Summer, the days I believe to be perfectly fitted for fiction, are upon us. Here are a few titles you should not miss.
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The Dog Stars, Peter Heller (Vintage)
A flu pandemic has wiped most of the world’s populate from the planet, and Hig, his dog Jasper and a survivalist neighbor live on an abandoned airstrip, attempting to stay alive. One day, the radio of his 1956 Cessna crackles with a transmission, and Hig has hope, the possibility of another way of life. Without enough gas to return, Hig embarks on a journey, following the radio signal to see where it leads and to see what he will become through this uncharted experience.
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Benediction, Kent Haruf (Knopf)
Haruf, the heralded author of Plainsong and Eventide, returns with his next installment set in the fictional town of Holt, Colorado. Haruf’s sparse writing unfolds a direct, unencumbered story that allows the reader to truly know the place of Holt and its people. The opening pages of Benediction introduce us to Dad Lewis who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and realizes he is embarking upon his final summer. The story narrates a man coming to terms with the end as well as a burgeoning hope of a family’s healing. Other characters take up residence in this story, and the pages give reason for why many consider Haruf to be one of our finest storytellers.
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St. Francis and Brother Duck, Jay Stoeckl (Paraclete)
This is one both parents and kids can enjoy, a graphic novel narrating a fictionalized story of St. Francis of Assisi. The best endorsement I can offer is that both my boys loved it and asked for more.
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Winn Collier is a columnist, a pastor and the author of three books. is a columnist, a pastor and the author of three books.