down?
We asked our alumni (on social media) what they have been reading during these steamy summer days, and now we’re sharing several of their recommendations with you. In fact, reading the comments on our Facebook page was a little like being a fly on the wall at an alumni book club meeting.
We hope you’ll find some great stories on this list to take along on your last vacation. In no particular order, here’s what Wake Foresters are reading right now:
“Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times That Made Handel’s ‘Messiah’” by Charles King
Recommended by Joni James (’89, P ’29), St. Petersburg, FL
James, who was an award-winning journalist before becoming a communications professional in the health care industry, says this New York Times Notable Book is the best thing she’s read this year. “It’s a wonderful explanation of the forces (political/geographic/artistic) that led to the ‘Messiah’s’ creation but also how it grabbed hold of the public’s ear,” James says. “And just well written, too.”
“James” by Percival Everett
Recommended by Jocelyn Burton (’80), Raleigh
Of this retelling of “Huckleberry Finn” from Jim’s perspective, Burton says, “I laughed aloud at some passages.” Burton, a Wake Forest trustee, received a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016 for her work as an attorney and advocate. Joni James says that “James” is on her list, too.
The Canard County trilogy: “Trampoline”, “Weedeater” and “Pop” by Robert Gipe (’85)
Recommended by Mary M. Dalton (’83), Jamestown, NC
“Authentic voices, profound themes, accessibly rendered,” notes Dalton, Wake Forest professor of communication and film and media studies. Best of all: These illustrated novels, set in Appalachia, were written and illustrated by a Wake Forest alumnus. The New York Times says of Gipe’s work: “Trampoline, Weedeater and Pop collectively address with wit and complexity the trials of white working-class life in Appalachia: the struggles with addiction, but also the corporate exploitation of the region and its inhabitants; the violence but also the beauty.”
“All the Fabulous Beasts” by Priya Sharma
Recommended by Ryan Whitley (’03), St. Petersburg, FL
This mix of myth, horror and modern macabre is “a great collection of weird short stories by one of the best writers in the business. Each story will have you needing to close your mouth,” says Whitley, a rector in the Episcopal Church. The stories won a British Fantasy Award.
“Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson
Recommended by Deirdre Parker Smith (’83), Spencer, NC
A writer and editor herself, Smith calls this Pulitzer Prize-winner “an epistolary novel about faith, belief, theology and our daily lives.” Ryan Whitley adds a comment that the book “is exemplary! Such great writing and food for thought.”
