End of Summer Reads: Recommendations From The Little Professor

Books are a great way to keep yourself entertained while relaxing at the beach or poolside in the summer, so take a look at these books recommended below by in Eldersburg.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 

By Stieg Larsson

What would you do if you were signed on to hunt for a girl who has supposedly been dead for 40 years? Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist who is the editor of a struggling magazine named MIllenium, receives the challenge from elderly and wealthy business mogul Henrik Vanger, CEO of Vanger Corporation, a Swedish company.  Blomkvist gets more than he expected when he begins to make breakthroughs in the hunt for Harriet Vanger, when he survives assassination attempts, torture, and the unexpected aid of a strange, tattoed, and pierced girl named Lisbeth Salander. Together, they must work to solve the mystery that seems to be unsolvable…until now.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a mystery thriller novel recommended for young adult to adult readers. It is the first book in the Millenium series by late author Stieg Larsson, who passed away in 2004. 

The Kite Runner

By Khaled Hosseini

A historical novel stretching from the last days of the Afghanistan monarchy to modern-day Afghanistan, The Kite Runner describes the unlikely friendship of two boys from opposite ends of the social spectrum. Despite sharing the same household, Amir is the son of a wealthy man, and Hassan is the son of that wealthy man’s servant as well as a Hazara, a spurned ethnic minority in Afghanistan. Yet when the Soviets invade Afghanistan and Amir and his father escape for the United States, Amir cannot believe he left his friend behind.

The Kite Runner is recommended for readers 16 and up, and can often be found on high school summer reading lists, but by is no means not meant for adult readers.

Dead Reckoning

By Charlaine Harris

Some grudges never fade and the trouble never ends for poor Sookie Stackhouse. Deep-rooted nemesis Sandra Pelt wants revenge for her dead sister, Nevada vampires are threatening the Louisiana vampires Sookie is involved with, and Sookie is trying to figure out her relationship with her fairy great-uncle and cousin now that they are separated from the Fairy world. As if that’s not enough, former lover Bill Compton will not let his love for Sookie die.

Dead Reckoning is sure to keep fans happy as the eleventh book in the Sookie Stackhouse series (the basis for the popular HBO drama True Blood), and is recommended for readers 16 and up.

Water For Elephants

By Sara Gruen

A world unto it own, the circus takes in penniless and orphaned former veterinary school student Jacob Jankowsi, the son of Polish immigrants. Jacob is caught up in the whirlwind of the circus, but manages to find a valuable place in the hustle as a veterinarian for the circus. Just as Jacob is settling in however, he falls for the wife of the circus ringmaster, which is not only an utter taboo but a dangerous position for Jacob. The ringmaster, August, has a nasty mean and abusive streak, and will do anything to maintain power over the circus and his wife, Marlena. But when the circus employees rebel and let all the animals of the circus free, the future of everyone is unclear.

A story that sucks the reader in just as the circus sucked in Jacob, Water for Elephants is a historical romance novel recommended for ages 16 and up.

The Hunger Games

By Suzanne Collins

 A twisted version of the reality-TV show Survivor, this novel follows the story of young girl Katniss Everdeen, one of 24 teenagers selected from12 different districts in the land of Panem, or what used to be North America, forced to enter a televised bloody fight of survival. Katniss is used to fighting for survival, after having to struggle to feed her starving family. Katniss enters with another boy from her district, Peeta, whom she fears will only use her to his advantage in the Hunger Games.

The first book in the science fiction Hunger Games series, this novel is recommended for young adult readers.