If you're searching for something to read this summer, I have seven recommendations. Over the last four weeks, I read the following books...

Requiem for an Assassin by Barry Eisler - The sixth installment in the series finds John Rain grudgingly working for his longtime foe, a rogue CIA agent named Jim Hilger. Hilger kidnaps Dox, Rain's partner and closest friend, and threatens to kill him if Rain doesn't carry out three hits. I zipped through this book, eager to see if Rain would save Dox and if he'd take down Hilger once and for all. I got a kick out of the scenes set in Palo Alto, but I'm going to avoid cycling around that area for a while.

Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival by Anderson Cooper - The book mostly focuses on the two major disasters of 2005 - the tsunami in Asia and Hurricane Katrina, but it also provides a glimpse into the life of a journalist in places like Vietnam, Niger, and Iraq. Tucked in between are insights into Cooper's personal tragedies (his father's death and his brother's suicide). Cooper is haunted by the death and destruction he has seen and yet is profoundly drawn to them. A gripping book.

The Old Ball Game by Frank Deford - A fascinating dual biography about two baseball greats: John McGraw and Christy Mathewson. Both shaped baseball while it was still in its infancy. "Mugsy" McGraw was the feisty and controversial manager of the New York Giants. Mathewson (or "Matty" or "Big Six", choose your favorite nickname) was the saintly, All-American boy pitching on McGraw's team. Deford does a nice job of chronicling their lives, their friendship, and their impact on the game.

Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut - Based on Elkit's endorsement, I read this Vonnegut story about Howard Campbell, an American who becomes a Nazi propagandist during World War II. The novel takes the form of Campbell's memoirs, which he's writing from inside an Israeli prison where he's being held as a war criminal. I'm curious to see if the film adaptation (a 1996 Nick Nolte movie) lives up to the book.

The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut - I was in a Vonnegut groove, so I went right into this one. This is a science fiction novel that includes elements that play significant roles in Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five (Tralfalmadorians and becoming unstuck in time). When he revealed the purpose of life on Earth, I was instantly reminded of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

At the Mercy of the River: An Exploration of the Last African Wilderness by Peter Stark - It's the engaging account of a two-week kayaking expedition down the dangerous Lugenda River in Mozambique. Stark, an author and writer for Outside magazine, is one of the five-member crew making the "first descent". Along the way, the team must contend with hippos, crocodiles, rapids, and waterfalls. All of these seem to pale in comparison to their greatest challenge - conflicting personalities. Woven into Stark's narrative is a fascinating history of European and Asian exploration in Africa. The tales of Mungo Park and David Livingstone complement Stark's journey nicely.

Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor – I came across O'Connor's name while reading about Vonnegut. She primarily wrote short stories, but Wise Blood is one of her rare longer works. It's the tale of Hazel Motes, a soldier returning home to nothing, seeking redemption, and struggling with his faith. It's a comic novel, but it doesn't contain light or silly humor. (Okay, there is a guy who dresses up in a gorilla suit, but that's where the silliness ends.) The humor is dark and biting and it deepens the story (the way humor should when it's done well).