Fiction, Thrillers Prime Picks For Summer Reading

NEW CANAAN, Conn. – Summer is here, and that means bookstores and libraries will be filled with readers looking for a few good page-turners to bring along on trips to the beach or camping.

At Elm Street Books in New Canaan, the summer’s hot tomes include “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed, the story of a woman who walks the Pacific Coast Trail, “Nightwoods” by Charles Frazier, which focuses on a woman raising her dead sister’s children, and “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn, a story of a marriage gone wrong.

Kathleen Millard, general manager of Elm Street Books, says fiction and thrillers should garner the most interest this summer, though parents will also stock up on books for their children’s summer reading lists.    

Books by John Grisham, Anna Quindlen, Debbie Macomber and James Patterson are checked out of the Wilton Library frequently during summer because they are "easy reads" or "chick-lit," said Lauren McLaughlin, the library’s assistant director.

“We put a cart out of all our paperback books so people can just come in quick and grab a couple of paperbacks before vacation,” said McLaughlin.

But the waiting lists for "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn, "Mission to Paris" by Alan Furst, "Canada" by Richard Ford and "The Red House" by Mark Haddon have all been filled for weeks, she said.

If you go by bestseller lists, the fiction book to read is “Fifty Shades of Grey.” The three books in the series have been in the top three spots on the New York Times Book Review for many weeks. 

When asked about “Fifty Shades,” best-selling author Ann Patchett told attendees of a recent book reading in Wilton that she didn’t care if they read porn but that it should be "good porn."

Even though “Fifty Shades” dominates several bestseller lists, others are standing their ground, including “A Game of Thrones” by George R. R. Martin, the book that inspired the popular HBO show, and recent release “Kiss the Dead” by Laurell K. Hamilton, an account of a vampire hunter searching for an abducted teenager.

That popularity broaches the question: "What will be the next 'big book?'” The question that usually follows that is, “When will I have time to read it?”

What are you reading this summer? Email Alissa Smith with your reading list.

 

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