We’d like to thank the 88 people who responded to our summer reading survey.

Below you’ll find some of the unedited comments that were submitted and a short list of the authors who were recommended.

Author recommendations:
Haruki Murakami
Cate Garrison
Leo Tolstoy
Michael Chabon

Reading recommendations and comments:

Haruki Marakami:
“Always suprising and mysterious.”

Of Mutts and Men by Cate Garrison
“I enjoy reading a book that makes me feel so very much a part of the story and evokes all the proper emotions, at the time of each ‘happening’!! When asked, ‘Who are your favorite authors?’ I happily put Cate Garrison at the top of that list. We are watching and waiting for her next book to be published.”

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
“This book doesn’t offer a reading experience; rather it offers complete migration to a world not available otherwise. I know nothing of Russian but find the Prevear and Volokhonsky translation seamless and clear, and of course I believe that, somehow, summer will last at least as long as it takes me to finish these 817 pages.”

“I just discovered George Macdonald Fraser’s glorious hilarious informative adventurous lewd wondrous Flashman novels, and have been eating them at a terrific rate, and whereas there are lots of them, what more summery joyous thing could you do readingwise than stumble across an absolutely delightful, beautifully written, funny, and substantive book, AND FIND OUT IT HAS A LOTTA COUSINS?! O frabjous weeks at the beach…”

“I just finished The Book Thief by Marc Zusak. I would never have read this but for my bookgroup and I’m so glad I did. This is a very moving story, told in a very rich style full of interesting things to think about. I’m also in The Potter and the Muse by Lotte Streisinger, a Eugene artist who writes about the creative spirit and process as if she’s looking into my head.”

“Looking for Trouble—Virginia Cowles. Out of print, so you’ll need to look for it. Great account of Europe in the run-up to World War II. First hand impressions of most everyone, good, bad, and worse… Moments where German and British correspondents cover the Soviet invasion of Finland side by side, even though their own two countries at war…. Martha Gellhorn showing up in a hotel lobby to be evacuated, bearing only pajamas and a bottle of whiskey.”

“I’m reading Lynne McTaggart’s The Field…simply wonderful book. Not an easy read, unless you have a background in physics and or quantum mechanics, but written for the layman…She’s brilliant.”

“Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett…Its really long and wonderful. The book was recommended to me. I resisted for months due to the fact that it’s about the middle ages (not my favorite) and it’s almost 1000 pages. I would have never picked it from the library or book store. The story and character development combined make it SO interesting and a page turner. You can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next. Not your typical Ken Follett. If nothing else you should read the introduction. Fascinating why and how he wrote this book.”

“I just re-read Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami, and I am looking forward to his new release on July 29. Any chance of you all could swing an appearance by him in the future? I’ve been obsessed with his books for about a decade now.”

“Trask by Don Berry. Historical fiction based on Elbridge Trask’s 1848 journey with two Native American guides from Clatsop Plains (Seaside) to Murderer’s Harbor (Tillamook). Beautiful sense of the unspoiled north coast and also the tragic unweaving of what had been the Indians’ stable life for thousands of years. If you haven’t read this for decades, it is well worth reading again.”

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