Summer 2003 Light Reading List
Guilty Pleasures and Literary Escapes for the Beach Bag

 See Books of Summer 2003

June 23, 2003 -- Some people might lug Tolstoy or Dickens along on their vacation, but many of us long for a good page-turner -- a rip-roaring space opera or a dark, convoluted mystery. Charlotte Abbott, book news editor for Publishers Weekly, joins NPR's Neal Conan for a discussion about light summer reading. Also, see listener recommendations for some light reading, and some guilty pleasures, for the lazy days of summer.

Charlotte Abbott's Book Suggestions:

» The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

» The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

» Hatchett by Gary Paulsen

» Cookbooks by Nigella Lawson include Forever Summer, Nigella Bites: From Family Meals to Elegant Dinners, How to Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food and How to Be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking


Neal Conan's Suggestions:

» Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan

» One Fat Summer by Robert Lipsyte

» Hammer's Slammers series by David Drake


Listener Suggestions:

» Fluke, Or I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore

» Lamb : The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

» Screwball by David Ferrell

» Any novel by Elmore Leonard, including Out of Sight, Freaky Deaky and Get Shorty

» Any novel by Clive Cussler

» Any novel by Robert A. Heinlein

» Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey

» Death on Demand mystery series by Carolyn Hart

» Maggody series by Joan Hess

» Star Wars: The New Jedi Order series by Sean Williams & Shane Dix

» Forever by Judy Blume

» The Vorkosigan Series by Lois McMaster Bujold

» Any novel by Kate Wilhelm

» Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich

» American Gods: A Novel by Neil Gaiman

» Soul Circus: A Novel by George P. Pelecanos

» While I Was Gone by Sue Miller

» Matadora series and The Man Who Never Missed by Steve Perry

» Hammer's Slammers series by David Drake

» Matadora by Steve Perry

» The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

» The Dune Chronicles by Frank Herbert

» Dune: House Trilogy by Brian Herbert

» American Gods: A Novel by Neil Gaiman

» Soul Circus: A Novel, Hell to Pay: A Novel and Right as Rain: A Novel by George P. Pelecanos

» While I Was Gone by Sue Miller

» The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

» Books by Red Dress Inc. (a division of Harlequin)




In Depth

 Commentary: Summer Reading
Weekend Edition Sunday - Aug. 26, 2001

 Romance Novel Cover Stories
Morning Edition - Feb. 14, 2002




Other Resources

Publishers Weekly -- The International News Source of Book Publishing and Book Selling

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