Ahhhhh, summer.

Time for splashing in swimming holes, long rides down country roads with the radio blasting, and — perhaps most importantly — digging into a good book.

Summer reading lists are a popular American phenomenon. And we happen to live in a rather well-read community (give yourself a pat on the back, Mankato.)

So in the interest of sharing our best with you, I combed my beat for book recommendations, and have gathered a rather impressive list that I shall now pass along.



Ellen Mrja, faculty, Minnesota State University

The best book I’ve read this summer is Pulitzer Prize winner “Olive Kitteridge,” by Elizabeth Strout. This is a collection of short stories about the lives of people in a small town in Maine. The only thing they have in common is that at some point in their stories the retired schoolteacher named Olive Kitteridge is going to appear — sometimes to do something large, sometimes to barely brush their lives.

At times, then, we see Olive as compassionate, bigoted, cruel, heartbreakingly lonely, a busybody. But she’s always human. I teared up as I read her story. We schoolteachers ... so misunderstood.



Nicole Helget, local author and faculty at MSU

I actually read this a month ago or so, but I loved “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,” by Junot Diaz, which won the Pulitzer, I think. Diaz is testing new literary approaches, and the tales of Trujillo’s dastardly reign in the Dominican Republic are insightful. I’m always a sucker for the fictional/political genre (is that a genre?), and this one’s as good as “In the Time of Butterflies,” another good novel about Trujillo lusting after everyone’s daughters and killing everyone around him.



Karen Wright of MSU’s KMSU 89.7 FM

I just finished reading a great medical thriller guaranteed to make you buy bottles of antiseptic hand cleaner, cover your cough and practice meticulous hand washing procedures!

It’s called “Pandemic,” by Daniel Kalla, a Vancouver Emergency Room physician who began writing novels after his experience in dealing with the SARS outbreak. Written several years ago, it was just re-released. Pandemic describes a “fictitious” H1N1 virus outbreak that cuts too close to home now as health officials recently debated whether to declare a pandemic with the latest global flu outbreak. However, the outbreak in the book was purposely spread by terrorists.



Rachel Anderson Droogsma, faculty, MSU

Reading now or soon to read (I’m having a Barbara Kingsolver summer!) “The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel,” by Barbara Kingsolver (it’s my second time reading it, and it’s my favorite book of all time, at least so far!) “Pigs in Heaven,” by Barbara Kingsolver, and “Prodigal Summer,” by Barbara Kingsolver.

Kirstin Cronn-Mills, faculty, South Central College

I am reading Louise Erdrich’s tetralogy, “Love Medicine,” “Tracks,” “The Beet Queen” and “The Bingo Palace”; “Love Medicine” down, three more to go. I’m also reading “Scat,” by Carl Hiassen (middle grade), and may read some of his first five adult novels again: “Tourist Season,” “Double Whammy,” “Skin Tight,” “Native Tongue” and “Strip Tease.”



Pam Weller-Dengel, director of MSU’s Career Development Center

I just finished reading “Manic: A Memoir,” by Terri Cheney, and “The Worst Thing I’ve Done,” by Ursula Hegi and am now reading “Lucky,” by Alice Sebold. Up next? I hope to again read “The Conscience of a Liberal,” by Paul Wellstone, and something I have not already read by Augusten Burroughs.



Dan Cronn-Mills, (husband of Kirstin), faculty at MSU

“First Family,” by David Baldacci — summer fun reading. “The Night Gardener,” by George Pelecanos. “Serial,” by Jack Kilborn and Blake Crouch. “Scorpia” (Alex Rider Adventure), by Anthony Horowitz. My son is reading the series, and I wanted to join in.



Lauren Pilnick, MSU’s Women’s Center

“A New Earth,” by Eckhart Tolle, is amazing, and “Eat, Pray, Love,” by Elizabeth Gilbert, is also very good. Those are the two books I’m reading right now. Very insightful and thought-provoking.