By NICHOLAS PERSAD
Contributing Writer
CD — Kim Smith Dedam devours books.
"I finished "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold a couple days ago," said the Lake Placid Bureau reporter of the Press-Republican earlier this summer. "I have also been reading Annie Proulx, who is amazing. I finished 'Close Range: Wyoming Stories.'"
She also read Proulx's first novel, "Postcards," which she described as "achingly sad and beautiful."
Recent best-sellers aren't her only fodder for the eye, though. She digs through boxes of books at yard sales and flea markets to find that "$1 printed treasure."
That's what happened at one sale awhile back.
"I uncovered a real treasure, one that some people might find dense and terse, but a landmark history — the book 'Son of the Morning Star' by Evan S. Connell," Smith Dedam said. "It is probably the most astute, balanced and insightful work of history I have ever come across — its detailed research from all sources took me by storm."
Another recent read is "Girl with a Dragon Tattoo" by Steig Larsson.
"It is a good story, obviously translated from a different language," Smith Dedam said. "I thought the characters were stylized a bit too much but couldn't tell if that was a language issue, a flavor picked up when the words were converted to English. The sexual content is maybe too harsh for teens and some adults, so if parents are thinking about buying the book they should read it before giving it to a young person."
Summer reading for Bob Grady, editor-in-chief at the Press-Republican, included "Einstein — His Life and His Universe" by Walter Isaacson.
"I have always been fascinated by his extraordinary brain," Grady said, perhaps a bit tongue-in-cheek. "I wondered, how much smarter is he than I am?"
He also read "The Letters of Noel Coward," a compilation of letters the famous playwright wrote to various individuals, especially his mother, as well as missives he received from others.
PULP FICTION
Systems and Design Editor Jack Downs has been reading novels by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, who penned works such as "The Caves of Steel" and short-story collection "The Complete Robot."
"Lately, I have been re-reading books that I read many years ago," Downs said. "Isaac Asimov was so brilliant. He had so many incredible ideas that I think can appeal to many different ages."
Southern Essex County-based staff writer Lohr McKinstry chose to do some light reading this summer.
"My next book is going to be 'The Rio Kid Western' by Lee Wells," he said.
He also read "The Other Seabury Quinn Stories Vol. 4," a collection of short stories that appeared in fictional pulp magazines in the '30s and '40s. And he enjoyed "Finding Lot's Wife" by Alfred Clark.
"Great story, long out of print," he said.
"Harry Potter," suggests staff writer Joe LoTemplio. "Re-read them if you've already read them. They never get old."
And with the next movie based on the world-sensation series by J.K. Rowling due out this fall, he said, "it is good preparation."
News Editor Lois Clermont recommends "The Girl Who Stopped Swimming" by Joshilyn Jackson. A teenager drowns in the backyard pool of the main character, who sometimes sees ghosts.
"It's a little bit of a mystery but more about the relationship between the woman and her sister. My idea of the ideal summer book: light, you can't put it down, but well-written, with interesting, fully developed characters."
She also suggests "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte.
"Not so light," Clermont said, "but summer can be a great time to revisit the classics. "I think ('Wuthering Heights') is the best tragic love story ever, 'Romeo and Juliet' notwithstanding."
HEAR A GOOD BOOK
Suzanne Moore, features editor, ups her book consumption through technology.
"I usually have a book on CD in my car," she said.
This particular day, it was "Fearless 14" by Janet Evanovich, part of the author's Stephanie Plum series.
It's light reading, with often implausible plots that take a female bounty hunter and a cast of quirky characters into danger and ridiculous situations, Moore said.
"I especially love that series on CD because the woman narrator does the voices of the characters so well. 'Harry Potter,' too, really comes to life on CD."
Another book onor in print form — that Moore recommends is "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. Set in 1960s Mississippi, the powerful, funny and poignant novel brings to life the dichotomous relationship between white women and their black maids even as the Civil Rights Movement gains power.
"It gave me chills," Moore said. "You never want the book to end."
However, she said, sometimes a book on CD can distract you from driving — and some just don't translate well to the spoken word. Watch out for abridged versions, she advised.
Moore always has a book at hand — her bedroom bookcase is filled with old favorites, including Georgette Heyer and Josephine Tey murder mysteries and a five-volume set of "The Selected Journals of Lucy Maud Montgomery" of "Anne of Green Gables" fame.
"Better than fiction," Moore said.
She takes full advantage of the Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System's online book reservation system to find old favorites and sample new authors.
"I might love reading more than my husband," she said.
