Hello
We know you love books as much as we do. You read voraciously all year long. Why then should summer get all the reading love you ask?
Maybe it has something to do with the days that stretch on forever that feel indulgent enough for you to linger just a while longer in the pages of a book. Maybe it's because you can tote along three or maybe five books on your vacation, or even your entire library on an e-reader. Maybe it's because practically nothing else (with the exception of say, a dog) makes a better hammock companion. Maybe summer's the perfect time for a guilty reading pleasure or two.
The reasons for summer reading are plenty. And we've got a healthy set of paperback recommendations (which are, of course, all available as ebooks) to take you through the season. They're perfect to tote along to the beach and engaging enough to keep you there long after the sun has gone down. And for the next few weeks you can read our reviews and beyond the book articles of all for free. Cheers to sunshine and happy reading!
Davina, BookBrowse Editor
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 A Dozen Paperbacks for Summer Days
 | Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia
Paperback Jun 2015. 352 pages. Mariner Books
The high school music team has camped out at a hotel for a weekend music festival. Is it sheer coincidence that a girl disappears who was staying in the very same room that was scene of a murder-suicide years ago? With an expert touch and overtones of Glee and Psycho, this novel harmoniously explores larger themes of talent and second chances.
Excerpt, review & beyond the book article |
 | Eyrie by Tim Winton
Paperback Jun 2015. 432 pages. Picador
Looking for crackling cinematic dialog? Skip the multiplexes and dive into this book from one of Australia's national treasures. You'll be transported to the coastal city of Fremantle, in Western Australia. That Tim Winton makes a washed-out has-been, like his protagonist Tom Keely, sympathetic and engaging is testament to his powerhouse abilities.
Excerpt, review & beyond the book article |
 | The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai
Paperback May 2015. 352 pages. Penguin Books
A literary scavenger hunt that explores and dissects many generations of a family, this debut is a richly rewarding read especially because it cunningly hides its weightier themes of the paths not taken. The many members of the Devohr family will have you eliciting comparisons to your own, and the hundred-year house's looming presence will serve as reminder that our histories are as much connected to place as they are to people.
Excerpt, review & beyond the book article |
 | Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Jul 7, 2015. 320 Pages. St. Martin's Press
Everyday minutiae can be the warm basis of a marriage but sometimes its routineness can also snuff out the essence of what makes it work. How then is one to resuscitate a floundering relationship in today's hyper-digital, 24/7 eternally on, world? Through an old-fashioned telephone of course. Will just plain old communication be enough to tide over trouble or merely be a vehicle to make clear that the end is inevitable? You will find much to relate to with the loveable protagonist, Georgie McCool in this warm summer read.
Browse reviews & more books by Rainbow Rowell |
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The Blessings by Elise Juska
Paperback May 2015. 272 pages.
Grand Central Publishing.
Almost everyone loves a large-hearted novel about family, and this wondrous story about an extended Irish American family is a winning example. Focusing on almost a dozen characters from this rambunctious clan, the book is a perfect vehicle for a variety of emotions â€" from contentment to rivalry, jealousy to sorrow. Above all, the strength of family ties is what keeps the Blessings thriving and able to weather the storms.
Excerpt, review & beyond the book article
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 | Us: A Novel by David Nicholls
Paperback Jun 2015. 416 pages. Harper
Show of hands if you want to visit Amsterdam, Paris, Venice, and Barcelona all in one fell swoop. David Nicholls' novel will take you there and will especially appeal to readers whose families are recasting their framework as one (or more) birds fly the nest. This light-hearted exploration of marriage and parenthood packs a lot of muscle beneath its polished exterior.
Excerpt, review & beyond the book article |
 | A Colder War by Charles Cumming
Paperback Jun 2015. 400 pages. St. Martin's Griffin
Turn the temperature way down with this twist on the classic spy story set in the Middle East. There's enough action to keep you turning the pages but also plenty of strong plot to make this one an intelligent and engaging read. The Cold War might have ended and the playground might have changed but the players have reinvented the rules for a new world geopolitical landscape.
Excerpt, review & beyond the book article |
 | The Betrayers by David Bezmozgis
Paperback Jun 2015. 240 pages. Back Bay Books
Sure one is encouraged to let bygones be bygones but is such a stance possible when the offender in question is responsible for a complete overhaul of your life to the point where it is just a shell of its former self? This essential question is one that Soviet Jewish dissident Baruch Kotler must answer as he is disgraced from a prominent position in Israeli politics and is forced into hiding in the Crimean resort town of Yalta. This short novel, dripping with atmosphere, is a quick and forceful read.
Excerpt, review & beyond the book article |
 | The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra by Helen Rappaport
Paperback Jun 2015. 544 pages. St. Martin's Griffin
Who needs Kate and William when you can dive into an even more intriguing slice of royalty with this account of the joys and the tragedies of the four Romanov sisters cast against the dying days of late imperial Russia? Thoroughly researched using diaries, archival sources and personal letters, this account of a slice of history will cast a familiar narrative in a new light.
Excerpt, review & beyond the book article |
 | Empire of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans by Gary Krist
Paperback Jun 2015. 432 pages. Broadway Books
With the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina around the corner, New Orleans is just about to hit the airwaves. This potent cocktail of sex, jazz and murder is a different look at the Big Easy during the early twentieth century when the players were larger than life, and the stakes for the city's morality and future course loaded and high. An epic in the true sense of the word.
Excerpt, review & beyond the book article |
 | One Kick: A Kick Lannigan Novel by Chelsea Cain
Paperback May 2015. 384 pages. Pocket Books
This protagonist packs a punch. Whip-smart and sassy, Kick Lannigan is a lock picker, escape artist and bomb maker. Not to mention a martial artist. You really don't want to be on her bad side. Fortunately this fact-finder has a mission when two children go missing in a week. The first of a thrilling new series, this page-turner is a surefire hit.
Excerpt, review & beyond the book article |
 | The Bees by Laline Paull
Paperback May 2015. 352 pages. Ecco
Established hierarchies don't fall easily especially not when threatened by lowly worker bees such as Flora 717. This glimpse of the animal world is electrifying and largely imaginative but it is its relevance to our world that's truly unnerving. This richly detailed creation will have you buzzing for a while.
Excerpt, review & beyond the book article |
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