SUMMER READING LIST 2017

I love summer reading. I have ever since I was a kid. All reading, all the time, and prizes to boot! What could be better than that?!

Now that I'm an adult with responsibilities (if not an actual responsible adult) I can't exactly read 15-20 hours a day. (Yes; you read that right. As teenagers, my sister and I would read 15-20 hours A DAY during the summer. We were basically rock stars at our library. Dang, I miss those days!) I've made it a summer tradition to pick out 10 or so books that I've been DYING to read but putting off for whatever reasons or newer books that got shoved to the bottom of my TBR because of all the other books I've been putting off. I usually don't read most of them, because I'm kind of terrible with lists, and I don't always account for real-life stuff and required reading like ARCS. (Seriously, you don't want to look at my To Do list. It's horrifying.) Yet I keep trying.

This year is no different.

SUMMER READING LINEUP

Randoms and Rebels by David Liss
You might remember my review for Randoms from a few years back. I certainly remember it because I fangirled all over the place about all things sci-fi and it's still one of my favorite video reviews to date. I've been waiting and anticipating the sequel ever since and yet somehow completely missed the publication for Rebels last year. I know! I'm still kicking myself for it!

If you haven't seen it, check out my review for Randoms!

The Night Watchman by Mark Mynheir
I am always on the lookout for good, gritty mysteries, but it's really hard to find titles that are mostly clean, too. I've been trying to squeeze this into my reading schedule for about four months now.

Battlefront: Twilight Company by Anthony Freed (Star Wars)
This is an audio that's been hanging out on my MP3 player for the better part of a year and my current listen. I'm really enjoying it. It's a very different Star Wars story than I'm used to, since it doesn't focus on any of the familiar characters and so far only makes passing references to them.

The Last Policeman by Ben Winters
This one has probably been on the TBR the longest, which makes me really sad. I'm very intrigued by this idea. Another mystery (possibly gritty) about a policeman determined to find the truth about a suspicious suicide that no one else cares about because THE EARTH IS GOING TO BE DESTROYED BY AN ASTEROID. I'm hoping this will be a great character-driven piece because, seriously, what's driving this guy to solve a case when everyone else is living their last months to the fullest? What makes him choose to be -dun dun DUN!- The Last Policeman?

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
I was all set to avoid this book because it sounded depressing but unbeknownst to me I've suddenly started loving stories with sad endings, like West Side Story and a certain box office hit I need to see for at least the sixth time. That, coupled with this review/love letter over at OUR FAMILIARIUM sold me on adding it.

NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE BY DAN WELLS
This one gets all caps because I LOVE THIS SERIES and I HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT IT virtually at all. I've been saving reviews for this series for videos (which will be starting again late summer/early fall!) because I need to VOCALIZE my COMPLETE ADORATION of this series.
*achem*
This is the last book of the John Cleaver series, the first of which you've probably heard of: I Am Not a Serial Killer. It's also the newest release on the list, since it only came out June 6. I can't wait to read the conclusion, which is obviously going to be EPIC, but I'm nervous about how it's going to end too.

The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles
Another new release that I don't want to wait to read. All I know is there's basically a bounty hunter from Hell (as in, the pit-of-fire-where-bad-souls-go Hell) whose job is to take the souls of evil people. I have high hopes, so we'll see.

Hearts & Other Body Parts by Ira Bloom
I was really happy to win this title in a Goodreads giveaway earlier this year and it's been sitting in my To Read stack for months, staring at me, judging me, and begging me to read it.

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
This is the second-oldest TBR title on the list. My good friend The Library Ninja recommended this way back when and I haven't been able to read it yet. THIS SUMMER. I will read it THIS SUMMER.

Specter of the Past by Timothy Zahn (Star Wars)
My next, huge TBR project is to read through the New Jedi Order series, but first I have to read Zahn's Thrawn duology. Because Thrawn. And Zahn. Hello.

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
I really had no interest in this historical title until I found out it's a historical fantasy and one the characters spends his day as a horse. This is the lowest on the list, however, because it's the most recent.

Last but not least, I still have book club through the summer! So add two more titles to the list, one blank for July, and one for my June read, Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, which I really should start soon...

Voila! My considerably trimmed down Summer Reading List!

What's on your list for the summer?

What new releases are you anticipating?