Tis that time of year again & here’s our staff picks for summer reading. Enjoy some of these hot reads!

 

Pomegranate Soup - Marsha Mehran. 
It's a fictional account of three young Iranian women, having lived during the "troubles" in Iran, they immigrate to a little town in Ireland, and open a restaurant. It's a very interesting slice of life, lots of probably pretty historically accurate events that occurred in modern-day Persia. And it includes recipes (another of those), opening each chapter. A fun read, along the lines of Chocolat. (Laura – Main)

 

Claire Fontaine, crime fighter: a novel of life, death…and shoes - Tracey Enright.
When Claire Fontaine (sexy, single, glamorous and rich) gets a job as assistant to Harry Bennett, a (fat and sloppy) P.I., there are bound to be clashes. The two investigate the murder of a young woman (a probable victim of a serial killer) and visit everything from luxurious homes to the most disreputable of Los Angeles “dives.” While Claire’s questions frequently irritate Harry, she often comes up with good observations and gets more information by bonding with some of the people they question. Much as Claire wants to solve the murder, she also wants to become really involved with her handsome but mysterious neighbor. A stylish, humorous mystery with some dark edges. (Linda – Beach)

 

Stormbreaker – Anthony Horowitz
After his kind & loving but somewhat mysterious uncle/guardian is killed, Alex Ryder, age 14, is recruited to follow in the man’s footsteps - as a spy! His first job is to find out why a wealthy man wants to give a magnificent computer, Stormbreaker, to every secondary school in England, and he risks his life over and over to find out the answer.

At one point he thinks, “Whoever these people were, they had tried to run him down, to cut him in half, and to incinerate him. He had to find a way out before things really got serious.” But Alex does have some “high-tech” devices to help him, including zit cream a yo-yo, and a Game Boy that masquerade as something else. An exciting, action-filled, fun book, especially for boys. The first in a series. (Linda – Beach)

 

The god of animals: a novel - Aryn Kyle.

I really enjoyed this book. It is about a young girl who is growing up on a horse ranch. The relationships with family and people who pass though her life. (Nanci – Countryside)

 

Riding lessons - by Sara Gruen.

Annemarie Zimmer was a champion equestrian and Olympic contender until a tragic accident destroyed both her riding career and her beloved horse, Harry.   Twenty years later, after losing her job and facing a divorce, she retreats (with her teenage daughter) to her parents’ horse farm. There she must deal with many issues: her father, dying from ALS; the rebellion of her troubled daughter; the difficulties in running the farm; the discovery (&subsequent obsession) of a horse that looks just like Harry; and the possible rekindling of a long-ago romance. Sequel: Flying changes (Linda – Beach)

 

Neuromancer – William Gibson
One of the first in the cyberpunk genre, and often considered the archetypical cyberpunk work, this new classic follows Case, a drug-addicted, self-destructive, unemployed computer hacker. Having cheated a former employer who retaliated by damaging his nervous system, Case is no unable to use the tools needed to effectively hack – specifically the direct computer/brain interface. Case is “saved” from his destruction by Molly, who forcibly recruits him for an unknown mission, for a basically unknown employer, Armitage. Gripping and interesting, Neuromancer is one book you can’t put down. (Tracey – Main)