Summer Book Recs?

[Leonidas]

I was surprised that I couldn't easily find a thread on what everyone is reading over the summer. The summer is the time of year that I read the most, and I can't be the only one. I don't really read books based on a season, except I can't read The Road by Cormac McCarthy in the winter -- it makes me too depressed. I want to read even more books than normal this summer, and the list of books that I'm all ready planning on reading can be found here, in the second most recent post.

Personally, I'll read anything that is well written. I'll try almost anything once. What books are you guys reading this summer, and what books do you think that everyone should read when they have time? Are there any titles that ar particularly good for reading in the summer?

If there's another thread similar to this one, mods, feel free to merge this with the preexisting thread.

[Falls Apart]

What am I reading over the summer? Well . . . *gets out list* Oh, and an explanation for the extreme nerdiness: my WIP is very political, so I figured I might as well get the basics down, which explains about half of those. And as for the rest of them? I'm . . . just . . . nerdy. I cut class to hide in the stairwell reading Molliere.

And as for summer must-reads? Well . . . the Gone series by Michael Grant and The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet, my two not-so-secret obsessions. And the miniseries of Pillars is just as good as the book (rare, but true in this case). Oh, and Under the Dome by Stephen King. And if you're up for some seriously hilarious material, any of Gordon Korman's YA books. I don't laugh out loud while reading very often, but his books never fail.

But as for my list:

-The Communist Manifesto (Marx)
-The Prince (Machiavelli)
-World Without End (Follet)
-Confessions (Augustine)
-Utopia (More)
-The Art of War (Sun Tzu)
-The Question of God (Nicholi)
-The Path of Celtic Prayer (Miller)
-Hopefully, more things by Ken Follet and some C. S. Lewis, because they're, you know, amazing. Oh, and whatever's on my summer reading list. And I've been meaning to read more poetry. Especially Celtic.

[Mira]

I'm working my way through several books. I started with the Ranger's Apprentice, and am now on the second book of the series. I got alot of suggestions from the thread on Nathan's blog about kid's literature, and I started with this one.

So many on my Kindle, I couldn't name them all!

[Collectonian]

Let's see...on my "long" reads queue on the coffee table (i.e. ones that take me more than a day to read), I currently have

• American Disasters: 201 Calamities That Shook the Nation by Ballard C. Campbell (the one I'm actively reading, and almost through - up to the 1960s)
• Kieli, Volume 3: Prisoners Bound for Another Planet by Yukako Kabei (Japanese light novel series)
• Carnal Sin by Allison Brennan (second in her Seven Deadly Sins series)
• Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 by Simon Winchester (if its as good as my first glance indicated, and I can find it, I also plan to get A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906 by the same author)
• Storm of the Century: The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 by Willie Drye

I have Kieli, Volume 4: Long Night Beside a Deep Pool on order, and will be picking up the light novel Spice & Wolf, Volume 4 by Isuna Hasekura after its released at the end of the month. Might give Mizuki Nomura's Book Girl series a try. A novel series featuring a demon that eats literature, and finds hand-written stuff to be particularly delicious just seems appropriate for a writer to read. Of course, new manga will also be in my list, such as the just released Ouran High School Host Club Volume 16 and the omnibus of the final volumes of Rave Master, but those I read in half an hour or so.

[Sommer Leigh]

For summer reading, I recommend starting Kiersten White's trilogy with Paranormalcy and reading the sequel in July called Supernaturally and Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series. Leviathan and Behemoth are already out and Goliath comes out in September.

Oh my summer reading list, in no particular order:

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird
This Girl is Different by Jennifer Hope Wichman
Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
Ruby Red by Kirsten Gier
The Map of Time by Félix J. Palma *
Want to Go Private by Sarah Littman *
Supernaturally by Kiersten White *
Hourglass by Myra McEntire *
This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein by Kenneth Opall *
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin *
Goliath by Scott Westerfeld *
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

(the * ones aren't out yet, they come out this summer and I am waiting very impatiently for them.)

[trixie]

Oh, boy. Loaded question!

Here are some books that are on my list...

Jacob Wonderbar, Nathan B (should be on my doorstep this afternoon when I get home!)
Before I fall, Lauren Oliver
If I Stay, Gayle Forman
The Sky is Everywhere, Jandy Nelson
Across the Universe, Beth Revis
Paranormalcy, Kiersten White
A Northern Light, Jennifer Donnelly
Game of Thrones (Book 1), George RR Martin
Leviathan, Scott Westerfeld

[Sommer Leigh]

Oh, boy. Loaded question!

Here are some books that are on my list...

Jacob Wonderbar, Nathan B (should be on my doorstep this afternoon when I get home!)
Before I fall, Lauren Oliver
If I Stay, Gayle Forman
The Sky is Everywhere, Jandy Nelson
Across the Universe, Beth Revis
Paranormalcy, Kiersten White
A Northern Light, Jennifer Donnelly
Game of Thrones (Book 1), George RR Martin
Leviathan, Scott Westerfeld

Your list makes me so excited! I have read almost everything on your list and I LOVE THEM ALL. The Sky is Everywhere is tied for my favorite YA book with Jellicoe Road, I just finsihed Across the Universe and it was wonderful, I loved Paranormalcy, I LOVE the Leviathan series, and I enjoyed If I stay.

[Mira]

Sommer - I didn't know Keirsten's next book was due out already. Thanks for telling me! Just pre-ordered it.

I love hearing about good books. Thanks for this thread!

