Kids & Family

Opinion: Add These Hits to Your Summer Reading List

Tucker resident Julie Fair recommends a variety of books, available at Dekalb County Public Libraries.

The Dekalb County Public Library is offering their . Drawings for prizes will be offered as rewards to all participants. 

Do you have any good reads you'd like to recommend? Tell us in the comments at the end of this article.

Tucker Patch asked through its Facebook page if you had any recommendations to add to our summer reading lists. Tucker resident Julie Fair responded with three recommendations.

Find out what's happening in Stone Mountain-Lithoniawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness 

Description "Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks.

Find out what's happening in Stone Mountain-Lithoniawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell."

Why read it?  Have you by chance heard of Twilight? To me, Twilight is what started all of this supernatural writing about vampires, witches and werewolves. In fact, the author Deborah Harkness would agree with me. On her book tour, she said that the reason she wrote this book is because she was standing in the airport bookstore staring at all the Twilight and vampire books wondering what all of the fuss was about. When her exotic vacation got rained out she picked up a notebook and started her book A Discovery of Witches.

There is one major point that makes this book different from Twilight and all the other books: it’s actually written for adults! Being a fan of the supernatural and fantasy genre books, I cannot tell you how excited I was to have this style of book written for grown up moms like myself. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I guarantee that you will too. Harkness is a wonderful and detailed writer that polishes off each of her characters and even gives a couple history lessons, and you won’t mind a bit. 

Chasing Fire, by Nora Roberts 

Description  "Little else in life is as dangerous as fire jumping. Flying past towering pillars of smoke, parachuting down to the edge of an all-consuming blaze, shoveling and sawing for hours upon hours, days at a time, all to hold the line and push back against the raw power of Mother Nature.

But there's also little else as thrilling - at least to Rowan Tripp. The Missoula smoke jumpers are one of the most exclusive fire-fighting squads in the nation, and the job is in Rowan's blood: her father is a legend in the field. She's been fighting fires since her eighteenth birthday. At this point, returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home - even with reminders of the partner she lost last season still lingering in the air."

Why read it?  Sometimes you just want a good old fashioned mystery on your hands. If that’s the case, then this is your book. It gives you murder, mystery and romance all rolled up in a pretty and entertaining package. Nora Roberts knows how to make you fall in love with a character and this book is no exception.

I like how fast paced this book is and you don’t find out what happens until the very end. Being a smoke jumper, Rowan and her crew are constantly moving and fighting new and unexpected battles both on the job and in their personal lives. Once you start this book you won’t believe how fast the end comes because you won’t be able to put it down. The good news it, if you like it then there are about 200 other books she has written. 

True Colors, by Kristin Hannah 

Description  "The Grey sisters have always been close.  After their mother’s death, the girls banded together, becoming best friends. Their stern, disapproving father cares less about his children than about his reputation. To Henry Grey, appearances are everything, and years later, he still demands that his daughters reflect his standing in the community."  

Why read it?  Well, there are times when you just need to curl up with a good book and forget about the world. True Colors will tug at your heart strings and help you appreciate what family means to you. There are many aspects to any family, as we all may know. But one thing that I like about Kristin Hannah’s books is that she doesn’t just touch on a subject or plot and leave it be or wrap it up within a few months’ time. She will follow a story over decades or sometimes even lifetimes in her books, and you will feel connected with her characters as you grow and feel with them.

This book follows three sisters through an unbelievable experience and you will go back and forth loving and hating some of the characters. You won’t like them all, but that is just fine because you’re not meant to. This book proves that families aren’t perfect and the power of forgiveness. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here