Summer reading

Last week I posted about my summer must-have beauty products (I love the colors!!). BTW, I'm sporting hot pink eyeliner today. LOVE it. That was part 1 of my summer essentials, part 2 is summer reading. When I was in Grad school, the summer is when I caught up on all the "fun" books I didn't have time to read during the school year. I'm no longer in school, but I don't see why the tradition of fun summer reading has to stop :)

So, visit your local library and check out these books:
 Smokin' Seventeen  by Janet Evanovich. This is number 17 in a series about a bounty hunter in New Jersey. Stephanie Plum is one of my all time favorite fictional characters. She is nutty, irreverent, and she gets herself into impossible situations. Many years ago, my Grandma got me hooked (which is a shocker, if you've read any of the books in the series - did I mention they are completely irreverent??) and we now have a tradition of reading them at the same time (in different states) and then getting on the phone to laugh about all the crazy stuff that happens. I wouldn't recommend sharing them with you mom or reading these books in public (I read one a plane once, oh my, I got some funny looks because I LAUGH OUT LOUD when reading these books).

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I read this book a few summers ago, after a particularly hard semester (which is maybe why I remember it?). I love mysteries, I love books about complicated families. This book is both. It is a great story. If you like this one, you might like The Forgotten Garden, and The House at Riverton and The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. Read them now!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I love stories that are set around historical events. This book takes place during the German occupation of the Island of Guernsey during WWII. Its about the power of books, especially during dark times.

And finally, the best book I read this year: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. This book is not for everyone - it has some graphic violence, and a pretty sad story. But I love this book. Here is an overview from the publisher: "An international publishing sensation, Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel.
Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption."

Whether you are on the beach, or taking a stay-cation, grab a book!