OK, don't flame me for the "nonliterary" part in the headline, but I couldn't come up with a better (or shorter) way to put "...
for the readers like me who are sick-and-tired of seeing summer reading suggestions filled with books more fitting a college course or that I need a dictionary alongside, than sitting poolside with a frozen strawberry margarita."
I mean, really, I'm sure there are
plenty of readers who at this time of year like to pick up a heavy (read: high-falutin') book that has been critically praised in all the biggie places like New York Times Book Review, New Yorker, People, Oprah, etc... And I spend quite a bit of my time reading and reviewing "those" kind of books for work or if it's a particular author I love.
But there's something about this time of year that just calls to me softly, "Read the panned bestsellers...read the silly chick-lits.....read the trash..." OK, I'm sure the authors of these AWESOME books don't want their labors of love called "trash"...but I hope you know I'm being deliberately cheeky when I say that. This is the stuff that
more people read than the "other" books that constantly get all the literary coverage and press (and awards). This is the stuff you can smile with because it's a straight-forward romance with a happy ending and a hot guy. This is the stuff you can laugh with because the characters and situations they find themselves in are so unbelievably unreal they're hysterical. This is the stuff they make movies that don't get nominated for Oscars, but were probably still big hits at the box office. This is the writing that is sometimes mediocre, but often very good, but the characters talk like you-and-I do and maybe the grammar ain't so correct, but whose is all the time?
Anyways, in short, here are my picks for summer reading you can just have some straight-up fun with and know at the end, you just read a dang-good book no editor would
ever think of reviewing, but then again you're not exactly asking for his or her opinion anyways! I have broken them into categories so you can go straight to your flavor of choice.
And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave a comment below on your picks for the summer! As I've mentioned in my
podcast, I am always happy to not only gab (on-and-on) about books, but my pen is always ready to write down what others are reading. I'll be the first to admit I don't read every genre, so any I've left off are strictly because I haven't read enough to recommend them at this time...please tell us yours!
Chick-Lit/Straight-Up Fun Stories Usually with a Romantic Angle
(Wow. Just Wow. SO good. Upcoming podcast review!)
Fiction/Not War-and-Peace or Canterbury Tales but a Book You Can Say "Damn, That Was Good!" by the End
(I'm bursting to tell you about this one...upcoming podcast review!)
(another book I'm bursting to tell you about...upcoming podcast review!)
(Book 2, Shadow of Night is out in July. I highly recommend
sinking your teeth into this one first!)
Comedic Fiction and Non Fiction/Books To Make You LOL
(pretty much anything by Carl Hiaasen will make
you LOL, he's just THAT funny. And he writes the best
"low-life" characters I've ever read. Hi-LARIOUS!)
(OMG, if you haven't read Celia Rivenbark, run don't walk and get her books. SO funny.)
(I just love this funny mystery series)
Mysteries/Thrillers/Women Who Kick Ass and Take Names
(This is a series, and the 11th book just came out in May.
If you haven't read this series yet though, I recommend starting with this one)
(1st book in the Rizzoli and Isles series)
(Anna Pigeon series = awe.some!)
(Eve Dallas series, one of my faves. This is #34, but you can read these
as stand-alones or start with #1 Naked in Death)
(Talk about an author who doesn't get enough credit for
great stories/mysteries. Dana is fantastic!)
Contemporary Classics/I Saw the Movie and Been Meaning to Read the Book
"My name is Tanesha Nurse...you haven't read this book, prepare to die."
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Z. Bradley
(um hello, what rock have you been under if you watched all the Harry Potters, all the Lords of the Rings, and read a crapload of other scifi/fantasy/witchy/vampy books and haven't read this one? Read.This.Now!)
(I don't care what kind of book list I pull together whatever the season - this one will always be on it!)
(Do not deny yourself the rich experience of reading this book,
no matter the time of year! It's like chocolate to my reading soul.)
Quilt Fiction/Knit Lit
(#5 in the Cobbled Court series)
Erotica/Smut We're Now Old Enough to Read (don't just skip to the "good parts" LOL)
(who the heck isn't talking about these books? Yes, I've read all 3
...maybe a PG-13 podcast review?!?!)
So there you go! I hope you've found a few books to consider for your summer reading list. Let me know which ones tickled your fancy, and what you're also planning to read.
CGM
