Last week, HBB was featured (sort of) on the local lifestyle website Lei Chic. They’d asked for our help in compiling a list of the top five current local books we’d recommend for summer reading. This was a tough question for us, we could have easily given them five picks each in fiction, non-fiction and keiki books. But since we could only pick five, we tried to make the list as diverse as possible with a little bit of everything for everybody. Below, you’ll see what we came up with… and here is the completed piece on Lei Chic. So obviously, I decided to re-post our list with our reasons why each of these books are worth a visit this summer!
Kau Kau: Cuisine & Culture in the Hawaiian Islands– Arnold Hiura, cookbook/non-fiction
Kau Kau is everything a local book should be. It’s history, family, fun and food all rolled into one. The book is contemporary enough to suit sophisticated foodies but reverent of Hawaiʻi’s culinary past to appeal to anyone who can “remember when…”
Anshū: Dark Sorrow– Juliet S. Kono, fiction
Based on historical events, Anshu is a story of passion and perseverance. Juliet Kono wields the written word with incomparable grace and precision. The first two chapters will leave you mesmerized and breathless for more.
Plenty Saimin – Feng Feng Hutchins, children’s book
Although set in Hawaiʻi’s plantation days Plenty Saimin‘s message of sharing is timeless. When each person gives a little, everybody has a lot. Plus, the detailed pictures are fun and enchanting.
Mai Paʻa I Ka Leo: Historical Voice in Hawaiian Primary Materials, Looking Forward and Listening Back – M. Puakea Nogelmeier, non-fiction
In this modern age when it feels like there’s little left to be discovered, M. Puakea Nogelmeier’s book is an eye opener. Mai Paʻa i ka Leo shows us how little we really know about Hawaiʻi’s cultural and literary history and that there’s a wealth of Hawaiian primary sources out there needing to be translated.
Islands Linked by Ocean – Lisa Linn Kanae, short stories
Short stories about local people and the islands that unite them, this charming book by Lisa Linn Kanae will make you laugh and cry. You’ll recognize a little bit of yourself and everyone else you know in its pages.
Thank you to everyone who reads and supports Hawaiʻi Book Blog! We have quite a summer planned out with lots of great books and events to talk about. What are you reading this summer?
