I’ve loved books since I was a child. Even when others made fun of me for being a bookworm, I continued to carry books with me wherever I went. They were my escape from doldrums, from other people’s ignorance and cruelty, they entertained me during long train rides or bus rides to Virginia, they took me to places far more exotic than my actual destinations and allowed me to experience things beyond my wildest imagination.
No summer (no season, really) is complete without books. I love checking out which books make it to the New York Times summer reading list. And while the list is never really as diverse as I’d like it to be, this year stood out in particular for being completely white. Well, Janet Maslin has her taste in books. I have mine. So here goes…
There is no specific order to my list, so don’t spend too much time wondering if number 1 is better than number 5 The order is only based on when it popped into my head. 🙂
The latest instalment in Melissa Blue’s Under the Kilt series, Kilt Tease, is now available. I loved the first three books (especially book 3 – Kilted for Pleasure, featuring Victoria and Callan). I just started reading Kilt Tease and it doesn’t disappoint. This time the focus is on ex-rugby player Quentin and American Katherine Campbell (but don’t call her “Kitten”). It’s a story of opposites attracting and what happens when you open yourself to love. My kind of story. And who can resist a story that features a sexy Sottish rugby player? 🙂
I went through a period where I wasn’t so keen on Dorothy Koomson’s novels, and then suddenly I fell in love with her writing. I’m not sure which book did the trick, but I do love her “heart fiction” (as she calls her books). Like her last few books, That Girl from Nowhere is more mystery than love story or relationship story. I like how Koomson’s characters are always so wonderfully flawed. That Girl from Nowhere focuses on Clemency, a black woman who was adopted by a white family, who by chance comes into contact with her birth family. I won’t give away any further details, but you should definitely add this book to your Beach Read List.
Crazy Rich Asians has been on my TBR list since last summer. The more I read about this super-rich Chinese families in Singapore and what happens when the heir to one such family brings home his American-born Chinese girlfriend. I’ve only taken sneak peeks at a few chapters and I’m already hooked, so I know this will be one of my favourite books this summer. I love satirical novels and haven’t read a really good one in a long time.
Back in the day, Mat Johnson was the guy nearly everyone I knew had a crush on. We both grew up in Philadelphia and had some of the same friends who hung out on South Street at the weekends and went to the same parties in Center City, University City and Germantown/Mount Airy. Mat’s gone from being the comic book/graphic novel-loving shy guy all my girlfriends were in love with to a critically-acclaimed author. His latest novel, Loving Day, takes on pertinent questions of race as his narrator, Warren Duffy, returns to the US after the breakup of his marriage to a Welsh woman. Duffy inherits a half-renovated mansion in Philadelphia and finds himself confronting ghosts of sorts–both real and imagined. Another book that I’ve only read snippets of, but that I think will be a phenomenal summer read.
Any book by Tia Kelly is automatically on my 1-click list. Ever since I heard that Chasing Moments was on its way and available for pre-order, I placed my order. And while it’s not scheduled to be released until late August, I will wait patiently for its arrival. So what’s it about? A confirmed party girl whose fame precedes her, who is famous simply for being famous, and who wakes up one morning unable to remember what happened the night before. Now she must try to piece together memories of her life as she rediscovers who she is and what it all means. I seriously cannot wait to dip into this book. August can’t get here soon enough. 🙂
Now this is a short list. I am on vacation now and far too lazy to write more today. There will most definitely be a part two to this list.