Cool books for hot sunny days 0

Well, folks, it's officially summer. I know this because it's finally -- gasp! -- sunny here in Seattle. So get out those flip-flops and the sunscreen, settle into that lawnchair or hammock, and hand me a margarita ... it's time for the summer reading list.

Somehow summer seems like the perfect time of year for a good piece of environmental fiction. All those books about "facts" are just a little too heavy for lounging on the beach. With that in mind, here are a few titles that have recently found their way onto the Grist shelves (which, by the way, are now in boxes to be transported to our new office digs -- won't you lend a hand a few bucks to help move us?):

• Dirt Cheap by Lyn Miller-Lachmann is a story of "one man's quest for eco-justice."
• Kelpie Wilson's Primal Tears centers around a young woman who volunteers to be a surrogate mother for an endangered species of chimpanzee (!).
• The Great Tree of Avalon series takes place in T.A. Barron's fantasy world of Avalon; the latest in the series is Shadows on the Stars.
• And finally, one for the kids: Trouble on Tarragon Island, the latest in a series by Nikki Tate, is about a young girl whose grandmother joins a radical group of eco-protestors and even participates in a calendar of semi-nude photos. (Clearly a horror story.)

And if fiction ain't your thing. How about using all that summer sun to cook up some tasty treats? Check out:

• Cooking With Sunshine, a book of recipes by Lorraine Anderson and Rick Palkovic;
• The Solar Food Dryer, by Eben Fodor -- more of a how-to guide.

'Til next time, enjoy your summer reading ... and how's that margarita coming along?

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