Story Photos
 Photo by Roger Werth Jeff Philbrook of Longview relaxes in the shade with a few summer reads -- two detective mysteries and a Jimmy Buffet book -- which might rightly be called 'beach books' for guys. |
Beach books for men -- Spice up your summer with some mystery, adventure
Saturday, July 23, 2005 11:28 PM PDT
By Jim Lemonds
Printable version
E-mail this articleA press release for Elmore Leonard's latest book, "The Hot Kid" touts the story as "a beach book for guys." Most often used to describe historical romances and light reads aimed at women, beach books promise entertainment, easy reading, and subject matter with few connections to politics or philosophy.
But what would qualify as a beach book for men?
You can rest assured that none of the books described below features bodice-ripping pirates hooking up with genteel English beauties who have been betrayed by jealous siblings. In putting together some recommended summer reads, I used criteria that are a little darker, a little more physical, and a little more adventure-oriented.
With a large slice of summer still to come, it's not too late to latch onto some great reads that offer a cooler full of mystery and adventure.
We'll save "War and Peace" for the rainy season.
• Burke on the Bayou
James Lee Burke knows about persistence. His novel "The Lost Get-Back Boogie" was rejected more than 100 times before it was accepted for publication. Burke had the last laugh. "The Lost Get-Back Boogie" was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1987. Since then, he has produced 16 books and won two Edgar Awards for best mystery novel of the year.
Burke's highly regarded Dave Robicheaux series includes a dozen titles, beginning with "The Neon Rain" and continuing with "Black Cherry Blues," an Edgar winner in '89, and more.
The series opens in New Orleans, where Robicheaux and his partner in the NOPD, Cletus Purcel, are under investigation for murder. Burke's books follow Robicheaux to Bayou Teche in rural Louisiana and his ongoing battles with alcoholism and other personal demons.
Burke is one of the finest stylists in the U.S., regardless of genre. He will take you to the bayou, let you hear the Cajun in people's voice, and give you a taste of oyster po'boys and beignets at Café du Monde.
The stories that include Purcel including "Neon Rain," "Black Cherry Blues," "A Stained White Radiance" and "A Morning for Flamingos," are my favorites. While Robicheaux constantly struggles with his conscience, Cletus doesn't feel obligated to play by the rules.
Burke's second series, about Texas attorney Billy Bob Holland, has also won awards.
• Take a Trip With Mr. Cahill
If you like to travel, let Tim Cahill be your guide.
Cahill contributes to National Geographic and has written for Outside magazine since 1978. His writing has taken him around the world several times.
What sets Cahill apart from most other travel writers is his humor, evident in his newest, "Lost in My Own Backyard," and titles such as "Jaguars Ripped My Flesh," "Road Fever," and "A Wolverine Is Eating My Leg."
Pack your bags and go along.
• Florida Cool
John D. MacDonald died in 1986, but his writing, which includes 78 books and more than 500 short stories, lives on.
Considered one of the great American storytellers, McDonald started as a writer of pulp fiction. He was selected as a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1972 and won the American Book Award in 1980.
He's best known for his Travis McGee series, which begins in Fort Lauderdale at Bahia Mar marina, where McGee moors his beloved houseboat, the Busted Flush.
Part Don Quixote, part Sam Spade, McGee makes a living as a "salvage consultant" --- he finds things for people. McDonald's writing is crisp, his plots are seamless, and his descriptions of a dying Florida paradise are an echo of what lies ahead for the rest of America.
Two of my favorite McGee stories are "The Empty Copper Sea" (1978) and "The Lonely Silver Rain" (1985).
Among the plethora of Florida writers attracting attention, James Hall is one of the best and least appreciated. Most of Hall's 13 books are set in the Florida Keys and feature a professional fly-tier and reclusive beach bum named Thorn, who was introduced in "Under Cover of Daylight" (1987).
Hall leaves Thorn behind in his most recent title, "Forests of the Night," which some critics are calling his finest work to date.
• Beantown vs. the Bronx
"The Boys of Summer," by Roger Kahn, is regarded as the best book ever written about baseball. David Halberstam's "Summer of '49" is better.
Whether he's writing about politics or sports, Halbertam's books are thoroughly researched and well written. The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist is the author of more than a dozen books, including "The Powers That Be" and "The Best and the Brightest," which details how and why America became involved in Vietnam.
In "Summer of '49," he focuses on a great time in baseball history, when Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio lead the Red Sox and Yankees in a down-to-the-wire race for the American League pennant.
