Hamptons Book List: Baseball, Irish and More

It’s not quite beach-reading season in the Hamptons just yet, but as we inch away from winter it’s the perfect time to get in the swing of spring. Our friends at Books & Books in Westhampton Beach share their picks for top books on baseball and the Irish, Easter stories for kids and more hot reads that will keep you turning pages until summer.

Baseball Books

Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes by John Rosengren

In the 1930s, baseball was more than a pastime, it was a touchstone that gave citizens the heroes they needed in the woes of the Depression. Hank Greenberg gave the people of Detroit a reason to be proud. While the Nazis gained power in Europe, tensions rose, and Greenberg was one of the few Jewish athletes competing nationally. He became a baseball icon and a controversial symbol of Jewish identity and the American immigrant. A must-read for baseball fans.

Driving Mr. Yogi: Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry, and Baseball’s Greatest Gift by Harvey Araton

The story begins in 1999, when Berra is reunited with the Yankees and reconciles with the Boss. An offhand batting tip from Mr. Yogi turns Nick Swisher’s season around, and Yogi becomes a mentor and friend of Guidry. Both tender and laugh-out-loud funny, Driving Mr. Yogi takes the reader through a span of more than fifty years and reminds us of the importance of wisdom being passed through generations.

The Irish

The Fighting Irish: The Story of the Extraordinary Irish Soldier by Tim Newark

The Fighting Irish have sailed to America and joined frontier fighting, showed loyalty in the bloody combats of the American Civil War, and campaigned against the British Empire in Canada and South Africa. More recently, the Irish soldier is seen facing slaughter at the Somme, in the Congo, and in Iraq and Afghanistan. Told in the dramatic words of the soldiers themselves, Newark draws from diaries, letter, journals and interviews with veterans.

Buzz Books

Wave by Sonali Deriniyagala

On the morning of December 26, 2004, Sonali Deriniyagala lost her parents, husband, and two young sons in the tsunami that hit the southern coast of Sri Lanka. A painstakingly honest memoir, Wave describes the journey from the first horrifying moments to the present. A beautifully uncensored account of her struggles to face reality and her reluctant emergence to find balance with the loss that remains alive within her.

The Fun Parts: Stories by Sam Lipsyte

Author of The New York Times bestseller The Ask returns to his roots boldly in this witty collection of short stories. A boy eats his way to self-discovery, another battles the reality-brandishing monster preying on his fantasy realm, and an aerobics instructor and daughter of a Holocaust survivor makes a shocking leap to save her soul. This tragicomedy is Lipsyte at his best. The Fun Parts is being touted as a must-read by Time magazine.

The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates

The place is Princeton, NJ, at the turn of the twentieth century, where something dark lurks on the edges of town. Vampires and ghosts haunt innocent dreams and a curse falls upon the elite families as their daughters begin to disappear. A young bride is seduced and abducted by a shape shifting prince who spreads his curse upon the community, and the Pine Barrens open to the underworld. As the bride’s brother searches for her he encounters many formidable opponents, from Grover Cleveland, to Woodrow Wilson, to Upton Sinclair. The Accursed is new territory for Oates and its narration unveils her remarkable psychological insight.

Kids Books

Crossed (Matched, Book 2) by Ally Condie

Book two of the dystopian series brings Cassia to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky, taken to his death by the Society, and finds he has escaped, leaving a series of clues behind. The quest leads Cassia to question her priorities as she encounters rebellion, betrayal and a visit from Xander, who may hold the key to her heart. A rollercoaster of emotions and plot twists, Crossed will keep you guessing.

The Easter Egg by Jan Brett

The lovable bunny hero, Hoppi, meets the Easter Rabbit in this battle for the best Easter egg. If Hoppi wins, he will get to help deliver the eggs Easter morning. Hoppi goes to the woods for contemplation and a blue robin’s egg tumbles out of its nest. He keeps the egg safe and warm until it hatches and the Easter Rabbit chooses the empty egg to reward his kindness. This is a beautiful story with gorgeous illustrations, each framed by unusual eggs and the Robin’s family.

Duck & Goose, Here Comes the Easter Bunny! By Tad Hills

Duck & Goose are back to celebrate spring in this new board book. The two are on a search for the Easter Bunny and have lots of ideas how to find him. Readers will encounter plenty of colorful eggs along the way! The perfect Easter adventure for toddlers.

Visit Books & Books at 130 Main Street in Westhampton Beach or online at booksandbookswhb.com.