We Love a Good Summer Read

Summer is a fantastic time for reading. Even if you do not take a vacation out of town or have time off work, there is something about the season that lends itself to setting aside time for a few special books. I’ve mentioned before that planning my summer reading is an important process for me and I reached out to others who are equally enthusiastic. Today, four bloggers are sharing our plans for summer reading. Get your TBR lists ready because you’re bound to find something to look into here!

Dawn Abron
Dawn decided to go with a theme for her summer reading this year.

Dawn's Summer Reads

The Summer of Sequels

  • Ghostly Echos by William Ritter
  • The King Slayer by Virginia Boecker
  • The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
  • The Inquisition by Taran Matharu
  • Aerie by Maria Dahvana Headley
  • Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
  • A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
  • Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard
  • A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Alicia Abdul
Alicia has arranged a collection of summer reads that range from newly-released short stories to centuries-old plays.

Alicia's Summer Reads

  • Broken Crowns by Lauren DeStefano
  • Summer Days and Summer Nights edited by Stephanie Perkins
  • The Crown by Kiera Cass
  • Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (2015 Alex Award winner)
  • Mirror in the Sky by Aditi Khorana
  • Never Ever by Sara Saedi
  • The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
  • Traitor Angels by Anne Blankman
  • Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz
  • The Thousand and One Nights
  • A few Shakespeare plays, including A Winter’s Tale
  • A Fierce and Subtle Poison by Samantha Mabry
  • Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

Continue reading We Love a Good Summer Read

Summer Reading: Vacation Destination Books

Photo by flickr user george.bremer
Photo by flickr user george.bremer

It’s summertime! And if you’re anything like me, that means finding a spot to curl up with a cool breeze, a tall glass of something iced, and a stack of good books. Now, I don’t always match my reading to the season, but sometimes I like my books to feel like an extension of the atmosphere I’m experiencing, rather than an escape from it. Especially if I’m lucky enough to be on vacation (or happily anticipating one); sometimes I want to read all about other people having the same disruption to routine that vacations bring, living outside of their regular schedules. And sometimes, y’know, I just want to savor the season as much as possible: sun, sand, water, just-picked fruits and veggies – celebrate the many incarnations of a summer vacation with the following vacation-themed reading.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Destination: Private island estatewe_were_liars

This is the book that prompted  the whole list of summer destination-themed titles; I devoured it in a single sitting (with a pitcher of iced tea, natch) and upon finishing was, a) blown away by the plotting – avoid spoilers!- and b) immediately ready for absolutely everything in my life to be summer-themed, because the setting was so deliciously drawn. Cady, our protagonist, is returning to her family’s summer retreat on a private island after spending the last two years away. She is suffering from excruciating migraines and trying to reclaim the easy, uncomplicated rhythms of the vacations she shared with her cousins in summers past, but she’s hindered by memory loss. As the incomplete flashbacks of previous years on the island draw the mystery closer to the dormant truth, the pages go by faster and faster until the truly shocking finale.

 

this one summerThis One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

Destination: Lakeside cottage

This is the first collaboration between cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki since 2008’s much-lauded Skim (a personal favorite and a 2009 Best Books for Young Adults top ten selection), and like that nuanced, thoughtful graphic novel, this nuanced, thoughtful graphic novel is equally beautiful, with pitch-perfect dialogue and a subdued palette awash in blues and purples. The fully-realized characters are visibly bubbling over with complex, rich emotions, their relationships displayed with all the hesitations and missteps of real life. The gorgeously rendered scenes are alive with all the details of small beach town life; the magnificence of plunging into the water on a warm day, the lazy delights of an afternoon indoors after too much sun, the importance of marshmallows at a bonfire. I swear I could hear the gulls while I read. Continue reading Summer Reading: Vacation Destination Books