For days when the sun is surrounded by gloom, here are a few reads from island experts to give you a vacation from the dreariness. And even when the sun comes out, these books give you an even better excuse to lounge and catch some vitamin D rays.

Islands’ Sounder staff picks of favorite non-fiction

“Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations,” by Georgina Howell tells the story of an adventurous and strong spirited woman, whose work in the Middle East has been often overshadowed by the famous Lawrence of Arabia. It was Gertrude who broke not only gender and class barriers, but also played a vital role in the formation of modern Iraq – all while enduring the sweltering heat.

“Jaguar: One Man’s Struggle to Establish the World’s First Jaguar Preserve,” by Alan Rabinowitz takes readers into the rainforest of Belize and gives you a rare and exhilarating story written by a boy that could only speak to animals, who later becomes the jaguar’s biggest champion.

“Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-distance Swimmer,” by Lynne Cox. If you think it’s been cold this summer, Cox describes the painstaking training it took her to submerge into ice cold waters.

“Let’s Take the Long Way Home,” by Gail Caldwell follows two writers who love water and dogs. They forge a friendship and struggle with universals subjects like needing someone and the grief of losing that person, which the author refers to as at the “terrible gift of death.” Half of the book will have you smiling, while the other half will leave you in tears.

“War,” by Sebastian Junger. What better way to endure a cold summer than to read about one of the most horrific places in Afghanistan: the Korengal Valley in 2008. Junger, author of “The Perfect Storm,” delves into the life of American soldiers in the unbearable heat and fatal days of combat.

Librarian Kathy Lunde’s summer suggestions

“Wild” by Cheryl Strayed is a memoir about a woman, who loses her mother, husband and six toenails while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Strayed makes this 1,100 mile journey alone, but meets helpful characters along the way, and leaves the reader rooting for her to make it.

“Beautiful Ruins” by Jess Walter is a story that begins in 1962 on a rocky patch of coastline. A young innkeeper, chest-deep in daydreams, looks out over the incandescent waters of the Ligurian Sea and spies an apparition: a tall, thin woman, a vision in white, approaching him on a boat. She is an American starlet, and she is dying. Gloriously inventive, constantly surprising, it is a story of flawed yet fascinating people, navigating the rocky shores of their lives while clinging to their improbable dreams.

“Ripe: A Cook in the Orchard” by Nigel Slater is written in intimate, delicate prose and interwoven with recipes in this lavishly photographed cookbook. Slater offers more than 300 delectable dishes – both sweet and savory – such as apricot and pistachio crumble, baked rhubarb with blueberries and crisp pork belly with sweet peach salsa.

“The Story of Edgar Sawtelle” by David Wroblewski is about a boy born mute, speaking only in sign, named Edgar Sawtelle who leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in  northern Wisconsin. But when catastrophe strikes, he finds his once-peaceful home engulfed in turmoil. Edgar’s tale takes you to the extremes of what humans must endure, and when you’re finally released, you will come back to yourself feeling wiser, and flush with gratitude. And you will have remembered what magnificent alchemy a finely wrought novel can work.

“Cutting for Stone” by Abraham Berghese tells a tale of Marion and Shiva Stone who are twin brothers. Orphaned by their mother’s death and their father’s disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution.

The characters are strong, interesting, and very human; the conflicts are realistic and keep the pace of the novel moving forward. Even minor characters are sufficiently well developed. There is gentle humor, emotional turmoil, and great personal triumph throughout the book.