Summer Reading Recommendations

Part I

Nothing says summer vacation like a few good beach (or mountain, lake, backpacking… you get the picture…) reads. The AICPA Communications staff joined forces to present you with a diverse collection of books we think will make your summer vacation, wherever that may be, even more enjoyable.

Christopher Almonte, Manager, Communications recommends:

The Innovator: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson (2014)

From the author who wrote the biography of Steve Jobs comes the story of how computers and the internet were created.

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell (2013)

Challenge how you think about obstacles, disadvantages and setbacks to reshape the way you think of the world around you.

Tammy Atkins, Manager, Brand and Communications recommends:

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (2015)

Set during WWII, two French sisters, different as night and day, find that the horrors of war pull them together, and apart at times, in ways they never imagined. The war tests their endurance,strength and family bond.

Dawn Booker, Senior Manager, Communications Quality Initiatives says:

I Put a Spell on You by Nina Simone with Stephen Cleary (1992)

Every summer I read Nina Simone’s autobiography. She was a globally loved music icon. I am inspired by the many lives she led. I read the book while listening to her music on my MP3 player.

Samantha Delgado, Communications Manager—Consumer Education recommends:

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (2015)

A thriller that keeps you on your toes the entire time, wondering who is the “good guy” and “bad guy,” constantly changing your mind each chapter. It’s coming out as a movie in the fall.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (2009)

In another thriller by the author of the popular novel, “Gone Girl,” the main character confronts memories of the murder of her mother and two sisters while trying to prove her brother’s innocence.

Adam Junkroski, Lead Manager, Tax Communications recommends:

Lost Horizon by James Hilton (1933)

Shangri-La seems an achievable Eden; a place where occasional human failings are accepted as inevitable in an otherwise idyllic culture. Also, I imagine it has an awesome Chinese restaurant.

Ann Marie Maloney, Communications Manager-Tax recommends:

The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro (2012)

A fictional account of intrigue involving the real-life theft of masterpieces from the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston. I liked this partly because it raises some interesting moral issues and has some good twists.

Heather O’Connor, Senior Manager, Communications recommends:

The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald (1925)

Yes, you read it in the ninth grade, but this book is even more enthralling when you pick it up as an adult.

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin (1978)

Follow Midwesterner Mary Ann Singleton as she journeys from tourist to fulltime resident of mysterious, charming and cosmopolitan San Francisco.

Donna Salter, Senior Manager, Young Member Initiatives recommends:

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens (2014)

Mystery, literary thriller. Great development of characters. An easy read that gets very exciting until the climactic finish.

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (2014)

A beautiful, haunting story of old loves and new, and the power of the connections that bind us forever.

Stacie Saunders, Sr. Communications Manager, Social Business & Member Engagement recommends:

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen (2001)

This is not a new book, but it is the story of a dysfunctional, but relatable American family that stuck with me. Not a light read, it was a finalist for the 2002 Pulitzer Prize and well worth a spot in your summer reading line up.

To balance it out, pick up copy of Tina Fey’s Bossypants (2011), a funny autobiographical comedy by the SNL super-star. It can be read a chapter at a time, which is perfect between dips in the pool.

James Schiavone, Senior Manager, Public Relations recommends:

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (1989)

Captivating from start to finish, with shocking twists and turns. Irving is an excellent storyteller and his dialogue and details keep the pages turning. Like a lot of authors, he touches upon similar themes in all of his novels. I believe this is his best work.

Lauren Sternberg, Communications Manager recommends:

The Spoils of Time Trilogy by Penny Vincenzi

(No Angel (2003), Something Dangerous (2004), and Into Temptation (2005))

The unputdownable tale of several generations of the Lytton family led by their indomitable, passionate, creative matriarch, Celia. The saga begins with blueblood Celia’s marriage to the son of a publisher, Oliver Lytton, in England in 1898, and continues through the turmoil and tumult of the early 20^th century to New York in the 1960s. If you want an extra dose of fun, listen to Florence + the Machine’s Ceremonials while you read. It is the perfect soundtrack.

AICPA Communications

Woman reading in a hammock courtesy of Shutterstock.

Summer Reading Recommendations

Related Stories