Summer Reading

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

I loved this book.  Set in South Carolina in the early 60s it tells the story of Lily, aged fourteen.  Living with an unloving father and believing that she was responsible for the accidental death of her mother when she was just four, it tells her story as she meets up with some remarkable women who have a profound effect on her life.  The characters are beautifully drawn and the language is wonderfully descriptive of the long, hot summer days.  Racial tension is never far away, but the story is about so much more than that.  If you are looking for some lovely summer reading then this is the book for you.

Here's another book which I read recently -

The Burning Wire by Jeffery Deaver

This is a Lincoln Rhyme novel and in my opinion, not one of the best.  Set in New York, it is the story of a criminal who uses the electricity grid to cause death, chaos and panic by seemingly random electrocutions.  I found all the technical bits about electricity quite boring and skipped most of them in order to get on with the story.  Its a reasonable thriller, but if you are looking for a really good read, try Deaver's "The Vanished Man" - a much better novel, in my opinion.  This one will have you on the edge of your seat.

So, girls - if you have not read these, look out for them in your local charity shop shelves! 

What would be your summer reading recommendations?

Love, Liz