Tinasbookreviews Recommends~ The Best Summer Reads

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So your looking for some great summer reads. Light and airy...romance, fun, food, anything that makes reading whimsy and happy with a touch of mystery, drama or suspense.

Or are you looking for something intense with emotional drama and significance? Well, here are my favorite summer reads....past and new...ones Ive read recently and the ones I continue to go back to.

Tina's Favorite Summer Reads

The Serious, Dramatic & Emotional:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Adult-Fiction)
~A story about segregation, friendship and loyalty in the 60's. Told by two African American maids and one white woman who writes theirs and other maids story's about working for white women, the town, the injustice and the children they love.

Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson
~Rose finds the courage to leave her abusive husband and finds her mother who left her as a child. The journey takes unexpected twists, self-discovery and a chance at love......again.

The Bungalow by Sarah Jio (Adult-Fiction)
~WWII nurse Anne is stationed in Bora, Bora during which she falls in love and discovers a secret bungalow on the beach that is said to be cursed.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (Adult-Contemporary)
~A young girl inherits an old book full of dark and mysterious fairy tales from her grandmother and learns that a mystery surrounds all she knows about her family, the past and her future.

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
~A army solider falls in love over the summer with a pretty girl named Savannah, everything changes after 9/11 as the couple try and maintain a long distance relationship.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
~A missionary moves his family to the congo and each daughter shares a side of the story in this gripping, raw account of living with the villagers, the conditions and the unstable in their life.

Here On Earth by Alice Hoffman
~A woman returns home after many years away and reconnects with her highschool sweetheart, only to rediscover the unique, reckless bond they once had.

The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain
~A kidnapping gone wrong brings about devastating consequences, an unexpected love and a secret life that effects generations to come.

The Fun, The Light Hearted..And the Sexy

Arranged by Catherine McKenzie (Adult-Contemporary)
~A thirty something looking for love and failing miserably decides to use a dating service that promises a husband not a boyfriend presented in a secret location........where she will marry and live happily ever after...if only it were that easy.

How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donahue (Adult-Contemporary-Humor)
~Charming pastry maker Annie starts up her own shop with childhood friend Julia. The past, the present and all its secrets collide in an explosion of mystery and lemon cupcakes.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
~During her senior year in Paris, Anna meets St. Clair, the perfect guy who makes her heart melt, only problem he's already taken....or is he?

Always the Baker Never the Bride by Sandra Bricker
~A funny, warm story about a wedding cake maker who wants to fall in love but can never seem to find the right guy....she's also a diabetic who can never eat her own cakes....oh the irony.

On The Island by Tracey Gravis Graves
~A teacher Anna and her 17 year old student T.J crash on an island and quickly have to survive. As the years pass, Anna can't help but notice the man T.J has become, nor can T.J ignore the intense attraction he feels for Anna.

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich (Adult-Comedy-Mystery)
~And so the adventures of bounty hunter and food lover Stephanie Plum come to life, in this hysterical 80's feel good comedy romance......PS-The entire series of Stephanie Plum (up until book 15) is funny and entertaining reading for quick beach reads.

So, what do you guys think, good list? Did I miss any good ones? Hopefully you'll pick one of these up and love it as much as I did. I will update this list as needed.