Author of Star Island suggests:
Living in Florida, we flee the beaches in early June and head for Montana. This summer I'm reading Tears in the Darkness by Michael and Elizabeth Norman. It's the true story of Ben Steele, a Montana farm kid who fought in the Philippines, survived the Bataan death march and went on to become a well-known Western artist. I've also got a hilarious collection of essays and short stories by Rich Hall, who used to be on Saturday Night Live. The book is called Magnificent Bastards (not be confused with Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds), and it's some of the funniest stuff I've read in years. Also on my nightstand is Saving Daylight, a book of poems by the great Jim Harrison.