The Bodysurfers by Robert Drewe

Reprinting of The Bodysurfers from 2009 Penguin Australia

First published in 1983, Robert Drewe's The Bodysurfers is a classic of Australian literature. Hailed as a sort of J.D. Salinger from Australia, this short-story collection recounts the ups and downs of the Lang family over multiple decades. The settings for most of the book are the many Australian beaches that members of the Lang family frequent, which Drewe himself grew up going to and clearly loves. For some reason Drewe doesn't have the biggest audience in the U.S., although a lot of his books have been printed here. I've only read The Bodysurfers, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but from what I understand his other books are just as good. This Popular Penguins paperback is an Australian edition with the awesome stock cover used for all overseas paperback editions. It should also be self-evident that this book makes for great summer beach reading.

Washington Square Ensemble by Madison Smartt Bell

Penguin paperback copy of Washington Square Ensemble from 1984

Washington Square Ensemble is Madison Smartt Bell's first novel and my favorite. He's more famous for his later works but I like this book best—it chronicles the streets of 1980's downtown New York City, especially the eponymous park, and centers around the struggles of five Washington Square regulars. With characters named Johnny B. Goode, Yusuf Ali, Holy Mother, Santa Barbara, and Porco Miserio, this book is nothing short of interesting. Largely centered around the using and selling of drugs at the height of crime-addled New York, Bell's novel is now an engaging time capsule from a bygone era. The cover features a nice 1980's illustration by David Berkner.

A practically illegible inscription by Madison Smartt Bell