On the nightstand

An abbreviated edition of my regular feature.

Books read
■ Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival (Norman Ollestad)
After asking me for recommendations for the first four selections in his summer reading log (The Road (Cormac McCarthy), World Made by Hand (James Howard Kunstler), Lindbergh (A. Scott Berg), and Willie and Dwike: An American Profile (William Zinsser) -- all of which he thoroughly enjoyed), Mr. M-mv snagged Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival from my library stack before I had a chance to read it. He gave it a thumbs-up.

■ Olive Kitteridge (Elizabeth Strout)
Most of you have probably already read this collection of related stories, perhaps after it won the Pulitzer Prize. I resisted it, though, and resisted it and resisted it but finally succumbed during my long illness. Dare I admit how much I identify with the title character? A beautiful meditation on life's commonplaces, replete with memorable characters.

■ The Last Child (John Hart)
I read Hart's King of Lies and Down River last year. Good poolside books. The Last Child was adequate for this purpose, too.

■ Tuck Everlasting (Natalie Babbitt)
With the "Girls Rule Book Club." Also with the Misses (as part of an illustrator study):
■ Wanda Gág: The Girl Who Lived to Draw (Deborah Kogan Ray)
■ The Girlhood Diary of Wanda Gág, 1908-1909: Portrait of a Young Girl (Wanda Gág; edited by Megan O'Hara)
■ Millions of Cats (Wanda Gág)
■ Nothing at All (Wanda Gág)
■ Gone Is Gone (Wanda Gág)

Speaking of the Misses, they have been consuming all of the books in the Percy Jackson, Shadow Children, and Maximum Ride series. Nope. Not necessarily great or even good lit. But seasonally appropriate. Besides, you all know how I feel about dictating a child's reading.

Oh, and we also listened to another Andrew Clements' tale on CD: The Report Card. You know, we were actually a little disappointed. The character of Nora was terrific, as was that of her best friend and of the school librarian. But the parents were, uncharacteristically for Clements, in my opinion, all but worthless -- silly, superficial, and, worse, clueless.

And what's Master reading? Why, this and this.

More later. We're going for a bike ride!