summer reads 2012

We're a week into summer, and since returning from Emily's wedding, I've hit a writing block. So what better way to work my way out of that than to write about books?

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Headed to the mountains or to the beach and need a light and delightful read? Try Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn, Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson, The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, or Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.

You might want a meatier summer read. Check out East of Eden by John Steinbeck, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Middlemarch by George Eliot, and My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok.

Serial reads are always fun during the summer. If you haven't read it yet, go out and get The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins (if you put your name on your library waiting list, you'll be waiting until Christmas, so borrow or buy). If you like Western novels, The Border Trilogy by Cormac McCarthy is a solid choice. The 44 Scotland Street series by Alexander McCall Smith is lighthearted Scottish fiction, a series so lighthearted that you can start and stop reading whenever you feel like it. And hello, Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling is never a bad idea. Obviously.

Parents, read with your children. And make sure you read The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles and Mandy, both by Julie Andrews Edwards. Read the Anne of Green Gables books with your daughters. And again, please don't overlook Harry Potter.

You may need a book that will be a favorite. These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Ride the Wind by Lucia St. Clair Robson, and Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell will all do the trick.

Are you looking to learn new skills this summer? Read Stitch by Stitch by Deborah Moebes to help you start sewing, Baking Illustrated by America's Test Kitchen to kick-start your baking, 9 out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes by Dave MacLeod if you want to rock climb this summer, and The Millonaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley if you want to make bank.

I think I've given you some good material to start with. So head to the library, the bookstore, or your Kindle and get started--it's almost July!

What are your favorite summer reads? What would you add to these lists?