Take one of these to the beach: Readers share these sand-worthy summer reading picks

Summer's simply the best time for diving into a book (pun intended).

Ever wonder what books everybody else is reading, especially when you're looking for that next truly good novel to engross yourself in while on vacation ... soaking in the sun or leisurely reclining at home?

Last week I put the question to friends on Twitter and Facebook, those who work with me, and readers of this blog: "What will you be reading this summer?"

I received many interesting, detailed and intriguing responses ... with hardly any repeats. There are lots of diverse works to be culled from this list. (Thanks all for the responses!):

• Steve Troutman, who responded to my post on The Mercury's Facebook page, owner of Body-Improvements LLC, Pottstown, listed "Science & Practice of Strength Training" by Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky and William J. Kraemer; and "Mistakes Were Made But Not By Me" by Carol Tavris and Elliott Aronson.

• Mandy March, recent Ursinus College graduate, responded to a Twitter post I made listing the classic "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte as something I'd like to read. March, who promptly loaned my a copy of "Jane Eyre," said "Jane Slayre" the vampire slayer spoof of the Bronte classic, which the publisher describes as a "mashup" of Bronte and writer Sherri Browning Erwin, is on her summer reading list.
  

• Mandy's mom, Nancy March, editor of The Mercury, has on her summer reading list: "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," by Rebecca Skloot (which I reviewed here) ; "The Imperfectionists" by Tom Rachman (which I reviewed here) ; and Books 2 and 3 of the Stieg Larsson Millennium trilogy, "The Girl who Played with Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest," respectively.

• Amy Packard, a publicist for the Wiley imprint Jossey-Bass, and a dear friend of mine since we were playing kickball at Boalsburg-Panorama Elementary School together, is reading "Remarkable Creatures" by Tracy Chevalier. As a non-fiction pick, Amy recommended "Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit From It" (just released this month from Wiley).
  

• Nancy Daly, one of the leaders of the book club I enjoy at Wellington Square Bookshop, Exton, responded via email to supply me with a number of book recommendations ... and some intriguing descriptions of the books. They are: '"Lost in Shangri-La" by Mitchell Zuckoff non-fiction about a plane crash and the rescue mission in New Guinea at the end of WWII. "The Story of Beautiful Girl" by Rachel Simon, fiction, touching and uplifting. One of my favorites this year. "In the Garden of Beasts" by Erik Larson, non-fiction about the the first year of Hitler's rule in Germany, 1933, from the viewpoint of the American ambassador and his family "The Weird Sisters" by Eleanor Brown - fiction three adult sisters all go home to help their ill mother and their father, an expert on Shakespeare. Funny and touching, anyone with siblings will recognize the family dynamics. "Our Kind of Traitor "by John LeCarre, fiction. Once again LeCarre captures the politics of the world and where the power lies. "Room" by Emma Donoghue, fiction, Pulled from the headlines, the story of a girl and her son told by the 5 year old. "F in Exams: The Very Best Totally Wrong Test Answers" by Richard Benson, non-fiction. For every teacher and every student who tried to bluff a test answer. And: "State of Wonder" by Ann Patchett, fiction. Reviews point to it being even better than Bel Canto, sure to be one of the summer's must reads. Daly added that the Bookshop's June book club pick is "The Flight of Little Dove" by Chester County author Ruth Zavitsanos. The July pick is "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith.

• Pat Sommers, features editor of The Mercury, who always has a good book to recommend (and is always right about the book being good), recently read and enjoyed "The Hundred Secret Senses" by Amy Tan and plans to read "March" by Geraldine Brooks this summer.

• Bonnie Willey, one of my elementary school teachers and now a Facebook friend, said she just finished reading "A Reliable Wife" by Robert Goolrick. She wrote: "Yes, it is a great read for we women in today's world and a real page turner."

• John McNulty, a high school chum (and talented musician!) who recently moved to Pittsburgh, said his summer reading list includes Michael Chabon's "Mysteries of Pittsburgh" and "Paradise General" by Dave Hnida.

