Your Next Summer Read

Long or short, serious or light, contemporary or classic, what makes a great summer read is a matter of personal taste. It's quite a challenge to figure what to read next. I'm not sure what Oprah's planning on reading on her Kindle III, but I've pulled together my list of 2009 Good Reads of Summer by some of my favorite authors to help you find your own good book to read this summer.


The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafron. Highly touted page turner that explores the themes of obsession, art, money, love, and good and evil against the backdrop of 1920's Spain. If you're in the mood for an old-style good read, you might also want to read Zafron's previous novel Shadow of the Wind - a great read about murder, madness and doomed love.


The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larson. The highly anticipated follw up to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Edgy and fabulous and I've been told wraps up with an ending that leaves you saying "Wow".


Very Valentine by Andrianna Trigiani. Colourful cast of characters showcase tricky family dynamic at play in Manhattan and Italy in a story about heart and humor. It's a chic flick book of the highest order. If you like this book, check out some of the author's other books such as Lucia, Lucia or Big Stone Gap

The Last Secret by Mary McGarry Morris - A thriller about the consequences of one family's crimes of the heart. Mary McGarry Morris is also the author of Songs in Ordinary Time - an Oprah Pick of the Month (but don't hold this against her. She is really a terrific writer!)

The Given Day by Dennis Lehane. This historical novel brings to life Boston's troubled past in 1918-1920 from one of America's finest crime writer. Lehane is the author of some other great Boston based mystery novels including Mystic River and Gone, Baby, Gone.