Need some book ideas? This is what my family’s reading this summer.

Tom, age 13

Tom is currently in Philip Reeve’s Fever Crumb series. He just finished the series’ title book, Fever Crumb and is now on A Web of Air and has Scrivener’s Moon on deck. At some point in the summer, I will force him to read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I also just got Jasper Fforde’s The Last Dragonslayer from the library. Tom is fan of Fforde’s Thursday Next books, so he might like this book, which was in the young adult section, though we don’t know much about it.

Craig, age 17

Like people all over the world, Craig is reading George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. He tore threw the first book, Game of Thrones, and got stuck in Clash of Kings because of finals and end of the semester projects and the book being due at the library and on hold for someone else. With a long drive last weekend, he was forced to read something else: John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, which he enjoyed. Now that school’s out and he’s got the book back from the library, Craig is almost done with Clash of Kings. I’ve no doubt he’ll finish the entire series before the summer is over.

Andy, adult

Andy just finished Born on a Blue Day, the memoir by Daniel Tammet, and he is now reading Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter. Gödel, Escher, Bach is enormous, so I’m thinking this is his summer read. Nonfiction isn’t normally Andy’s favorite genre, but he really enjoyed Born on a Blue Day and recently told me I’m going to have to read Gödel, Escher Bach, so he must be liking it too. Our couples book club is reading Life of Pi, but Andy read that a few years ago, and we just watched the movie, so I’m guessing he isn’t going to bother re-reading it.

Elizabeth (me), adult

My lady’s book club read The Fault in Our Stars for June (excellent book; I’m in the process of forcing everyone in my family to read it.) We’ll be reading Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline for July, and Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones for August. I haven’t decided yet whether or not to re-read Life of Pi. So far this summer, I’ve been reading everything my library has by Georgette Heyer, and I’ve just reached the end. <Sigh of discontent.> For the car ride to the HNS conference, I’m planning to bring several Anne Easter Smith books I inherited from my mother and which have been on my TBR pile for far too long. My mom loved Anne Easter Smith, and I look forward to meeting Anne and having her sign my books. My one must-buy at the conference is Firebird by Susanna Kearsley—I’m excited to meet her and get her signature. Of course, I’ll browse the conference bookstore and buy more books, and I’ll get the bag of free books for all conference attendees. Just think of all the new authors I’ll discover! I’ll have no lack of books for my drive home and for the rest of the summer.

It’s a great summer of reading for us! What are you and your family reading? Let me know below.

If you have (or are) a reluctant reader and need some ideas, please post below. Give me an age, an interest or two, and/or a book that was enjoyed by this persnickety reader. I’ll do my best to match he/she/you to a book they/you will love.