Books of Summer by Oprah

As usual, we can count on Oprah for providing us with a reading list -- from the July issue of her magazine here are "The Books of Summer". We are invited to "dive into some of the juiciest, thrilling-est, most riveting, provocative, lyrical, eye-widening books of the season".

Here is a partial list:

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

This debut novel is set in rural Wisconsin in the first half of the 20th century on a farm where the Sawtelles raise a fictional breed of dog.

Beginner's Greek by James Collins
Collins spins a chance encounter on an airplane into a perfectly calibrated comedy of missed opportunities and muddled loves.

Palace Council by Stephen L. Carter
Set in the 1950s and 60s, this novel takes you from Harlem drawing rooms to Washington enclaves were power corrupts and elegant conspiracies are born.

This Land is Their Land by Barbara Ehrenreich
Ehrenriech laces her essays on the high cost of being poor in America with biting humor.

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
A luminous and lyrical novel in which the protagonist loses her father, her new marriage and eventually her mental balance.

The Condition by Jennifer Haigh
The author warm portrayals reveal the fears and longings of five family members who, after more than 20 years of self-imposed exile, tentatively make their way home.

What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn
An aspiring detective vanishes, yet her spirit remains in this tale of love and loneliness.

How Far is the Ocean from Here by Amy Shearn
A sweet surrogate mother suddenly disappears right before giving birth to a couple's child.

The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer
A beautiful, lyrical novel of the 1950s in a country at war with itself.

Central Park in the Dark by Marie Winn
Where does a sophisticated New Yorker go for a night on the town? This book offers glimpses of nocturnal visitors, including sexy slugs and rare owls.

Explorers of the Infinite by Maria Coffey
Coffey's interviews with athletes and scientists yield fascinating thoughts about the ecstasy of extreme sport.

Mind's Eye by Hakan Nesser
Swedish crime writer writes about the exploits of Chief Inspector Van Veeteren who is snappish, sardonic, unsentimental, depressed, and quite possibly psychic.

Shelter Half by Carol Bly
A unique mystery novel in which a body turns up on a stretch of country road.

Not in the Flesh by Ruth Rendell
A master of the mystery genre, Rendell tells another tale.

Careless in Red by Elizabeth George
Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley is ready for another mystery to solve.