2023 Tunstall Summer Reading

TUNSTALL SUMMER READING

THURSDAY IS GO TIME. GET READY.

AIMLESS LOVE BILLY COLLINS

From the two-term Poet Laureate of the United States, Billy Collins, comes his first volume of new and selected poems in twelve years. Aimless Love combines fifty new poems with generous selections from his four most recent books. Collins’s unmistakable voice, which brings together plain speech with imaginative surprise, is clearly heard on every page, reminding us how he has managed to enrich the tapestry of contemporary poetry and greatly expand its audience.

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN ROBERT FULGHUM

Fulghum engages us with musings on life, death, love, pain, joy, sorrow, and the best chicken-fried steak in the continental United States. A little seed in a Styrofoam cup offers a reminder about the delicate nature of life . . . a spider who catches (and loses) a full-grown woman in its web teaches us about surviving catastrophe . . . the lstory of Jean-Francois Pilatre and his hot-air balloon reminds us to be brave and unafraid to “fly”. Fulghum lends broad meaning to all of his small anecdotes.

BY THE GRACE OF THE GAME DAN GRUFELD

Ernie Grunfeld is the only player in NBA history whose parents survived the holocaust. As a boy, he and his family narrowly avoided Auschwitz, making a harrowing escape to the U.S. As an adulty, he found his way to the top of the Olympic Podium and to center stage at Madison Square Garden. This is his story, as told by his son.

CHALLENGER DEEP NEAL SHUSTERMAN

Caden Bosch lives in two worlds. One is his real life with his family, his friends, and high school. There he is paranoid for no reason, thinks people are trying to kill him, and demonstrates obsessive compulsive behaviors. In his other world, he's part of the crew for a pirate captain on a voyage to the Challenger Deep, the ocean's deepest trench. Shusterman traces Caden Bosch's schizophrenic decent, and his return.

DEMON COPPERHEAD BARBARA KINGSOLVER

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. Demon braves foster care, child labor, derelict schools, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. He reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people.

DREAMS FROM MY FATHER BARACK OBAMA

In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. His father's sudden death inspires an emotional odyssey first to a small town in Kansas, from which he retraces the migration of his mother’s family to Hawaii, and then to Kenya, where he meets the African side of his family, confronts the truth of his father’s life, and at last reconciles his divided inheritance.

M E M O I R

DUNE FRANK HERBERT

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life. Coveted across the universe, melange is a prize worth killing for. When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family sets the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he ever imagined. As he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he brings to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.

S C IF I

FREE FOOD FOR MILLIONAIRES MIN JIN

LEE

Meet Casey Han: a strong-willed, Queensbred daughter of Korean immigrants immersed in a glamorous Manhattan lifestyle she can't afford. Casey is eager to make it on her own, but she soon finds that her Princeton economics degree isn't enough to rid her of her credit card debt and toxic boyfriend. When a chance encounter with an old friend lands her a new opportunity, she's determined to carve a space for herself in a glittering world of privilege, power, and wealth-but at what cost?

GILEAD MARILYNNE ROBINSON

Reverend John Ames is the son of an Iowan preacher and the grandson of a minister who came west to Kansas to fight for abolition: He "preached men into the Civil War," then, at age fifty, became a chaplain in the Union Army, losing his right eye in battle. Reverend Ames writes to his son about the tension between his father--an ardent pacifist--and his grandfather, whose pistol and bloody shirts, concealed in an army blanket, may be relics from the fight between the abolitionists and those settlers who wanted to vote Kansas into the union as a slave state.

HOW NOT TO BE WRONG

JORDAN ELLENBERG

Math allows us to see the hidden structures underneath the messy and chaotic surface of our world. It allows us to see through to the true meaning of information we take for granted: How early should you get to the airport? What does “public opinion” really represent? Why do tall parents have shorter children? How likely are you, really, to develop cancer? How Not to Be Wrong presents the surprising revelations behind all of these questions, analyzing life and exposing the hard-won insights of the academic community to the layman

HOW THE WORLD REALLY WORKS VACLAV SMIL

We have never had so much information at our fingertips and yet most of us don’t know how the world really works. This book explains seven of the most fundamental realities governing our survival and prosperity. From energy and food production, through our material world and its globalization, to risks, our environment and its future, How the World Really Works offers a much-needed reality check because before we can tackle problems effectively, we must understand the facts.

LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY BONNIE GARMUS

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. Elizabeth Zott would point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with of all things her mind. True chemistry results. But like science, life is unpredictable, and Elizabeth Zott's path will be anything but expected.

LOOKING UP: POEMS 2010-2022

DAVE SMITH

Looking Up collects more than a decade of new poems by Dave Smith. He ponders the substantial changes wrought by retirement, which brings no expectations, no obligations, no role beyond what one has left, which prompts the question, What will you do now? Both the question and its answers are the subject of Looking Up, as Smith gives us poems as acts of attention, raptures, comedies, sardonic narratives, vignettes of grief and joy whose testimony shows that love is surely our core reality.

