Need a Good Summer Read?

I've had a few friends ask me to list some good books I've read recently and several come to mind.  I've been plowing through a new book about every 2 or 3 days this summer, which has been amazing!  There is just not enough time in the day to do all the reading I want to do during the school year.  Here are some of my favorites.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith - this novel was actually published in 1943 and is told from the perspective of a 9 year old girl growing up in Brooklyn in 1910.  I was skeptical before reading - I mean it was published in the 40's, right?  It was fabulous - I thought about the characters and the story for days after I read it.  Loved it!

The Thirtheenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield.  A suspenseful story about an obscure biographer who is asked by a reclusive writer to write her story.  The story that unfolds keeps you guessing the whole time you read.  It started a little slow, but once I got into it...wow.  Great read!

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows.  Again - I was skeptical...this story is told completely through letters from one character to another and I thought, what?  How can you really tell a story that way?  It turns out you can!  It's about the German occupation during WWII of an English Channel island.  It's a quick & easy read and at the end, you'll love the characters you meet through their letters.

Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden.  I'd heard of the movie - thought it looked weird (I am clearly SO judgmental!), but as I was looking for audiobooks for Brandon & I to listen to on vacation, this book kept popping up with extremely good ratings from readers, so I thought, what the hey...I'll give it a shot.  Again - wow - totally fascinating (fictional) story of a young Japanese girl who is sold into slavery to be trained as a Geisha in the Gion district of Kyoto.  It takes place during the depression and WWII and totally had me riveted.  I could hardly put it down.  I now have the movie on my shelf to watch, but I can't imagine that it could be anywhere near as good as the book.  This is a must read!

In the Woods,  by Tana French.  In this story a murder detective in Ireland must face the tragedy and crime he experienced in childhood, but does not remember clearly when he gets a similar case that comes out of his old neighborhood.  Very mysterious & suspenseful.  I also really enjoyed this author's next 2 books - The Likeness  & Faithful Place.   I recommend them all!

Lottery, by Patricia Wood.  This last one I did not read - I listened to.  I chose this for one of our audiobooks we listened to on our vacation drive this year.  We LOVED it.  It's the story of an almost mentally retarded man (as he says, the cut-off to be mentally retarded is an IQ of 75 - his is 76) who wins the lottery.  I'm not sure if it would be as good to just read, because listening to the voices of the different characters had Brandon and me rolling in laughter as we traveled across the states toward home.  Brandon was sorely disappointed when he looked to see if this author has written any other novels...unfortunately, she has not. 

So - there are a few favorites.  Hope you can find some good reading time in the near future!