[dios4vida]

I'm reading The Immortal Secrets of Nicholas Flamel series (new book just came out, The Warlock, have to reread the others first )...Jim Butcher's next Dresden book, Ghost Story, comes out July 26th so I'll be reading that...beyond those, I have several series lined up to try out. The books on my shelf to start are:

Rosemary & Rue, Seanan McGuire
Magic Bites, Ilona Andrews
Moon Called, Patricia Briggs (sensing a pattern yet?)
Sabriel, Garth Nix
Ill Wind, Rachel Caine

(Which, BTW, these all came from the Best Fantasy Books (viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1797&hilit=best+fantasy+books) thread, thanks y'all for the recommendations!)

And I took a look at Paranormalcy, and that's now on my "seek & find" list. That sounds awesome!

I also just read the first trilogy of the Dragonlance series and really enjoyed it, so I'm sure I'll be sprinkling some of those in here and there. And (I can't believe I'm about to admit this!) there will probably be one or two Star Wars books - as a favor to my husband, the man who dreams of being a Jedi. We made a deal that he read some of my favorite books so I have to read his. <sigh> My dark, uber geeky secret is out.

And as a side note, I saw this thread in the forum and thought we were discussing SOMMER's book reading list. Though I must admit that our intrepid raygun-toting sheriff wizard has some goodies to offer!

[trixie]

Your list makes me so excited! I have read almost everything on your list and I LOVE THEM ALL. The Sky is Everywhere is tied for my favorite YA book with Jellicoe Road, I just finsihed Across the Universe and it was wonderful, I loved Paranormalcy, I LOVE the Leviathan series, and I enjoyed If I stay.

Sommer, so far you are the ONLY PERSON who hasn't jumped up and down, insisting that cease and desist on anything else until I read Game of Thrones. I'm getting nervous that GoT will go the way of Margaret Atwood and Neil Gaiman where I can't read them simply because I've heard how OMGTHEYRESOAMAZING they are and it makes me very nervous...

Seriously--when someone tells me they'll never go back to Gandalf because GoT is that good, I get nervous.

[hektorkarl]

insisting that cease and desist on anything else until I read Game of Thrones.

I haven't experienced quite the same pressure, but I'm in the same situation. I'll be traveling next week, and I'm thinking that may be the perfect time...

[Sommer Leigh]

Your list makes me so excited! I have read almost everything on your list and I LOVE THEM ALL. The Sky is Everywhere is tied for my favorite YA book with Jellicoe Road, I just finsihed Across the Universe and it was wonderful, I loved Paranormalcy, I LOVE the Leviathan series, and I enjoyed If I stay.

Sommer, so far you are the ONLY PERSON who hasn't jumped up and down, insisting that cease and desist on anything else until I read Game of Thrones. I'm getting nervous that GoT will go the way of Margaret Atwood and Neil Gaiman where I can't read them simply because I've heard how OMGTHEYRESOAMAZING they are and it makes me very nervous...

Seriously--when someone tells me they'll never go back to Gandalf because GoT is that good, I get nervous.

I've actually never read them myself.

Super hyped authors and books make me nervous too, so I feel your pain. It has gotten to the point where I almost fear recommending books to friends because too much enthusiasm might ruin their experience if it isn't as OMG as I make them sound.

The only thing from Neil Gaiman that I can confidently recommend to people are the Sandman graphic novels. Everything else is totally subjective. I'm a huge fan and even I have trouble enjoying some of his books, while others I'm totally in love with. (American Gods is ok, hated Anansi Boys, The Graveyard Book. Stardust was only OK. LOVED Coraline, Good Omens, and Neverwhere.) I haven't read anything Margaret Atwood has written that I didn't love. I swear if I could half a quarter of her talent, I'd be good to go.

[Nicole R]

My summer reading list grows longer every day, but the book I'm most excited to read right now is the Demon's Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan. Just came out this week! If you like YA paranormal and haven't read her Demon series yet, definitely check it out.

[dios4vida]

Sommer, so far you are the ONLY PERSON who hasn't jumped up and down, insisting that cease and desist on anything else until I read Game of Thrones. I'm getting nervous that GoT will go the way of Margaret Atwood and Neil Gaiman where I can't read them simply because I've heard how OMGTHEYRESOAMAZING they are and it makes me very nervous...

Seriously--when someone tells me they'll never go back to Gandalf because GoT is that good, I get nervous.

Okay, I've read A Game of Thrones. Totally in my genre. Read lots of book like it. Loved lots of books like it. I hate it. Not to say that you will, too, because it's a seriously popular series. There's gotta be something in them to like. My sister read most of them and she doesn't read fiction. She won't even read my books.

(The following is solely my opinion and is not meant in any way to discredit the author, novels, characters, or any other aspect of this book!! Please don't stalk me into a dark alley if you disagree.)

I found it to be tedious, pompous, and I really didn't like any of the characters. Most of them were either too selfish or petulant for me to even respect them as antagonists. I started the first chapter of the second book and was so uninterested and practically sulking at reading that book that I decided there were better uses of my time. (Though it does have one of the best deaths ever, I've gotta say.)

From your blog post over on W&T I know you like a lot of the same books I do - The Sword of Truth in particular. So here's what I would say: The last several books of The Sword of Truth really got old for me. I wasn't a big fan of the final trilogy at all. A Game of Thrones has sorta kinda a little bit of the same feel as those. If you liked the ending of SoT then you might like Game of Thrones, but if you're like me and you prefered the beginning novels, I'd be wary.

Okay, all of that rant just to say that if you don't want to read GoT, don't. Read what you want.

[trixie]

American Gods is ok, hated Anansi Boys, The Graveyard Book. Stardust was only OK. LOVED Coraline, Good Omens, and Neverwhere.)

I have Good Omens on my shelf at home. I'm nervous, but it looks hilarious.

Diva, THANK YOU for your honest review of GoT! Now if I can only find 4 more hours in the day to get everything done. First on the list though? One Jacob Wonderbar.