5 Books I Want to Read This Summer - Maureen's Picks

Once again, I have no definite reading plan for this summer. I never do. I never or rarely even choose a book to fit a season. The only time I pick a book to fit a particular circumstance is for a plane ride. For the airplane, I almost always choose romantic suspense. A Nora Roberts (M) novel is engaging enough to keep be occupied throughout the flight, but not so demanding that it can't be read under distracting airport circumstances. So, once again, this year, I will merely offer up five books from my holds list that I may or may not get around to reading some time before it is time to write 5 Books I Want to Read this Summer 2013 edition.



Looking at last year's post I'm 1 for 5! I did manage to read After Leaving Mr. MacKenzie (M) by Jean Rhys. It was an improvement on 2010. Last year I claimed that I still might read Furious Love (M) by Sam Kashner, and I did! The others are still amongst by suspended holds, so who knows what might happen.




So this year I'll start with Bossypants (M) by Tina Fey. I'm way behind. I think everyone else in the world has read this book. It was on Cynthia's summer wish list from last year, so we'll wait to see if she managed to get to it. Or, maybe I'll listen to this one since Tina Fey does the narration as well.


Two fiction books I'm likely to read this summer are In One Person (M) by John Irving and A Man of Parts (M) by David Lodge. I think I've read just about everything both authors have written. 


A Man of Parts is a fictionalized biography of H.G. Wells. His curious private life first came to my attention in Katie Roiphe's Uncommon Arrangements: seven portraits of married life in London literary circles. (M) 

And John Irving, well, he has long been one of my favourites, so I'm sure I'll get around to this one. Library Journal says of In One Person, "This wonderful blend of thought-provoking, well-constructed, and meaningful writing is what one has come to expect of Irving, and it also makes for an enjoyable page-turner."


Hot Art: chasing art thieves and detectives through the secret world of stolen art (M) by Joshua Knelman came so highly and enthusiastically recommended that I had to place it on hold right away. The author is a Canadian journalist who somehow imbeds himself in this world. It reads like a crime thriller and Booklist describes it as "thoroughly addictive."


Finally, I think I'll pick Phantom (M) by Jo Nesbo because I like a good thriller and I haven't tried any of those dark Scandinavian novels I've been hearing so much about. This one sounds gloomy enough - " Summer. A boy, Gusto, is lying on the floor of an Oslo apartment. He is bleeding and will soon die. He is trying to make sense of what has happened. In order to place his life and death in some kind of context he begins to tell his story. Outside, the church bells chime. Autumn. Former police detective Harry Hole returns to Oslo after 3 years abroad. He seeks out his former boss at police headquarters to request permission to investigate a homicide. But the case is already closed; a young junkie, Gusto, was in all likelihood shot by a pal in a conflict over drugs. Harry is granted permission to visit the accused boy in prison. There, he meets himself and his own history. It's the start of a solitary investigation of the most impossible case in Harry Hole's life. And while Harry is searching, Gusto continues his story. A man walks the dark streets of nighttime Oslo. The streets are his and he has always been there. He is a phantom." publisher