The Book Man's Shelf: Cool Reads For A Hot Summer

By Amber Short. Summer is here, and with it comes some pretty idyllic pastimes. One of my favourites is reading outdoors. Whether it’s a blanket on the sand at the beach, a hammock in your back yard or a lounge chair by the pool, a book is the ultimate accoutrement for lounging in the sun. The only thing more delicious than diving into the pleasures of a new book is choosing which ones will get to bask in the warm rays with you.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t often conjure up images of myself sipping a mai-tai poolside, reading Charles Dickens. Perhaps his books just seem too refined to be brushing sand out of the pages, or getting greasy sunblock fingerprints on the cover. I prefer reading something as light and fun as summer itself, and the choices of countless booklovers echo this opinion.

With students coming up for air from school, and many of us enjoying time off from busy work and school schedules, our selections often shift to more pleasure based reading in the summer months. Delicious mysteries, romantic fiction both modern and historical, chick lit and science fiction garnish the most interest, and a parallel spike in children’s and young adult’s fictions is also seen. Hundreds of customers ask for the same authors throughout the year, and especially during the summer. If you’re looking for a new author, these are tried, tested and true!

Chick Lit: Emily Giffin, Jennifer Weiner, Marion Keyes, Sophie Kinsella, Elin Hildebrand, Kristin Hannah, Jodi Picoult, Adele Parks.

Romantic Fiction (Modern): Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, Carly Phillips, Fern Michaels, Debbie Macomber, Catherine Anderson, Barbara Taylor Bradford.

Romantic Fiction (Suspense): Lisa Jackson, Carla Neggers, Meryl Sawyer, Kay Hooper.

Romantic Fiction (Historical): Victoria Alexander, Julie Garwood, Stephanie Laurens, Amanda Quick, Julia Quinn.

Mysteries: Harlan Coben, Michael Connelly, Vince Flynn, Iris Johansen, Diane Mott Davidson, Jo Nesbo, Mark Billingham, Peter Robinson, David Baldacci, Stuart Woods, Ian Rankin.

Fantasy: Kate Mosse, Sarah Ash, L. E. Modesitt Jr., Jacqueline Carey, Terry Goodkind, George R. R. Martin, Raymond E. Feist, Jim Butcher, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Steven Erikson.

Science Fiction: Orson Scott Card, William Gibson, Douglas Adams, Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, David Gemmell.

Other favourites include the real-life inspiration of biographies and staff recommendations! Canadian Fiction is an often overlooked genre with some brilliant authors nestled in its confines (think Margaret Atwood, W. P. Kinsella and Alice Munro!). If airfares have you panting and breaking into a sweat, you might enjoy some “Armchair Travel”; live vicariously through people buying an olive orchard, or walking solo across North America!

Whatever your choice, some excellent summer reads await you! Venture into a local bookstore or library and browse the stacks to turn up some gems to accompany you as you slip into the beautiful summer months of 2012!

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The Book Man’s Shelf Is Brought To You By The Folks At The Book Man In Downtown Chilliwack and, as of July 15, 2011, in Abbotsford.

Amber Short co-owns and manages The Book Man in Chilliwack and Abbotsford BC.

If you’d like to add to your book shelf, you can look on our staff profile page:

http://www.bookman.ca/Store-Tour/Meet-Our-Staff

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