With the month of June upon us, it is time to plan some down time. And there’s no better way to relax than with a good book on the beach, under the shade of a tree or in your lap as you fly to your vacation destination.
New releases for summer vacation reads
There are many new book releases that are perfect to take you away from business cares for a few hours. Here is a list of books to get you started.
Summer vacation reads – All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doeer
Winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize, this book tells the story of a blind French girl and German boy in the turbulent times leading up to and during World War II. It is a beautiful, thought-provoking tale, and it provides the perfect sensory escape of a good summer read.
Summer vacation reads – In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume
If you know Judy Blume for the young adults books such as Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret that you read as a teen, you’ll want to savor her new novel for adults. In the Unlikely Event is the sweeping story of three generations of people who have been affected by a series of airplane crashes in the 1950s in Elizabeth town, New Jersey. Blume experienced the effect of the crashes herself, and she has created a compelling, page-turner account of how we process the unexpected in our lives. (Release date June 2)
Summer vacation reads – Finders Keepers by Stephen King
This sequel to last year’s Mr. Mercedes is about a young boy who finds notebooks and money that were stolen years before from a famous writer. The man who took them is just about to be released from prison. If you would like to escape this summer with a well-written thriller, Finders Keepers is King at his heart stopping finest. (Release date June 2)
Summer vacation reads – Charlie Martz and Other Stories by Elmore Leonard
Short stories are perfect for travel, and there are few writers better at weaving a great short story than the late crime novelist Elmore Leonard. Here are 15 of his early stories, including 11 that have not been previously published. Filled with snappy dialogue and wit, you will savor these tightly written stories.
(Release date June 16)
Summer vacation reads – Dead Wake by Erik Larson
Erik Larson makes history read as fiction. Here, the author of Devil in the White City, In the Garden of the Beasts and Thunderstruck, takes on the final voyage of the Lusitania. You know the ship sunk, but chances are good that don’t you about all the intertwining events and politics that led up to its attack by a German U-boat. Larson introduces the characters, builds the tension and keeps our interest until the conclusion of this gripping, powerful book.
Beach read about a beach:
Beach Town by Mary Kay Andrews
Mary Kay Andrews has released another summer while away the afternoon read. In this book, released in May, a movie scout discovers a sleepy Florida beach town that is perfect for the script. The town mayor, however, has no interest in his town’s beauty and peace being destroyed for the sake of Hollywood fame. Andrews infuses humor and interesting details of “old” Florida into this novel. Tuck a copy into your beach bag.
Something different:
Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari
We all know technology has changed our culture, but in this book, comedian Aziz Ansari tells us how it has changed us in some surprising ways. Ansari teams with NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg to conduct hundreds of interviews with people all over the world. The results of their research, which includes an online forum on Reddit, are funny and eye opening.
Worth waiting for:
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
Fans of the classic To Kill a Mockingbird are holding their collective breath until the July 15 release date for Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman. The novel, which Lee submitted to her publisher in the 1950s before her success with To Kill a Mockingbird, was assumed lost until recently. The story features a grown-up Scout returning home to visit her father and their Alabama hometown.
