Sizzling Summer Reads
By: Melissa Bradley |
Wednesday July 01, 2009 |
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for those long lazy days.. |
| Ah summer… Whether you are taking a great vacation or relaxing at home on a stay-cation, chances are curling up with a good book is going to be on the agenda. Novels are a great way to pass the time as you work on your tan and recharge the old batteries. With so many choices out there, the most difficult part is settling on which book to read. Here’s a list of some really intriguing tales that will definitely spice up those long, lazy days. For those who love a good political thriller, Brad Thor’s The Apostle is a must read. When an American doctor is kidnapped in Afghanistan, former counter terrorism operator, Scot Harvath, is pressed into service once more. His assignment is to break into the infamous Policharki Prison and free Mustafa Khan, an al-Qaeda mastermind the kidnappers are demanding as ransom. Things start to escalate when Harvath arrives in Kabul and discovers that there is much more to this kidnapping than what he was originally told. Thor has a riveting style that instantly absorbs the reader. His plots are ripped from the headlines, but told in such a way that the reader is left to make up his or her own mind. In the mood for some paranormal romance? You can’t go wrong with Patti O’Shea’s latest, Edge of Dawn. When glass artist Shona Blackwood’s ability to create is taken from her, she becomes utterly apathetic. It takes a harrowing brush with violence to shake her out of her shell and reawaken her senses. The man responsible is Logan Andrews, a magical troubleshooter ordered to protect Shona from an enemy bent on destroying her. His job is made all the more difficult because Shona is completely unaware of the existence of magic and it’s up to him to keep it that way. O’Shea has an unmatched talent for world building and creating characters that stay with the reader long after the last page is turned. Naomi Novik’s Victory of Eagles is an alternate history delight. Set during the Napoleanic Wars, this novel is the fifth in a series that tells the story of the dragon, Temeraire and his captain, Will Laurence. Napolean’s resurgent forces have invaded Britain, pushing the government and the military to the brink. Unfortunately, Temeraire has been forced out of service and Will has been condemned for treason. They must struggle to find one another amid the ravages of war because only with their reunion does Britain stand a chance of defeating Napoleon. This is a fun, engaging series that will delight alternate history buffs and sci fi fantasy fans. The other books are His Majesty’s Dragon, Throne of Jade, Black Powder War and Empire of Ivory. A good zombie tale is a must have for any beach reading and Carrie Ryan’s The Forest of Hands and Teeth is an excellent choice. Seven generations after the destruction of civilization by a zombie plague known as the Return, a village survives in the middle of a vast forest surrounded by the last remnant of technology, a chain link fence. Outside this boundary are the undead, living corpses waiting to devour. The village is strictly religious, governed by the Sisterhood and everyone has been taught that they are the last humans. Mary goes against the grain, believing obsessively in her mother’s stories, that there are other humans somewhere beyond the forest. To that end, she convinces her friends and the two men who wish to marry her to join her quest to find this other bastion of humanity. Gripping and intelligent, this book is quite brutal and creepy and sure to delight horror fans young and old. In addition to these titles are several exciting new releases due out in the next few months including Bad Moon Rising, the latest Dark Hunter novel from Sherrilyn Kenyon, Daniel Silva’s newest Gabriel Allon tale, The Defector, and Omen, the next installment in Christie Golden’s Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi series. Adventure, romance, thrills and chills are all out there. Hope this list gives you a good idea of the multitude of exciting journeys that await you this summer. Happy Reading! |
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