It's summer! Time to get a move on with that summer reading list! What else are you going to do with the beautiful clear blue skies, the warm breezes, and the brand new hammock in your back yard?
I, for one, have been making the most of the beautiful weather. I'm reading one book (a doorstopper fantasy) while at the gym, another book (educational) while on my lunch break, and a variety of other books (fun fiction) whenever I can fit in reading in the rest of the time.
But maybe you don't know where to get started this year. Let me help you out. There are as many different types of books as there are ducks (trust me, I know). There are also a multitude of excellent books that were published last year. I'm going to give you a handful of ones I enjoyed. (And I promise not to start with my books, though I can't promise there won't be at least one mention).
Type of Book #1: Hilarious
Think of each of these ducks as a horde of gold. If I purchase one, and then send a raiding party to go get it, how many ducks will fly at their faces angrily?
We all need a good laugh now and again--in fact, I hear it's good for you. So a hilarious beach read might just help you relax.
We begin with Orconomics by J Zachary Pike. A homeless dwarf befriends a Goblin, and as a result gets selected to team up with a raiding party that is sent off on an impossible quest. This book satires global economics through the buying and selling of monster hoards. Although I read this book last summer, it sticks in the mind as a fun romp, and I recommend you check it out, especially if you enjoy fantasy books, video games, or LARPing.
Type of Book #2: Dark
There tend to be a lot of thugs in dystopian societies.
Sometimes the sun is too bright, and the air is too hot and muggy, and even though it's still summer, we kind of want to go back into our caves. In this case, dark, dystopian literature should be quite appealing.
My next pick is The Internal Defense Series, by Zoe Cannon. The most recent book, No Return, was released last year, but I recommend starting with Book 1, The Torturer's Daughter. The series follows the life of a young woman named Becca, who is struggling to understand her own traitorous mind in a world where saying the wrong thing automatically labels you as a dissident, or terrorist. Ideas are the most powerful thing in this world, and ideas are the one thing she shouldn't be having. Will she have the courage to do what's right in a world where what's right is wrong and what's wrong is right?
I know the answer to this question, but I shan't give away any spoilers. Go check it out. A great dystopian read for when life gets a little too happy.
Type of Book #3: Wibbly Wobbly
...this duck is traveling... in time... right?
Who doesn't love a little time travel? I certainly do. Time travel let's you do something that no other genre does--it lets you visit the whole of history inside the covers of one book. Well, I guess history books do that too, but time travel books are a lot more fun.
The Ruby Red Trilogy by Kerstin Gier is my most recent scifi time traveling choice. A weepy teenage girl cursed with the genetic privilege of randomly being forced back in time whenever her genes decide they want makes for a fun, funny, and fantastic ride. There are three books in the trilogy (and once again I advise you start at the beginning).
Type of Book #4: Fantasy
I'd take that duck too. Looks like a pretty sweet duck.
Life is good, life sucks, life is boring, life is fine--but rarely is life magical. And that's why we have fantasy novels, ladies and gentlemen! Sit back and enjoy a little sorcery and intrigue this summer. Escape from the world of the mundane. Screw normality.
The Elements of Sorcery is Christopher Kellen's newest work. Hobbled together from a series of novellas, this omnibus is a romp through a dark fantasy world from the perspective of the cowardly and sassy Moncrief, who is trying desperately to gain more power, while the Arbiters around him are trying to fix their dying world. It's a little dark, and a bit funny, and filled with sorcery and towers and swords and things.
Type of Book #5: My Books!
Or maybe I'll take this duck instead. MOM, CAN I HAVE THIS DUCK? ;)
Okay so, maybe "my books" isn't exactly a type of book (or maybe it is, depending on how deep you want your classifications to go), but I think they'd make for a good summer read. I've read them all (gasp! surprise, surprise. no way!), and they're all a bit different. If you're looking for a world-hopping adventure, definitely check out The Wounded World. My two main characters visit all sorts of different planets in that one.
The Clock Winked is currently ON SALE WOOO, so if you want to check that one out, it's a bit of a lighter book that mostly takes place in a bookstore. A couple of teenagers investigate a centuries old mystery and end up in a lot more trouble than they bargained for.
The Lonely Whelk is my older brother's favourite. I think it's definitely more for the nerdy type. Think: a spaceship traveling close to the speed of light, a few crooks trying to steal a new piece of technology on their home planet, and a magical (NOT, because it's science fiction) connecting of the dots between the two primary settings.
If I had to pick a favourite, I'd probably go for.... I don't even know. The Wounded World. That one. Take it or leave it.
Now, I leave you with one final question: what books will you read this summer?
