Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer Readin'

Even though I live in a place where it's pretty much summer all year round, I'm not much for warm weather.  I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, on the shores of the Columbia River—my natural habitat involves cloudy skies, blustery winds, and a constant drizzle.  I'm a fish out of water in this hot, dry desert.  Needless to say, I don't look forward to Arizona summers.  The scorching temperatures keep me inside, air conditioning and ceiling fans on full blast.  I'm lucky to have a sparkling swimming pool in my backyard for quick dips, so I guess you don't have to feel too sorry for me :)

Anyway, while summer is not my favorite, it does inspire some fun reading material.  I'm not one of those people who only reads light, fluffy beach novels during these warmest of months, but I do think my summer reading choices tend to be a little frothier.  Maybe?  I'll let you be the judge, as this week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is the ten books on my summer TBR list.  I'd love to see your list as well, so why don't you join in the fun?  All you have to do is click on over to The Broke and the Bookish and follow the instructions.  Easy, peasy.

Alright, here we go with the Top Ten Books on my TBR Pile for Summer 2015:


1.  The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler—I've never read anything by Ockler, but this contemporary retelling of The Little Mermaid looks fun.  I especially love that its heroine is a young woman of color.


2.  Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge—Forget light and fluffy, this thriller about a deadly game orchestrated by a sadistic fiend is described as dark and twisted.  Perfect summer reading?


3.  Remember Mia by Alexandra Burt—I'm in the middle of this thriller about a mother with severe post-partum depression who wakes up one morning to find her baby missing.  Suffering from traumatic memory loss, she has no idea what's happened to the infant; she can't help but wonder if the police are correct in naming her as the prime suspect ...


4.  The Tide Watchers by Lisa Chaplin—I just received an ARC of this historical adventure/espionage novel, which looks excellent.


5.  Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee—I know I'm not the only one looking forward to the July 14th release date of this novel about a grown-up Jean Louise Finch.


6.  The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi—Although Ship Breaker is one of my favorite watery dystopian novels, I've yet to read anything else by Bacigalupi.  His newest, The Water Knife, looks promising.  Set in the American Southwest, it highlights a very real and timely threat to man's survival—severe drought.  


7.  The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler—This quirky family saga about a mysterious book and a drowned circus mermaid looks intriguing.


8.  The Melody Lingers On by Mary Higgins Clark—I've loved Clark since I first read her as a teenager.  Although the quality of her writing has declined, I still enjoy her quick, clean mysteries.


9.  The Leveller by Julia Durango—I love the premise of this YA novel.  The MC is a bounty hunter who is hired by parents to go into the virtual reality gaming world and retrieve their missing children.  Sounds like a fun sci fi thriller.


10.  The Lost Daughter by Lucretia Grindle—This mystery about an American high school student who goes missing in Italy sounds like a good summer read.

So, what do you think?  Have you read any of these?  What great stories will you be digging into this summer?  I'd love to know.  Leave a comment/link to your list and I'll be sure to stop by.

Happy summer reading!

14 comments:

  1. OK, Susan, you make me laugh. You said, summer, frothy, sparkling pool and immediately I saw Eeny Meeny and almost spit my drink all over the screen. Frothy?? As in blood frothing to the surface? LOL LOL

    I love visiting your area of the world, but in the summer, I love visiting your other area of the world. We're planning on coming to AZ next February and also planning on heading back to OR next summer. Ruidoso this summer.

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    1. Ha ha, I know! I think the only book on this list that would qualify as frothy is the first one. I guess I'm just not much into fluffy books, be it summer or otherwise.

      The Phoenix area is definitely miserable at this time of year. I'd be somewhere else too, if I could!

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  2. So far I heard nothing but awesome things about The Summer of Chasing Mermaids so of course it's high on my TBR shelf. I'm so ashamed to say this but I still haven't read To Kill a Mockingbird, even though it's been on my TBR for such a long time. Maybe this summer. I haven't yet heard about The Tide Watchers but it sounds soo amazing, so thanks for the heads up!
    Lovely list! :)
    My TTT

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  3. I'm excited for The Summer of Chasing Mermaids! I've heard it's a great contemporary. I'm not familiar with most of the other books on your list, but Remember Mia sounds interesting. I love that cover, too. It immediately caught my eye.

    Happy reading! :)

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  4. I love that your list has a good mix of books. I am definitely going to read Go Set a Watchman (after I do a little re-reading first) and The Summer of Chasing Mermaids seems worth the read. Enjoy!!

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  5. Great list! I'm really excited for Go Set A Watchman! I'll have to reread To Kill a Mockingbird first, though! I want to read The Summer of Chasing Mermaids. I've heard great things. Happy reading!

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  6. Your first pick seems like a perfect summer read. Hope you enjoy. :)

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  7. So many fun books! Mary Higgins Clark is always a fun read though I do agree about the decline. The Book of Speculation is on my TBR as well. It looks like a great one!

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  8. I feel like I'm echoing a couple others, but The Summer of Chasing Mermaids sounds so intriguing! I may have to add it to my list as well.

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  9. I've heard good things about The Summer of Chasing Mermaids. Ask these look intriguing. I look forward to your reviews.

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  10. I had no idea there was going to be a follow up to To Kill A Mockingbird! Definitely adding that to my list. Great books, I've actually added a few to my Goodreads (:

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  11. I definitely need to check out The Tide Watchers now -- you had me at "historical adventure/espionage novel"! The Leveller also looks really interesting. Happy summer reading!

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  12. The Summer of Chasing Mermaids sounds really good! I've not heard of it before so I'll have to look into it :D great list! I hope you enjoy the reads this Summer.
    Have a great week,
    Amy x

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  13. I've heard alot about The Water Knife, and I really like Paolo's writing, so i'm hoping this one is a good one! great post!
    www.wholly-books.com

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