Here are The Daily Advance staff members' summer reading picks.

"Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. "This is a memoir chronicling Kingsolver's family and their year of eating nothing but locally produced food."— Robert Kelly-Goss, Albemarle Life Editor

"Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder. "The book is about one man's quest to cure the world of diseases. Kidder descriptively captivates audiences with (Dr. Paul) Farmer's story and passion for helping as many people as he can." — Jerry Allison, Page Designer

"A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories" by Flannery O'Connor. "Though devoutly religious and very much a Southerner, O'Connor excels at exposing the bigotry, hypocrisy and ignorance which lies beneath the pious, genteel veneer of the Old South. The cruel and depraved notes on which her stories often end leave even more of an impact when juxtaposed with their quaint and idyllic beginnings." — Zac Goldstein, Staff Writer

"Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. "This is not a book for light, lay-on-the-beach reading — not at over 1,000 pages in the smallest type the publisher could find. ...The book is weighty in Rand's philosophical themes — the intellectual and societal necessity of human liberty — presented through a fictional story." — Mike Goodman, Editor

"The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics" by Rob Christensen. Christensen, longtime political reporter for The News & Observer, convincingly shows how the twin strains of conservatism and liberalism-populism in Tar Heel politics have made the state a place that can elect Republicans like Jesse Helms, Lauch Faircloth, Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr to the U.S. Senate while almost simultaneously electing Democrats like Kerr Scott, Terry Sanford, Jim Hunt and Mike Easley to the governor's mansion." — Julian Eure, News Editor

"The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing" by Melissa Bank. "The Girls' Guide" is a collection of short stories that follows an average girl making her way through love, relationships and life." — Jenny Covault, Page Designer

"Cane River" by Lalita Tademy. "It is the true story of four generations of women during slavery and the Reconstruction era. I like this book because it showed how they were able to overcome various obstacles and hardships by remaining together as a family." — Felicia Joseph, Universal Desk Editor.

"The Lady in the Palazzo" by Marlena di Blasi. "While stories of ex-pats restoring homes have become somewhat predictable and formulaic, di Blasi's latest work is richer and more vibrant then its counterparts in capturing the essence, spirit and rhythm of life of a place and its people. Her story rings true to its subject: the beauty of Italy and the 'let life unfold' philosophy of the country." — Ann Hoffman, Publisher

"The Beach" by Alex Garland. "Richard, a young backpacker, travels to a beautiful utopian beach community. Selfish human nature soon takes over, as the community unravels in this suspense-drama." — Brian Gray, Special Sections Editor