This list of staff recommendations originally appeared in the Library's Summer 2011 Features Newsletter.

Gold Boy, Emerald Girl by Yiyun Li and The Meagre Tarmac by Clark Blaise. Two masters of the short story I'm looking forward to spending some more time with this summer are Yiyun Li and Clark Blaise, two writers you may not yet know but certainly should. Li's latest collection Gold Boy, Emerald Girl and Blaise's brand-new book The Meagre Tarmac will not be far from my side the next few weeks. The summer is a perfect time for simmering into a short story. If I only had a hammock in my back yard.... (Mark Bartlett, Head Librarian)

Country Matters by Michael Korda. It started out as a weekend retreat in 1980. But Mr. Korda, former editor-in-chief of Simon and Schuster, and his wife Margaret now reside full time in an old country farmhouse in Dutchess County. His witty vignettes of the denizens of Pleasant Valley, New York, and the joys (and woes) of owning a country home are thoroughly entertaining. And reading the book is the closest you'll come to being invited for the weekend. (Jane Goldstein, Assistant Head Librarian)

Burmese Lessons by Karen Connelly. The acclaimed Canadian author of The Lizard Cage describes her unlikely relationship with Maung, a Burmese revolutionary exiled in Thailand, and with the country and people he is struggling to liberate. In beautiful prose, it swings from the romance and humor of young love among palm trees and noodle shops to tragedy in refugee-camp hospitals. However exotic the setting or extreme the situation, the human character is a constant. (Sara Holliday, Events Coordinator)

What Makes Sammy Run? by Budd Schulberg. For those who love a book about Hollywood, I'd recommend Budd Schulberg's classic What Makes Sammy Run? The novel follows the machinations of Sammy Glick, an ambitious kid from the Lower East Side who lies, cheats, and back-stabs his way to the top of the studio system. Schulberg was most famous as a screenwriter (On the Waterfront) and found himself in a fair bit of trouble for exposing the darker side of the industry. It's stylish and well-paced and deserves rediscovery. (Patrick Rayner, Head of Circulation)

Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar... by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. Combine one part comedy and one part philosophy to create a fun, quick, and educational read for the summer - Cathcart and Klein have done just that. The authors provide easy-to-digest descriptions of concepts from Western philosophy such as Existentialism and Ethics paired with laugh-out-loud jokes, both old and new, to demonstrate each topic. So why not add a weighty subject spiced up with a healthy dose of comedy to your summer? You'll get intellectual bragging rights and an arsenal of cocktail party zingers to boot. (Brandi Tambasco, Circulation Assistant)

Next to Love by Ellen Feldman. Ellen Feldman's upcoming Next to Love is a moving, at times heartbreaking story of love and war centering around the lives of 3 women before, during, and after World War II. You know you've just been transported when you read a book and you're sorry it ended - I wish more of the books I read were like that. I could have kept on following the story of these three women, and their children, whom you come to care for as well. It's the characters that draw you along, but the cultural history is fascinating as well. (Carolyn Waters, Assistant Head Librarian)

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan. Looking for this year's The Three Weissmanns of Westport? Try J. Courtney Sullivan's second novel - an intergenerational drama spanning six decades at a family's summer house. Alternating among the voices of five female protagonists in realistic turns, this is a funny and breezy read that nevertheless packs grudges, addictions, and secrets into the weekend bag of every character. Although Maine is best enjoyed with a glass of white wine and sand between your toes, it's a beach book that's a cut more literary than the rest. (Julia Weist, Children's Librarian)