For the month of July when many of us are spending time with family at summer homes and rentals, we’re highlighting books in which houses are imbued with so much meaning they can be considered characters in their own right. From a rambling Cape Cod estate to a stately pile on the Cornish coast, the houses in these books have borne witness to centuries of family drama. In the words of bestselling author Kate Morton, “Some houses whisper, ‘write my story!’ so loudly, that it’s impossible not to start imagining what the walls might have seen.”

The Big House: A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home by George Howe Colt

Faced with its imminent sale, Colt pays one last visit to the summer house where five generations of his family gathered for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, divorces, deaths and everything in between. This moving tribute is both personal memoir and historical record of Cape Cod and captures both the ephemeral pleasures of summer and the complexity of the passage of time.

The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan

An 1846 Victorian perched on a bluff in coastal Maine serves as a nexus for the tales of protagonist Jane Flanagan, a Harvard archivist hired to research its history, and the women who have lived there through the years. In the face of a personal crisis that threatens to unravel her life, Jane embarks on her own journey of self-discovery while her work reveals the impact of colonialism on the Indigenous communities of Maine.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

A grand mansion in the suburbs of Philadelphia was the idyllic childhood home of siblings Danny and Maeve Conroy before they were exiled by their stepmother. Danny reflects on their deep connection to one another and five generations of family life in the Dutch House as he attempts to make peace with its fraught past.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

‘Self Reliance’ is the name of the Van Laar family’s opulent European chalet in the Adirondack Mountains as well as the philosophy of the summer camp they run there. As the mystery of a missing child unravels, so, too does the family’s seemingly perfect façade, revealing dysfunction, misogyny, and the corruption of wealth.

The Lake House by Kate Morton

In this 2015 mystery, an ambitious young detective named Sadie Sparrow revives a seventy-year-old cold case involving the disappearance of eleven-month-old Theo Edevane from his crib during a Midsummer Eve party at Loeanneth, his family’s estate in Southwest England. Sadie’s interest is piqued when she happens upon the abandoned lake house during a visit to her grandfather. With the help of a local policeman and the prodding of Theo’s older sister, Alice, Saide unravels the mystery along with the Edevane’s complex family dynamics.

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

In this 1938 classic, Maxim de Winter’s new young bride can hardly believe her luck in marrying the wealthy widower and inhabiting the massive British estate known as Manderley. That is, until she realizes that both are still haunted by the memory of Maxim’s first wife, the titular Rebecca, who died under mysterious circumstances. Rebecca’s devoted housekeeper, the sinister Mrs. Danvers, subtly torments the new Mrs. de Winter as she struggles to overcome the power of the past and assert her own identity in the household. Bonus: There have been several film adaptations of this psychological thriller, including the 1940 Alfred Hitchcock classic starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine.

Scranton Selections are written by various staff members. This month’s contributor is Library Technical Assistant, Julie Northrup.

BAKING, COOKING, AND DROOLING

I like to cook and bake, but more than actually doing it, I enjoy perusing cookbooks. Photos of food perfectly laid out on plates and tables with bright, popping colors are soothing to my soul. I’ll never be able to achieve photo perfection with my own cooking, but I find it comforting to know that other people can. I brag that my food tastes good, even if it lacks in appearance.

-Thia Wrightsman, Reference Librarian

If you are a breakfast person, then you need 100 Morning Treats: with Muffins, Rolls, Biscuits, Sweet and Savory Breakfast Breads, and More by Sarah Kieffer. Kieffer is the genius behind The Vanilla Bean Blog. Her recipes are yummy, but her photos are even better. We all need photographs of beautiful Cardamom Pistachio Twists to drool over, even if we are too lazy to bake them ourselves.

The first book I used to teach myself to bake was Baking Illustrated: A Best Recipe Classic by Cook’s Illustrated. Though it doesn’t have as many photographs as I would like, it does provide superb baking instructions and delicious recipes. Need the perfect snickerdoodle or brownie recipe? Look no further.

I’m partial to Italian sweets, and this book, Dolci! American Baking with an Italian Accent by Renato Poliafito has some of the most delicious-looking photographs of my favorite Italian treats.

If you are planning a party, The Dinner Party Project by Natasha Feldman is the perfect book. Stunning photographs with great ideas for feeding groups easily.

I like to cook dinner with minimal steps and ingredients. RecipeTin Eats Dinner by Nagi Maehashi (who has a blog by the same name) has easy recipes with excellent photographs.

Deb Perelman of the Smitten Kitchen blog is the queen of making recipes with the fewest ingredients and pans possible, without losing flavor. Her book, Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites, has some of her best recipes, like red lentil soup, dal style, and sizzling beef bulgogi tacos.

