Johnson: 6 books for Dog Days

On the Johnson Post, online columnist Marc Johnson suggests 6 books that are worth reading in Dog Days of summer:

Two brothers who changed the world, a submarine commander who helped propel the United States into the Great War, a writer who delved deeply into the lives of the people next door by drawing upon his own complicated experiences, the lives of the Gipper and de Gaulle and a wild and fascinating story of an astronaut left behind on Mars. Some of my summer reading and a half-dozen suggestions for the dog days. More here.

Question: What book would you recommend reading in the Dog Days of summer?