Summer Book Recommendation: Cork Boat-The Story of an Unbelievable Idea Made Real

In these lazy, sultry days of summer, sometimes serious memoirs are just too much work.  Luckily, people will write about anything - as witnessed in the book Cork Boat by former Clinton speechwriter John Pollack.

As unbelievable as it may seem, the title really does sum it all up.  Pollack decided to build a boat out of wine corks.  He made this decision while working on Capitol Hill, with a job many would kill for.  Instead, he quit to collect wine corks full time and piece them together into a boat that he ended up sailing down a river in Portugal.

The story is so unbelievable that it draws you in from the first page.  There are plenty of spots on his journey where you are positive the cork boat will never be realized.  Just trying to collect more than 165,000 wine corks is an enormous obstacle, let alone where to store them, how to rubber band them into a sea-worthy craft, and how not to lose all your friends in the process.

It is improbable, whimsical, and funny.  I read so many passages in the first two chapters out loud to my husband that he demanded I read him the entire book.  Great summer read!