Summer wrap- up

Since many of the books I read this summer were for my own reading pleasure, and not formal reviews, I haven't done individual posts on several of them.  There are some however, that merit a mention with my comments and what's to like or dislike:


Sizzlin' Sixteen - Janet Evanovich.  I chuckled when I read #15 in this series, but almost forgot why I had stopped reading them several years ago.  This one made me remember and swear off Stephanie Plum for the rest of my life.  Evanovich is a good writer.  She just needs to find something new, refreshing, and with a totally different premise.

To Kill a Mockingbird - This classic was chosen by our Book Club at the library for it's July discussion.  I hadn't read it in 50 years since it came out.  I thought I remembered it, but found there was so much I'd forgotten, or never keyed on when I was younger.  It is a true classic, and if you haven't read it, drop everything and do so.  It was required reading when I was in high school, and in my opinion, should still be required, but those of us who read it as the Civil Rights movement was just starting will find a surprising depth of insight from being able to look back.

August Heat by Andrea Camilleri.  The 10th in the Inspector Montalbano detective series, this was the perfect book to read in August.  The scorching searing heat of Siciliy in the summer is something I've experienced first hand (twice!) and although Sicily is a spectacular vacation venue, I'm not going to plan my next trip in the summer months.  Montalbano locates a beautiful seaside villa for a friend coming down from northern Italy, only to have the family discover that there are some serious defects in the building (like a dead body to begin with).  His girlfriend Livia, as usual, becomes upset and goes home.  Montalbano battles the heat, tries to solve the mystery of why the house is as it is (it's hard to describe the mysterious happenings without spoiling the story) and in the end detects the true culprit.  His sidekick, Catarella provides just the right touch of comic relief to make the book not only a good who dunnit, but an enjoyable and amusing read.  This series continues to get better, so if you haven't tried any of them, next time you're browsing the shelves, pull one out and settle in for a few hours.  I don't think you'll regret it.

All in all, it was a successful restful summer.  I wallowed in a few great page turners, enjoyed the summer breezes while listening to some awesome audios and stitching my blue heron.  In fact, I'll be giving you a progress report on my stitching project later this fall.  For now, the leaves are already turning, and it's time to turn to some heavy duty catching up on ARCs sent for reviews.  I'm still planning to continue reading in some of the new series I discovered this summer, so as long as the eyes and ears hold out, and the NOOK stays charged, I'll be offering up more of my two cents.