Summer is the perfect time to rekindle your relationship with reading. After all, what can be better on those evenings when the wind is howling outside and the rain is coming down by the bucket load than sitting back with a good book.

But rather than re-read your favourite book (not a bad idea actually!) why not discover a new author, or even a new genre? Below are some suggestions for good summer reads, but even if none of these stir your imagination, visit one of the local book stores and browse the shelves to get a glimpse of what your reading future may hold.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
by Tom Franklin
Fiction
As young boys in Mississippi, Larry, the son of lower-middle class white parents, and Silas, the son of an unmarried black woman, share an unlikely friendship. In spite of racial tensions, they maintain their clandestine friendship until tragedy strikes: a young girl goes on a date with Larry and soon after disappears. Although never convicted, Larry is judged guilty in the town’s eyes.

Twenty five years on, Larry is a lonely oddball mechanic and Silas is the local constable. When another girl disappears, all eyes are on Larry. Silas is deeply involved in the investigation and as he searches for the truth, he must also face his history with Larry – and the things he has kept secret from all those years ago.

Equations of Life
by Simon Mordon
Science fiction
The first in a three part trilogy, Equations is the tale of a cyberpunk dystopia set in London (the only surviving city in the country), populated by Yakuza gangsters, armed nuns, vicious criminal gangs and genius hackers. Samuil Petrovitch is a Russian émigré making a living in the London Metrozone, the last city in England. A refugee from St Petersburg, Petrovitch is a poor physical specimen with a weak heart but an amazing brain – he’s working with a colleague at the University on the elusive Grand Unified Theory when, in an impulsive act of selflessness, he intervenes to prevent the abduction of the daughter of the corporate Yakuza Oshicora. The consequences of this rare act of generosity are spectacular to say the least.

Room
by Emme Donoghue
Fiction
Room is a unique story. Narrated entirely by five year old Jack, the reader learns about the 11-square foot room where he lives, eats, sleeps and dreams with his Ma. To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it’s where he has spent every day of his life. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, Room is the story of a young woman and her child, held captive in a single room. Skilfully and sensitively told, the story is shocking but at the same time it is a celebration of resilience and of the limitless bond between parent and child. A brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

Born to Run
by Christopher McDougall
Nonfiction
An epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt?

Isolated by Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. In a riveting narrative, award-winning journalist and often-injured runner Christopher McDougall sets out to discover their secrets. In the process, he takes his readers from science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pits America’s best ultra-runners against the tribe. McDougall’s incredible story will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.

Mini Shopaholic
by Sophie Kinsella
fiction
The world’s favourite economically challenged heroine is back.
Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) thought that having a daughter was a dream come true: a shopping friend for life! But two-year-old Minnie has a rather different approach to shopping. She can create havoc everywhere from Harrods to Harvey Nicks. She hires taxis at random, her favourite word is Mine, and she’s even started shopping on eBay.

Add to that the financial crisis. People are having to Cut Back including Becky’s personal shopping clients and she and Luke are still living with Becky’s Mum and Dad. To cheer everyone up, Becky decides to throw a surprise birthday party on a budget - but then things become really complicated….

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