back! With great summer reads

I have had to creative flow lately. Maybe I need a phenomenal experience or something. Wonder if I joined a 'meetup' group i would find interesting people to blog about. Even the library incidents have been a big snooze.
So, I will share some great summer reads. After all I am a librarian....

1. Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman Tom and his wife Isabelle take on a job of minding the lighthouse on the island of Janus Rock. Isabelle is desperate to have children, and after 2 miscarriages, she had given up hope. Until she hears the wail of a baby. A boat has washed ashore with a dead man and an alive baby. This read is filled with moral dilemmas and hard decisions one makes in life.

2. I Know this Much is True by Wally Lamb I read his earlier works and is by far my favorite of his. He tells of a story of Dominic and his twin brother Thomas, who suffers from schizophrenia and the intense trials of being his caretaker. Maybe because I have twin brother I could relate to this so well. Not that my brother is schizophrenic, but that's up to interpretation.

3. Wild:From Lost to Found of the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed I happen to find travel books fun to read, especially ones with humor and some insight. I k=now know more about the Pacific Crest trail that I ever knew before. And I was convinced I could do what she did..walk the whole thing solo. Then I came to my senses and realized reading about it is just as good.

4. Fault in our Stars by John GreenNow don't turn your nose up to Young Adult fiction. This is a story of a 16 year old with cancer, who meets a boy in group therapy and they develop a smart, witty, tender, relationship. Green has excellent writing skills-would recommend any of his books.

5. Molok'ai by Alan Brennert Set in Hawaii a century ago, 7 year old Rachel dreams of far away places like her merchant marine father. But one day, a rose colored mark shows up on her leg and she is sent to the quarantined leprosy colony, away from her family and friends. There is warmth, humor, and, and passion that will keep you turning pages. Just an aside, we read this for my book club and we have one member who is ultra conservative and very vocal. Her only comment about the book was perhaps we should have rounded up all the AIDS patients in the 80's and did the same thing to them and we wouldn't be having an epidemic right now. Yes, really.

6. 11/22/63 by Stephen King I used to read alot of Stephen King and then he went off on a fantasy tangent and I lost interest. But he is back in full force. JakeEpping, 35, who teaches English, is told by his pal Al (on his death bed) that he had developed a time travel portal and wants Jake to return to 11/22/63 and stop the assasination of John F. Kennedy. Don't be intimidated by the size...great read.

7. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell She is quirky, odd, and living a tough life with an abusive stepfather. He is a smart, balanced Asian boy with a serious side and a love for music. Set over the course of a school year, it is a story of star crossed 16 year olds-smart enough to know love doesn't last but brave enough to try. I am NOT a romance reader, but this was outstanding.

Happy Reading!!!