THE LOST CITY OF Z DAVID

GRANN

For centuries Europeans believed the Amazon, the world’s largest rain forest, concealed the glittering kingdom of El Dorado. Thousands had died looking for it, leaving many scientists convinced that the Amazon was truly inimical to humankind. In 1925 David Fawcett ventured into the Amazon to find an ancient civilization, hoping to make one of the most important discoveries in history. Then he vanished. Over the years countless perished trying to find evidence of his party and the place he called “The Lost City of Z.”

MAGNOLIA PALACE FIONA DAVIS

A tantalizing novel about the secrets, betrayal, and murder within one of New York City's most impressive Gilded Age mansions. When English model Veronica Weber is dismissed from the Vogue shoot taking place at the Frick Collection, she chances upon a series of hidden messages in the museum: messages that will lead her on a hunt that could finally reveal the truth behind a decades-old murder in the infamous Frick family.

MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING

VICTOR FRANKL

“Viktor Frankl’s riveting account of his time in the Nazi concentration camps, and his insightful exploration of the human will to find meaning in spite of the worst adversity, has offered solace and guidance to generations of readers since it was first published in 1946. At the heart of Frankl’s philosophy is a conviction that the primary human drive is not pleasure but rather the discovery and pursuit of what the individual finds meaningful.

H I S T O R I C A L N O NF I C T I O N

MEDITATIONS MARCUS AURELIUS

Few ancient works have been as influential as the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, philosopher and emperor of Rome (A.D. 161–180). A series of spiritual exercises filled with wisdom, practical guidance, and profound understanding of human behavior, it remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written.

MYTHOS STEPHEN FRY

Mythos is a modern collection of Greek myths, stylishly retold by legendary writer, actor, and comedian Stephen Fry. Fry transforms the adventures of Zeus and the Olympians into emotionally resonant and deeply funny stories, without losing any of their original wonder. Each adventure is infused with Fry's distinctive wit, voice, and writing style. Connoisseurs of the Greek myths will appreciate this fresh-yetreverential interpretation, while newcomers will feel welcome.

ONCE A RUNNER JOHN PARKER

Inspired by the author’s experience as a collegiate champion, the novel follows Quenton Cassidy, a competitive runner at fictional Southeastern University whose lifelong dream is to run a four-minute mile. He is less than a second away when the turmoil of the Vietnam War era intrudes into the staid recesses of his school’s athletic department.

OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HUNGER

LISA DONOVAN

James Beard Award winning chef Lisa Donovan helped establish some of the South's most important kitchens. Yet she struggled to make a living in an industry where male chefs built careers on culinary heritage passed down from generations of female cooks. When she made a perfect dessert at a celebration for food-world goddess Diana Kennedy, Kennedy asked why she had not heard of her. Donovan said she did not know. "I do," Kennedy said, "Stop letting men tell your story." This is Donovan's story, told in her own words.

PILLARS OF THE EARTH KEN FOLLETT

This is a spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfthcentury England. This is Ken Follett’s historical masterpiece. The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest cathedral the world has known. His endeavors become a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state and brother against brother.

SAPIENS

YUVAL NOAH HARRARI

From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity’s creation and evolution a #1 international bestseller that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be “human.” One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us?

SEA OF TRANQUILITY EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL

When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the black-skied Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend from the Night City who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe.

S C I F I

SIDECOUNTRY JOHN BRANCH

New York Times reporter John Branch writes riveting stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Branch is renowned for covering the offbeat in the sporting world, from alligator hunting to wingsuit flying. In “Snow Fall” he writes about downhill skiers caught in an avalanche, and “Dawn Wall,” recounts rock climbers trying to scale Yosemite’s El Capitan. Branch introduces people whose dedication and decency transcend their sporting lives: a revered football coach rebuilding his tornado-devastated town in Iowa and a girls’ basketball team in Tennessee that plays on despite never winning a game.

STIFF MARY ROACH

For two thousand years, cadavers – some willingly, some unwittingly – have been involved in science’s boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They’ve tested France’s first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender confirmation surgery, cadavers have helped make history in their quiet way.

TALKING TO THE WILD BECKY HEMSLEY

A poetry collection by Becky

Hemsley.

Inspired by humanity and nature, this book was pretty much launched by a video on social media which resonated with so many people. It is a journey that starts with the whole world and ends with you. These are the bedtime stories we never knew we needed.

THE AGE OF CAGE KEITH PHIPPS

Nicolas Cage is many things, but love him, or laugh at him, there's no denying two things: you’ve seen one of his many films, and you know his name. But who is he, really, and why has his career endured for over forty years, with more than a hundred films, and birthed a million memes? Age of Cage is a book about the films of Nicolas Cage and the actor himself. Critic and journalist Keith Phipps draws a portrait of the enigmatic icon by looking at what else? Cage’s expansive filmography.

THE BOYS FROM BILOXI JOHN GRISHAM

John Grisham returns to Mississippi with the riveting story of two sons of immigrant families who grow up as friends, but ultimately find themselves on opposite sides of the law. Biloxi is known for its beaches, resorts, and seafood. But it has a darker side, notorious for corruption and vice, controlled by small cabal of mobsters. Once childhood friends, Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco have taken different paths: Keith to law school to become a prosecutor; Hugh to running clubs tied up with the mob. Their two families are headed for a showdown, one that will happen in a courtroom.

