Summer Reading?

[ChristopherA]

School days have ended, the days are getting longer, and vacations loom. Summer TV is boring, and I'm not a big fan of blockbuster movie sequels.

So what should I read this summer? I'm looking for books that are in paperback so I can take them with me, are lighter reading as my attention span is shorter, ideally aren't too terribly long, and ideally have some type of ending (no series cliffhangers!).

Any suggestions?

-- Christopher Allen

[Quasar]

I don't know about what you should read, but I am reading Children of Hurin, and hopefully by the time I'm done JK Rowlings latest will be ready to read.

I've also been meaning to read the Dresden Files books.

[Decado]

Right now I am reading Kim Harrison's Dead Witch Walking. I am a little over a 100 pages in and it is starting to pick up so I may read the rest of the series. After that I have the last two Dresden books to read and then I might tackle Brian Lumley's Neroscope series. That should keep me busy!

Decado

[Brad Ellison]

I'm going through the complete works of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, which should keep me busy.

I personally would recommend not reading Brian Lumley's Necroscope series. Life's too short.

[Decado]

I read the first book, Neroscope and thought it was ok. It did not wow me into reading the rest of the series though. I am looking for good urban fantasy or modern type horror books to read. This is a new genre for me and I am reading them both for enjoyment and as inspiration for my D20 Modern Campaign.

Decado

[Leif]

You might want to try F. Paul Wilson's "Repairman Jack" novels.

[Novamute]

I would recommend the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher.

[wiseblood]

I'm about 60% through a re-read of A Storm of Swords. I wanted to re-read the entire series before I read A Feast for Crows for the first time.

I also really liked the Dresden Files TV series so I'm thinking about making that next after Feast for Crows.

[ShannonA]

I also really liked the Dresden Files TV series so I'm thinking about making that next after Feast for Crows.

Given that the books are at least twice as good as the TV show, I think you'll be pleased. The first Dresden book is a little weak, but they quickly ramp up from there. Ten (?) books in, Butcher is one of the few authors who I avidly watch for new releases from; Martin and Wolfe are the others.

[Jack]

I would recommend the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher.

Very good series. Greg Keyes Briar King series is pretty fun as well.

[mcrow]

Right now I'm reading Twilight of the Dead and will be starting Roses of Blood on Barbedwire Vines after that.

[The23SidedDie]

I'm reading The Atrocity Archive by Charles Stross.

It's okay.

[Celephais]

Just started reasing The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant. Seems pretty decent so far. I hope to get a good bit read this summer, I must get up to date with the SoIaF books.

[vitus979]

Someone once remarked on a series of books where humanity discovers and *incredibly* easy way to travel the stars so a whole bunch of random rednecks ends up colonizing dozens of worlds. Like suddenly you have sealed RVs teleporting to random planets (and IIRC the targetting program was open source).

I was always kind of intrigued by the idea. Anybody know the name of the books?

[Anaka]

I have just started a book by John Bellairs (usually a young adult author) called The Face in the Frost. It was his first novel and the only one written for the adult market. He went on to write a number of juvenile novels, the best known of which is likely The House with a Clock in its Walls. Thus far I'm really impressed. It's mostly sort of light-hearted and fun with sudden turns into "totally creeped out." Pretty cool.

[O'Borg]

I'm currently reading EE Doc Kapow Smith's Lensman series, which is restricted by my choice of trousers.

(Not wearing a jacket much on the train to work, cargo pants have a side pocket big enough for a paperback)

[azidhak]

For the moment I've started on four books. Ken MacLeod's "The Execution Channel", Richard Morgan's "Black Man" (Thirteen in the states), Alastair Reynolds' "The Prefect" and Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs and Steel" and I have to wait and see which of these I will finish first.

[JELEINEN]

I'm most of the way through Outlaws of the Marsh by Lou Guanzhong. It doesn't meet the OP's requirments of being light or short (it's 1650 pages long), but it's a heck of a lot of fun. The only downside has been trying to keep all the names straight.