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Favorite Five Summer Reads

When I think fun books to read for the Summer, I think about books that are quick, fun, engaging reads. Perfect books to take to the beach or devour on a road trip. With that in mind, here are a few of my favorites that make me think of Summer reading. I think this list will be a bit more random than most. Fun!

• Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny

Nine Princes in Amber is the first of The Amber Chronicles by Roger Zelazny. It’s a short novel, very fast paced, and super engaging. From the first page you’re wondering where this story is going to take you, just like our protagonist, who wakes with amnesia. Sure, this trope is a little played out now days, but this is a classic. Although a few things in the beginning feel dated, it holds up very well. I remember reading the first five in the Chronicles one summer in my early teens and becoming completely engrossed in this tale of brothers and sisters battling it out for control of Amber.

 

• The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards

Fast paced? Check. Fun? Hella so. Engaging? Oh yeah, buckle your seat belts because this one is a great ride. I really can not sing the praises of this book enough. If you love sass and sarcasm, lots of laughs, characters with a lot of heart doing their best to make their way out of sticky situations and solve mysteries…this is the book for you. And now is the perfect time to pick it up since the sequel will be out in a couple of months. Read. This. Book. 🙂

 

 

• The Half Killed by Quenby Olsen

The Half Killed may not be a super fast paced adventure book, but it’s a thing of dark beauty with an atmosphere so thick you could cut it with a knife. This book takes place during a summer heatwave and you can practically feel the sweat beading on your own skin while reading it. I absolutely love this story. It’s a little bit dark magic, a lot atmosphere, and some romance thrown in for good measure. Definitely recommend checking this one out if you haven’t already.

 

 

• Year One by Nora Roberts

Because who doesn’t love a good apocalypse? Especially when the strangest thing out there isn’t the apocalypse itself, but that magic is real now? This book was such an engaging read, really had trouble shutting the audiobook off at times (well, once I was past the beginning where everyone was sick and dying). I love the idea behind it too–prophecies about a chosen one, people having to work together to build a new world after the old one is destroyed, magic and magical creatures are suddenly real…it’s all so fun and intriguing. 🙂

 

• The Wild Ways by Tanya Huff

 

I wouldn’t normally put a sequel on one of these lists, but I really love this book. Honestly, I love all the books in Tanya Huff’s Gale Women trilogy. The Gale Women aren’t Fae, but they’re not exactly human either. They’re something other, something old Earth magic and spirit gods. This one is a bit of a road trip mixed with mystery and music, since our protagonist is Charlie this time around. Charlie is a wild power, so she’s drawn to wandering away from the family and with the Gales, family is everything. She can’t help who she is though, and she’s constantly caught in between trying to be herself and not hurt those she loves when she feels the need to leave constantly.

 

Well, those are my picks for Summer Reads, what are yours? Leave a note in the comments, I’d love to chat!