THE CHILDREN'S BLIZZARD MELANIE

BENJAMIN

The morning of January 12, 1888, was unusually mild. It was warm enough for the homesteaders of the Dakota Territory to venture out, and for their children to return to school without their heavy coats leaving them unprepared when disaster struck. At the hour when most prairie schools were letting out for the day, a terrifying, fastmoving blizzard blew in without warning. Schoolteachers as young as sixteen were suddenly faced with life and death decisions: Keep the children inside, to risk freezing to death when fuel ran out, or send them home, praying they wouldn’t get lost in the storm?

I S T O R I C A L F I C T I O N

THE CODE OF THE WOOSTERS P.G.

WODEHOUSE

Follow the adventures of Bertie Wooster and his gentleman’s gentleman, Jeeves, in one of the greatest comic novels in the English language. Enjoy the lunacy of this preposterous romp through high-society England, written by a master of his craft.

THE CONTROL OF NATURE JOHN MCPHEE

McPhee explores attempts to bend nature to the will of humans. He examines the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' unrealized plan to divert the flow of the Mississippi River for flood control. He recounts an Icelandic engineer saving a southern harbor from being destroyed by a lava flow. He examines a complex scheme to protect Los Angeles from boulders ejected from mountains by tectonic movement. Stubborn, sometimes foolhardy, often ingenious, and always arresting characters shine in every tale.

THE DAY THE WORLD CAME TO TOWN JIM DEFEDE

When 38 jetliners bound for the United States were forced to land at Gander International Airport in Canada by the closing of U.S. airspace on September 11, the population of this small town on Newfoundland Island swelled from 10,300 to nearly 17,000. The stranded passengers were met with an overwhelming display of friendship and goodwill. This book recounts an inspiring example of humanity and kindness that touched the lives of thousands of people.

THE DIAMOND EYE KATE QUINN

In 1937 in the snowbound city of Kyiv, wry and bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son but Hitler’s invasion of Ukraine and Russia sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila must forge herself from studious girl to deadly sniper a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death.

THE DISAPPEARING SPOON SAM KEAN

Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why is gallium (Ga, 31) the go-to element for laboratory pranksters? The Periodic Table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, betrayal, and obsession. These fascinating tales follow every element on the table as they play out their parts in human history, and in the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them.

THE MAID NITA PROSE

Molly Gray is different. She struggles with social skills. She misreads intentions. But she has found her niche. As a hotel maid, she's excellent. Then comes the morning when she enters the suite of Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?

M Y S T E R Y

THE MANY DAUGHTERS OF AFONG MOY JAMIE FORD

Dorothy Moy breaks her own heart for a living. As Washington's former poet laureate, that's how she describes channeling her dissociative episodes and mental health struggles into her art. But when her fiveyear-old daughter exhibits similar behavior and begins remembering things from the lives of their ancestors, Dorothy believes the past has truly come to haunt her. Fearing that her child is predestined to endure the same debilitating depression that has marked her own life, Dorothy seeks radical help.

THE MIRACLE OF ST. ANTHONY ADRIAN WOJNAROWSKI

For kids growing up in a violent city, hope comes in a most unassuming form: a tiny brick schoolhouse where a singular basketball genius turns teenagers into champions on the hardcourt. For thirty years Coach Bob Hurley had been offering his players rescue from their surroundings through college scholarships, when he met his most dysfunctional team yet. This book follows Hurley through a gripping and heartrending season as he struggles to lead a troubled team to glory, determined to see no more children lost to these streets.

S P O R T S

THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR AMAL EL-MOHTAR

Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandment finds a letter. It reads: "Burn before reading." Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt becomes something more. Something epic, romantic. Something that could change the past and the future. Except the discovery of their bond would mean the death of each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win. That’s how war works, right?

TRUST HERNAN DIAZ

A tale of wealth, love, and madness told in four distinct but connected narratives. The novel begins with the story of a reclusive man who finds his calling and a massive fortune in the stock market in the early 20th century. The tales that follow echo and unpack the first. The novel brilliantly weaves its multiple perspectives to create a symphony of emotional effects

H I S T O R I C A L F I C T I O N

WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME

GILLIAN MCALLISTER

It's after midnight. You’re waiting up for your eighteen-year-old son. He’s past curfew. As you watch from the window, he emerges. You realize he isn’t alone: he’s walking toward a man, and he’s armed. Your funny, happy teenage son kills a stranger. You don’t know who or why. You only know your son's future is shattered. But the next morning you awake, and it's yesterday. Every morning you wake up another day before the murder. With another chance to stop it. Somewhere in the past lies an answer.

T H R I L L E R

YOGA FOR EMOTIONAL BALANCE BO FORBES

An integrative approach to healing anxiety, depression, and chronic stress through yoga and breathing exercises. Learn restorative yoga sequences designed to balance anxiety and lift depression as well as breath and body-centered exercises to calm your mind and energize your body. Rooted in classical yoga yet supported by psychology and science, the techniques in this book will help you create progressive and lasting change.

S P O R T S