The Book Corner - Suggested Summer Reading {Part 1}

Now that you are all outfitted with some awesome Page Corner Bookmarks you need something to read for the summer! I decided to compile a list of my favorite reads from last summer to get you started. Today I'll be sharing three books I actually bought on a shopping trip to the bookstore almost one year ago exactly. While they are all very different, I would suggest them to any bookworm I know.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

This story is told so beautifully you will have a hard time putting it down. So much of the story is like a puzzle, unfolding, so it is difficult for me to tell you much about it. Little Bee is a young woman from Nigeria. She left her home in a time of war and strife. She ends up in London, seeking help from two people she met long ago. Sarah and her son (who just so happens to dress every day in a batman suit) suddenly find that their life is intermixed with Little Bee. An emotional journey then takes them places they never could have gone alone.

I know this book has been made into a movie. I have not seen it, but I would like to. I try to always read a book before I see the movie, because I like to form my own versions of the characters from my imagination. I find that the actors faces always crowd out any creativity in my mind if I see the movie first. So please, read this book before you see the movie.

Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart

After reading Little Bee, you will need a break from the heavy emotional stuff. That's where Summer at Tiffany comes in to play. This is such a fun and carefree book - perfect for summertime reading. Marjorie Hart wrote this memoir about her summer in college, working a dream job in New York City at the famed jewelry store, Tiffany & Co.  It is 1945, and the days are filled with hard work at the jewelry store (sometimes seeing famous people!), and the nights are saved for jazzy dates with soldiers. It's so fun to read about a time when a single pair of heels and one nice dress were a girl's prized possessions. This book will leave you with those old fashioned, feel-good butterflies. I can't recommend it enough!

The Dead Lie Down by Sophie Hannah

If you're in the mood for a mind-bending psychological thriller, this is the book for you. Sophie Hannah keeps you guessing from page 1 to 470. The story starts with Ruth and her boyfriend Aidan seeking a closer relationship by confessing their darkest secrets. Aidan tells Ruth that he murdered a woman. Her name was Mary Trelease. Although Ruth is horrified that Aidan has killed someone, she is suddenly confused when she realizes she knows Mary Trelease, and she is very much alive. The rest of the story unfolds as Ruth struggles to understand why Aidan would confess to killing a woman who isn't dead and refused to believe otherwise. Can Ruth figure out why Aidan wants her to believe he is a killer before she loses him forever?

This book will have you on your toes constantly. Although slow in a few spots, it is absolutely worth reaching the end. If you have patience with this book, it will reward you. The human psyche is a fascinating thing, and with talented writing, like Hannah's, so many possibilities unfold.

I hope at least one of these books strikes you with interest. I'll be back soon with more books for you, so don't forget to come check them out!

- - Happy Reading! - -