If you are feeling adventurous and are obsessed with Middle-Eastern food like me, then try Zaitoun by Yasmin Khan. Purchase some za’atar and sumac spices so you’re prepared and enjoy her easy, flavorful recipes. My favorites are the chicken shawarma, the roasted chicken with sumac and red onions, and the fattoush.

Scranton Selections are written by various staff members. This month’s contributor is Thia Wrightsman, Reference Librarian.

There’s no better way to travel than by armchair. It certainly beats long airport lines and lost luggage. This month, we’ll travel around the world via fictional books. – Laura Kelly

First, we go to Maine and Europe (in a dual timeline) with Holland Road by Caroline Kelly: A prodigal son theme is the framework of this book. Returning home to Maine after serving as an Army medic during WW2, Richard Dare struggles to reconcile being back in his hometown with all he experienced serving in Europe. As much as he wants to slide back into his old life, Richard has to come to terms with not only his physical wounds but his deeper emotional wounds. The strong pillars of his family and his childhood love, Grace, sustain and carry him through.

On to Ireland with Foster by Claire Keegan: This is a small book packed with beauty and depth. A young girl is sent to live with foster parents and slowly begins to blossom in the warmth of their care. Written with melodic language, the author paints a beautiful picture of rural Ireland and a young girl transformed by a loving family.

Over to southern India with The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese: We find ourselves on the Malabar coast in the early 20th century, spanning eight decades and following three generations of a family. A generational “curse” involves an aversion to water–a medical mystery that ties together much of the narrative.

And finally, we land in Japan with What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama. How can you go wrong with a title like this? A charming, short compilation of stories that revolve around a small Tokyo library. The librarian, Sayuri Komachi, senses exactly what visitors are looking for in life and offers just the book recommendation they never knew they needed. 

Scranton Selections are written by various staff members. This month’s contributor is Laura Kelly, Library Technical Assistant.

Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
Worldly unwise country recluse William Boot, who writes the rural column for a London newspaper, is mistakenly dispatched to cover an imminent war in East Africa. A parade of unlikely characters sees him prevail against politics, fate, and other newspapermen.

True Grit by Charles Portis
Fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross hires one-eyed Marshall Rooster Cogburn to help her track down the man who killed her father and stole the family fortune. The wit is desert dry, the writing first-rate.

Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Tragicomic (but mostly comic) New Orleans classic. The hero might be compared most closely to Comic Book Store Guy on the Simpsons.

Mapp and Lucia novels by E.F. Benson
Social combat in pre-war English town of Tilling-on-Sea. Six novels were written in total, and they are so good, the BBC filmed them not once, but twice (The first foray is superior.) Other writers attempted to maintain the franchise. Stick to the originals.

Forever Rumpole: The Best of the Rumpole Stories by John Mortimer
Honestly, it doesn’t really matter which of the Rumpole collections you pick up, they’re all of high quality. He excels at character creation.

Get Real by Donald Westlake*
Master thief John Dortmunder, whose multiple capers inevitably hit snags, is hired to perform a heist on live television. It does not go well.

*The several Dortmunder books came about when Westlake writing as noir crime novelist Richard Stark began writing (another) of his Parker novels, only to find that it kept coming out funny. It is instructive to read how a true professional manages two separate voices, both equally compelling.

Breakout by Richard Stark
Master thief Parker must assemble a team to escape a correctional facility before prison officials realize he is not the man they think he is.

It’s comforting to think of something cozy to make when the weather is cold and the days are short. Here are a few of Allison’s cookbook recommendations for cozy dinners and yummy sweet treats.

Milk Street Tuesday Nights, by Christopher Kimball
The host of the Milk Street Radio podcast brings together simple yet satisfying weeknight meals that highlight quick preparation and pantry staples.

What Goes with What: 100 Recipes, 20 Charts, Endless Possibilities, by Julia Turshen
You have a fridge and pantry filled with odds and ends but don’t have a clue what to make for dinner. The author shows you how to take these seemingly boring contents and skillfully craft them into a delicious dinner.

Half-Baked Harvest Quick & Cozy: A Cookbook, by Tieghan Gerard
This cookbook showcases simple ingredients with crave-worthy sauces and one-pot production. Her recipes are comforting, quick, and worth keeping on repeat.

Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence, by Claire Saffitz
From Malted Forever Brownies to Sour Cherry Pie, Claire Saffitz will take you on a scrumptious baking journey. Her recipes are precise, well-crafted, and yield memorable treats.

Zoё Bakes Cookies, by Zoё François
Level up your baking game with classic recipes and new recipe creations from New York Times bestselling author Zoё François. There are countless ways to make cookies here, from thin and crispy to thick and chewy.