Summer seems to be starting to arrive, though we have awhile till it officially starts. Late Spring/Early Summer is one of my favorite times of the year. Its warm enough but hasn’t reached that overbearing heat of the late summer. And its a great reading time.
I like to read all the year round, but I know some who really only get a chance to read during vacations or summer trips. So I’ve decided to put together a list of a few books for some Summer Reading. Many are series starters, so if you enjoy the first book, there is plenty to read after that!
The Rowan – Anne McCaffrey
The Rowan is the first book…of sorts…in my favorite series. The novel is a futuristic story where humans have tapped into the potential of telepathic abilities. They have explored and settled on several planets at this point. On one of those planets, a disaster takes place that revels a child who may be the most powerful telepath yet known. They call her The Rowan, as that was the name of the settlement she was located at.
She is trained to be part of the FT&T system of telepaths and telekinetics who help speed about interstellar commerce and traffic. She has both abilities, in such high qualities she has earned the spot as a Prime, a rarest level in the system. One day she meets an equally powerful and unknown telepath and together they fight an alien menace.
Its better than my summary I swear. My favorite book in the series is the fourth book, Lyon’s Pride which deals with the Rowan’s grandchildren. The Talents series has five books, but it’s also connects to another series by McCafferey called the Pegasus series, which takes place from Current day and brings us up to the world of the Rowan.
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games is pretty well-known, and while the movies were great, I always prefer the book. There is so much more in the books. The only downside to the book is its done completely in Katness’ pov. It’s a great book, although I do suggest it for older readers. Some of the subject material -ie violence – is not appropriate for young children. This, as the movies suggests, is part of a trilogy.
Catherine, Called Birdy – Karen Cushman
This is a book that may be good for younger readers and older readers alike. Done in diary format, it explores the life of a girl in the 1100s named Catherine, who would just like to play with her friends and forget all this mending and marriage business. She’s promised her older brother to keep a diary to help her with her writing skills, and because she loves him she keeps at it. It is hilarious and some of the phrases from the books my family still use to this day.
It won several awards for young adult novels in 1995
The Memory of US – Camille Di Maio
This is a book I reviewed on this blog having read it on Kindle Unlimited I believe. It’s a wonderful romance novel that’s more about a woman trying to adjust in Post-War Britain than actual romance although the Romance is the backbone of the piece. The story follows Julianne Westcott as she discovers a secret brother her parents have been hiding from her due to his disabilities. Deciding to ignore their avoidance of the issue, she meets with her brother, and meets Kyle, the son of the gardener. The two of them slowly fall in love, and eventually get married against the wishes of her parents and his attempt to become a priest. However, a war begins, and it changes their lives drastically.
It really is a great story and I look forward to more from this author.
The 100 – Kass Morgan
Like The Hunger Games, this is a dystopian young adult novel. The concept was bought and developed into a TV show while the writer was working on the first book, so while many characters remain the same (and some characters appear with different names) the book series and the TV series have gone down separate paths.
I really enjoyed the book series, though I need to catch up on the last one released. This book is done in rotating POV format, focused on 4 main characters: Clarke, Bellamy, Wells and Glass. The characters are younger than their TV counterparts, and the stories each take over the course of a couple of days. The first book has quite a bit of flashback just to warn.
Sokorra Lewis 