Summer Books for Grownups

Hopefully all of you checked out our summer reading newsletter (and if you didn't, stop by the shop and pick up a copy, because it's awesome) and are super-impressed with our great recommendations for kids' books this summer. But we know moms and dads deserve a good summer book too, especially once you've finished mowing the lawn and driving your kids to camp and finding lost flip-flops and... well, you get the idea. Here are just a few recommendations to get you started:



Thrillers: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, by Stieg Larsson.  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a mix of disappeared heiresses, genius computer hackers, desperate tycoons, even more desperate journalists... suspense at its best. The final book in this superstar trilogy is just out, so you can read all three with no waiting to find out what happens.





Classics: Hemingway! For me, Hemingway is a perfect summer read, full of Cuba and Florida and Spain on hot summer days. Saltwater spray, sun glare, maybe an adult beverage on a veranda... perfect. Try Islands in the Stream, The Old Man and the Sea, or Death in the Afternoon.




Beach Books: We have a ton of great beach reading (anything by Jodi Picoult or Ann Patchett, for instance) but one of our fun new arrivals in paperback is The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale. At first glance it seems unlikely: a pregnant Mormon housewife happens to meet the superstar actor she has a huge crush on, and they become best friends. But it's well-written and very enjoyable, with some unexpected plot twists that really make it different from what you might expect.

As always, if none of these quite fit the bill for your summer reading, stop by- we'd love to help you find the perfect book. Happy reading!