It’s finally Spring! That means warmer temperatures, sunny days, and vacation. I don’t know about you, but for me, nicer w also means more time to read the kind of books I can relax with; the kind of brain candy that gives me an escape from reality.
These kinds of books are perfect for cruising, because I can pick them up and put them down as often as I need to as activity allows–though let’s be honest, once I really get sucked into a story, it’s SO hard to put it down! A quick wave at the bartender for another Gin & Tonic, and I’m a very happy cruiser.
I’ve picked out some pretty fun novels for you this month: some romance, some fantasy, some suspenseful thrillers. Pick out a few and head down to the Solarium to spend a day with the characters. Don’t forget to pack the sunscreen, and let me know which books you liked!
Romance
- Tempting Taste by Sara Whitney: Any series that has Cinnamon Roll in the name has to be delicious, right? This one begins with a grumpy baker clashing with a self-assertive PR wiz. Can they work together, or will the salt vs sweet be too much to balance?
- The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang: When Stella, a woman more inclined toward math and algorithms than romance, needs to gain experience in the dating world, she hires escort Michael. Maybe she can get some data on dating from him that will help tilt the scales in a more logical direction.
- A Daring Arrangement by Joanna Shupe: The first in Shupe’s Four Hundred Series set in the Gilded Age of New York City, we meet a Lady in a hurry to find a match. However, that particular match must be an absolute terror, so her father will refuse so she can marry who she wants instead. Unfortunately, the man she picks is up to good, instead of the evil she wanted.
Fantasy
- The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss: Thought of by some as an adult version of Harry Potter, this is the story of the most notorious wizard in the world and how he came to be. Born in poverty, he found his way into a school of magic, and became a legend.
- The City of Brass by SA Chakraborty: Travel to Cairo, to a magical world filled with enchantments. Nahri accidentally summons a djinn warrior, and finds that the myths of her childhood are not just the stuff of legends, and that actions do, in fact, have consequences.
- Written in Red by Anne Bishop: When Meg, a seer, shows up in Lakeside Courtyard, the community doesn’t know what to do with her. She’s not one of the Others, those that live there. But Simon Wolfgard has an instinct to protect her, even though there is significant risk involved. Is she prey, predator, or someone worth protecting?
Suspense/Thriller
- The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova: Follow the history of Dracula back through a historian’s clues and letters. Can you save her father from impending doom?
- The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott: Literature lovers will appreciate this spy thriller based on a true story during the Cold War. Two secretaries are pulled from the CIA typing pool for a top secret mission. This mission, should they choose to accept it, is to smuggle Doctor Zhivago out of the USSR so that it can be published.
- Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam: Vacation is supposed to be relaxing, but when Amanda and Clay rent a vacation home on Long Island, things don’t go as they plan. The home’s owners show up in the middle of the night, there’s a crisis in New York and they need to escape. Can the two families trust each other isolated in this rural house, cut off from everyone else?
What have you been reading lately? Do you make more time for reading when the weather warms up? What sounds good from this list? Share in the comments!
