If you’re like me, you silently thanked the meteorological gods that you work in an air conditioned office, and spent your nights listening to the thunderstorms that rolled by.

There’s also been a lot of talk among my friends this week about summer getaway plans. Since the heat has finally pushed away the cold, dreariness the entire month of May brought us, suddenly plans for the cottage, or weekend trips to Niagara county are being tossed around more seriously. Images of lounging lakeside on a Muskoka chair, with a beer and a full bottle of SPF 60 nearby are becoming more realistic… and of course, there’s always a book with me on the dock.

My summer reading has kicked into overdrive, and I’ve had more conversations with friends about “what I’m reading” and if I can “recommend a good book.” I normally pride myself on being able to suggest titles to friends that suit their tastes and interests, but I’ve been reading some pretty random stuff as of lately, mostly focused on classics. Not all people dig that kind of literature. That being said, I’m pumped that I’ve found a solid go-to recommendation for an engaging series to soak up as you take in your vacation scenery.

Last summer I was all about Don Easton’s Jack Taggart series (the fifth, Dead Ends, is due out in July! Have you pre-ordered yet?), but my time so far as been dedicated to C.B. Forrest’s Charlie McKelvey mysteries.

The Weight of Stones is the first novel, and introduces us to McKelvey, a Toronto cop no longer happy on the job, slowly losing grip on his marriage, and so deep grieving the murder of his son that the only thing fueling each day is a quest to prove a kingpin biker gang mogul is responsible for the crime. Forced retirement leaves McKelvey to focus on his rogue investigation full time, where he discovers some surprising figures who knew his son and were involved with his death. I devoured this book in two days!

I’m now in the throes of Slow Recoil, the second in the series. It’s fresh off a nomination for the Arthur Ellis Awards in the Best Crime Novel category (note: The Weight of Stones was also nominated when it released!), and shows us a McKelvey that is seemingly sinking back into a less-than-happy existence after a glimmer of hope was offered in its predecessor. McKelvey is now investigating what he believes is the disappearance of a Bosnian immigrant, but underneath what seems like a missing person’s case is a conspiracy for war crimes retribution.

These books are gonna suck you in, and when you’re looking for a temporary retreat from the rat race while you lounge about in the heat, these are just the ticket. I should also mention that the third installment, The Devil’s Dust, will be releasing next year. Perfect time to get addicted (uh… no pun intended).

What are you reading this summer?

Every summer, myself and a group of university pals  go up to my old roommate Natalie ”Ruby” Rubino’s cottage for a weekend of fun: food, drinking, swimming, more food and drinking, and games (this particular group of friends, which includes myself, my sister Kris, Ruby, her boyfriend Dan, and his old roommates, is generally referred to as The Gang). While at Ruby’s cottage, The Gang often combines these elements of fun (eg swimming and “Who Would You Rather…?”; drinking and TABOO; eating and EVERYTHING), and a good time is had by all. My favorite game that The Gang plays at Ruby’s cottage is, hands down, TRIVIAL PURSUIT.

I have been playing this game since I was a very young Jenna. We would play the ORIGINAL Trivial Pursuit at my Nana’s house, and before I was old enough to know any of the answers, it would be my job to secure the teeny tiny little slices of “pie” as they were won. Later, when the 90s version of the game came out,  I was old enough to really play, and I LOVED IT. The purple-haired, black-nail polished, and orthodontia-sporting me had a blast competing against the grownups. On the occasions when I knew something that my Nana didn’t (eg What grunge rocker infamously committed suicide in 1994), she would get very irritated and announce her disgust with the new version of her beloved Trivial Pursuit. Her reaction to the new version of the game wasn’t so different from her reactions to other new things. I recall one memorable evening when she tried to watch the futuristic thriller ‘Minority Report’ with Kris and I: (”What is this crap? What happened to ‘The Wizard of Oz’? ‘Gone With the Wind’? THOSE were movies!”). However, despite Nana’s annoyance with me and the evolution of her favorite game, she quickly learned that it was a good idea to get herself on MY team.

At Nat’s cottage, The Gang feels the same way. They all clamour to be on my team, but we usually play boys against girls. Then the girls always win every pie except for the sports one, and we wait and wait until the boys catch up with us and answer the crucial question about some quarterback or pitcher or whatever and then win.

As you have probably gathered by now, I like trivia and am very good at it. So when I picked up THE BIG BOOK OF CANADIAN TRIVIA, I thought I would for sure know most of the content already. I mean, a) I’m Canadian b) I’m really good at trivia and c) I have a degree in history.

Did I know most of the information in the book? Not so much! It turns out that I am far more ignorant about all things Canadiana than I ever would have expected. Sure, I know the names of the Group of Seven,  I remember that Roberta Bondar was the first Canadian woman in space. But the origin of the name ‘Canada’? Why Canadians say ‘zed’ instead of ‘zee’? The fact that LM Montgomery’s ‘Anne of Green Gables’ (first published in 1908) is still the best-selling Canadian book of ALL TIME? That the Jolly Jumper and the Bloody Caesar are both Canadian inventions?  I had no clue! And that’s only the tip of my ignorance iceberg. You better believe I’m memorizing the whole thing before I introduce The Big Book of Canadian Trivia to The Gang this summer!

To everyone who is reading this that plans to visit a cottage this summer, I suggest you pick up this book to bring along as a host or hostess gift. I plan to! After all,  flowers die and food and booze tend to disappear at a cottage, but your host/hostess AND their future guests can enjoy THE BIG BOOK OF CANADIAN TRIVIA forever!

Have a father who’s a history buff? How about getting him Lake Erie Stories: Struggle and Survival on a Freshwater Ocean by Chad Fraser, which takes a fresh look at the history – from the earliest explorations of French adventurers to the rumrunners of the Prohibition era - of what may be the most colourful of all of the Great Lakes. Or perhaps Scottish history is more his thing and he would enjoy receiving a copy of Lucille Campey’s An Unstoppable Force: The Scottish Exodus to Canada; essential reading to those wishing to understand why the Scots came to Canada and enormousness of their achievements.

For the father who likes to travel there’s To Timbuktu for a Haircut: A Journey Through West Africa in which author Rick Antonson chronicles his travels in Senegal and Mali by train, four-wheel drive, camel, and foot and delivers an armchair experience that will linger in the mind long after the last page is read. For the father that likes to kick back at the cottage and enjoys nature there’s Lake of the Old Uncles in which author Gerard Kenney takes the reader along the route that led him to build a lone cabin on the small and inaccessible Lake of the Old Uncles.

Looking for fiction? Then Twelve Trees by J.D. Carpenter, a literary spin-off from the Campbell Young Mysteries, and The Postman’s Round  by Denis Theriault, a tragicomic story full of twists and turns, are for you. And finally, for Dads’ that lean towards mysteries there’s the brand new Jack Taggart mystery Angel in the Full Moon by Don Easton.

From all of us at Dundurn – Happy Father’s Day!