But Halberstam doesn't concentrate solely on the superstars. He introduces you to each team's roster -- the ones who rose up from obscurity and made the big contributions, and the ones who fell short of what was expected. By the end, you feel like you have been traveling with these teams.
And if you still aren't certain why Red Sox fans treated last year's AL playoff win as if it were VJ-Day, this book will make things clear.
• L.A.: It Ain't Just the Magic Kingdom
• Walter Mosley is one of the best-selling writers in the mystery genre -- and rightly so. The author of 19 books, Mosley is known for producing smooth prose and memorable characters.
The popular Easy Rawlins series, stretching over seven titles, began with "Devil in a Blue Dress." Set in post-World War II Los Angeles, they follow Rawlins, a black, WWII veteran who has returned home to find that defeating the Germans and Japanese didn't do much to improve race relations in the States. Easy is often accompanied by his charming, psychopathic best friend, Mouse.
Mosley has also begun two other series. Bookseller Paris Minton and his friend Fearless Jones are featured in "Fearless Jones" and "Fear Itself." Ex-con Socrates Fortlow tries to navigate life in "Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned" and "Walkin' the Dog."
Mosley doesn't preach, but his books provide compelling evidence that the racism of the Jim Crow era was not confined to the Deep South.
• The author of a dozen novels, T. Jefferson Parker started strong with "Laguna Heat" (1985) and "Little Saigon" (1988), but the quality of his work fell off a bit during the '90s. Parker has returned to prominence with two Edgar-winning hits -- "Silent Joe" (2001) and "California Girl" (2004).
Parker may not take you directly to the beach, but his entertaining stories always provide a strong feel for sunny SoCal and all the beauty and mayhem that go with it.
• One L. A. writer who gets far too little acclaim is Kem Nunn. If you're looking for a beach book with a beach setting, Nunn is the man. No one writes better about the surfing culture.
Stories like "Tapping the Source" (nominated for a National Book Award in '84), "Dogs of Winter" and the recently released "Tijuana Straits" feature burned-out surfers still searching for that big wave.
Although it doesn't deal with surfing, Nunn's "Pomona Queen," nominated for an Edgar, ranks high on my list, if only for its opening scene.
When vacuum cleaner salesman Earl Dean sets out to do a harmless demo, he runs into drug-nutty biker Dan Brown. Earl finds it difficult to deliver a convincing sales pitch with Dan's recently murdered brother, Buddy, on ice in a pop cooler in the living room. Biker Dan decides that Earl needs to accompany him on his search for Buddy's killer, the lead singer of a band called Pomona Queen.
• Great Reads From the Great Northwest
You have to love a guy with the brass to call himself G. M. Ford.
The Seattle-based writer has created 10 books in two series, all but one set in the Puget Sound area. Ford's first book, "Who in Hell Is Wanda Fuca?," which garnered national acclaim in 1996, introduces Seattle P. I. Leo Waterman. The investigator is simultaneously assisted and burdened by "the Boys," a collection of homeless drunks.
Ford left Waterman and the Boys in favor of Frank Corso, a discredited journalist who stars in his more recent books. My favorite is "Fury," which finds Corso exploring new evidence in the case of serial killer Walter LeRoy Hines.
• I'll admit it: Thom Jones isn't especially "beachy."
His stories are more likely to feature boxers than beach bums, and it's hard to imagine a critic labeling a Jones story as "fluff."
That said, he's worth a look. Now residing in Olympia, the former school janitor and amateur boxer has written three collections of short fiction since 1993: "The Pugilist at Rest," "Cold Snap" and "Sonny Liston Was a Friend of Mine. "
I like all of Jones's work, but "Pugilist at Rest," which earned a National Book Award nomination, is the best, especially three Vietnam stories that open the book.
• Houston, We Have a Problem
The female protagonists of Pam Houston's short stories indeed have their problems --- usually the result of hooking up with the wrong men. But when it comes to sheer stylistic ability, Houston has few weaknesses. Her writing is sharp, clear, and moving.
Houston's short fiction has been included in "Best American Short Stories of the Century," and she has won the Pushcart Prize and the O. Henry Award.
Her first book, "Cowboys Are My Weakness," features Western settings. Her narrators often find themselves in relationships that don't last, but their failures allow them to discover their strengths.
A second collection, "Waltzing the Cat," intertwines stories of Lucy O'Rourke. The title story, which describes Lucy's dysfunctional relationship with her father, is superior.
"A Little More About Me," (1999) is a solid collection of essays that highlight the author's passion for the outdoors. Houston traveled 40 rivers and 3,000 miles of hiking trails on five continents in composing the book.
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