Harvest good books this summer—August 15, 2008
You can extend your time in the garden this summer without mosquito repellent or sunscreen…simply by planting yourself inside a book!
Here are five books that feature gardens that just may cultivate your interest in reading.
1. “Garden Spells” by Sarah Addison Allen is a delightful, light summer read about a 34-year-old successful caterer with a garden of magical botanicals that happen to find their way into her recipes. With a pinch of marigold to stimulate affection and a dash of snapdragon to repel evil influences, her dishes cast a spell on their eaters while the book casts a spell on its readers. Hastings Public Library has “Garden Spells” in regular and large print editions.
2. “Garden of Beasts” by Jeffery Deaver is a psychological thriller that takes the summer Olympics back to 1936 in Berlin. If you’ve not yet read any of Deaver’s work, start with this one and see for yourself why his books continually top best-seller charts. It features a conscience-plagued mobster-turned government hitman who is asked to pose as a journalist covering the Berlin Olympics. His mission is to hunt down and kill a high-ranking Nazi official. This is one garden with a plot of heart-pounding hairpin twists and fascinating period detail. It is available in regular print and audio formats.
3. It’s no secret what's one of the most famous literary gardens of all time. If you enjoyed Frances Hodgson Burnett’s “The Secret Garden” as a child, stroll through it again as an adult and rediscover its charm as a place where friendship blooms and a selfishness withers. Hastings Public Library owns numerous copies of the story in regular and large print type and in audio & video formats. Some copies with illustrations by Tasha Tudor or other artists add extra appeal to this 1911 classic.
4. Create your own haven of peace and tranquility with “Serene Gardens” by Yoko Kawaguchi. This recently-released gem of a how-to book shows western gardeners the way to recreate the beauty of Japanese garden design using local plants and natural landscaping materials. With its exquisite photographs, meticulous detail and practical advice, the book offers inspiration for the gardener or simply provides a bird's-eye view of some of the world’s most stunning gardens.
5. Maybe too late for Mr. McGreggor, but “Please Don’t Eat My Garden!” by Nancy McCord contains an arsenal of expert strategies and old-time remedies to protect your yard and garden from freeloading animals. If you’ve ever applauded the sight of playful squirrels, cooed at the cuteness of bunnies or the antics of deer and then changed your mind about friendly relations when they ate every flower and vegetable you worked so hard to plant and nurture…then this is the book for you. For easy reference, it’s indexed by region, plant and pest.
Take a garden tour at Hastings Public Library this summer.
