Well, it’s here, July in all its glory. Back in January, it seemed so far away, so far as to be unimaginable, a chronological distance that would take forever to cross. And now, forever has happened, and the traffic at the Triangle stretches for what seems a mile, crawling toward downtown Edgartown — and the bookstore.
July’s delights are upon us — barbecues, beach reads, swim parties, lingering over cocktails at some place or another — did I mention beach reads? Though there is another thing I notice about summer — the chance to catch up, to take the time to do what we have been putting off.
A young man, fresh off four years as an investment banker, came into the store, asked for philosophy, to which I directed him. He returned with a stack of 20 books from our classics section, books he’d always meant to read but had never taken time for. This summer was the moment to read everything from “The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald to “The Prince” by Machiavelli.
We sell “Moby Dick” by the dozen every year to folks who have always meant to read it and who have never taken the time. What better time and place to read it than on Martha’s Vineyard?
Just this morning, a college-age young man plunked down an Agatha Christie, smiling, saying, “I always meant to read one of hers.” I nodded. “The A.B.C. Murders” are as good a place to start as any.
Paul Coehlo’s “The Alchemist,” first published in 1988, is a fantastical story of a shepherd boy in search of treasure, through the souks of Tangiers, across the desert, to a meeting with the Alchemist, an older book that finds its way into the hands of many on a summer day, always having meant to read it, now taking the time to do it, maybe by the pool, or out at South Beach, where sand and sun mix with the magic of words.
Donna Tartt’s most famous novel is “The Goldfinch,” but it is her first one, “The Secret History,” which is a bookstore bestseller. Published in 1992, it’s perhaps the first to delve into the dark side of academia, one that people are drawn to, one of those “oh, I always meant to read this” books.
Percival Everett’s bestselling “James,” the story of Huck Finn told from Jim’s perspective, a book based upon a classic, destined to be a classic according to the New York Times, has caused many people to think, It may be time for me to reread (or read for the first time) Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”
“A Little Life,” by Hanya Yanagihara, published in 2015, remains a summer bestseller, a story of friends whose lives are laced with pain, addiction, love, more pain; beautifully written, not a beach read at all, though a book which many choose to read in the summer, when they finally have the time to devote themselves to a great read they’ve meant to get to for a long time. Summer gives them the chance.
In the same vein is Ocean Vuong’s magnificent though painful “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,” a book I could hardly read and yet could not not read.
Summer is not just a time for Elin Hilderbrand, though goodness knows she sells a lot, particularly since “Swan Song” may be her swan song, but it’s also a time for Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, as well as “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Catcher in the Rye.” Oh, the last two: banned books in many places. Live a little, read a banned book.
Summer is barbecue time, whether it’s coal or propane, grills are being fired up so how better to learn summer skills than our own Steven Raichlen’s “Barbeque Bible,” first published in 1998, the perfect book to help you get into the season of barbecue with grilling ideas that have stood the test of time.
I love seeing classic children’s books march out the door. Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” is having a moment this month, as copy after copy leaves the store. Same with the amazing Sandra Boynton, Eric Carle, Richard Scarry, and our own Norman Bridwell’s “Clifford,” whose adventures live on and on. Thank goodness.
Summer is catch-up time, time to catch up with our inner selves, our reading, our food, our lives; summer is a time suspended between the hurly-burly of winter and spring, its work and chaos, and fall with its unyielding demands, which finally taper off into the holidays, when once again, for a moment, we relax.
Catch up, enjoy. It’s summer. Find that book you’ve always meant to read, and read it. No better time.
Mathew Tombers is manager of Edgartown Books, and an advocate for all things literary.