• Steven Simpson, pastor of St. Paul's UCC in Douglassville, and a fellow salsa lover and Facebook friend, is reading "Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy: A Righteous Gentile Vs. The Third Reich" by Eric Metaxas.

• Evan Brandt, Pottstown reporter for The Mercury, is usually reading a book along with his 12-year-old son, Dylan. This summer it will be "The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, No. 1" by Michael Scott. Evan also has plans to tackle "London: The Novel" by Edward Rutherfurd; "Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898" by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace (I would just like to insert here that this book is more than 1,400 pages ... and I know that Evan, being the history geek that he is, will devour the entire thing); and "World's Fair" by E.L. Doctorow.

• Janine Wettstone, a high school friend who endured many classes, student government meetings and (I think) choir performances with me and with whom I've reconnected with on Facebook, says the next book on her to-read list is "In Zanesville: A Novel" by Jo Ann Beard.

• Fellow Little Lion and OLV Sunday School alum Karen Pagani Dudis, recommends ‎"Middlesex," "the most well written book I've ever read; and 'The Book Thief,' great story, amazing characters - not as dense of a read." Dudis is currently reading "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer," by Siddartha Mukherjee.

• Rob Prebish, a State High wrestling standout who now coaches wrestling, said: "I will be reading, well editing some things that I have been working on all year, namely a work of fiction called "Nearfall"... can you guess the content? I'm also actively writing and editing my next book which talks about how getting into coaching wrestling actually saved my life and changed who I am/was." Rob also suggest I check out "Vision Quest" by Terry Davis for a good wrestling story.

• Carol Quaintance,who recently quite happily retired from The Mercury's Classified department and is no doubt enjoying some extra time with her grandkids, said she's reading "The Zookeepers Wife - A War Story" by Diane Ackerman, "the story of Warsaw Zoo during the Holocaust."

• Patti Daroci, a local EMT with a passion for catering, zumba and salsa, is reading "A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness-and a Trove of Letters-Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression," by Ted Gup. Patti is the person who recommended "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot to me, which was brilliant - I am always interested to see what she's reading.

• On Twitter, Rodney Walther of Sugarland, Texas, author of "Broken Laces," "a family drama similar to Jodi Picoult or Nicholas Sparks," not-so-modestly recommended his own book and included a link to his website.

• Christian Jurs, who had his locker near mine all through high school because of the proximity of our last names (and sheer luck!), said; "At the recommendation of my friend, Kelly, I just got 'The Handmaid's Tale' by Margaret Atwood ... gotta love the dystopian fiction." Love that thought-provoking book.
  

• My very well read sister, Jennifer Karas Myers, who has three little girls and must often escape the adventures on The Disney Channel or Nickelodeon with a book, is currently reading "Bossypants" by Tina Fey; "Daughter of Fortune" by Isabel Allende; "The Republic of Love" by Carol Shields; and "Cloud Atlas: A Novel" by David Mitchell. Jenn supplies me with much of my pleasure reading by mailing books she has read and enjoyed across the country to me, sometimes with chocolate. (Jenn, you will recognize quite a few of the books on my summer reading list from your care packages!)
  

• Tracie Rheel, the uber-patient Ad Services Manager at The Mercury, and an avid reader, listed "An Object of Beauty" by Steve Martin; "The Postmistress" by Sarah Blake; "Fly Away Home" by Jennifer Weiner; "City of Fallen Angels (Mortal Instruments, Book 4)" by Cassandra Clare (young adult series); "Before I Go to Sleep" by S.J. Watson, which she said "sounds like the movie “50 First Dates,” but scary instead of funny!"; "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" by Aimee Bender (which I reviewed here); "Dreams of the Dead" (Nina Reilly series) by Perry O'Shaughnessy; "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration," by Isabel Wilkerson; and "Tiger's Curse" (Book 1) by Colleen Houck. Voracious reader Tracie added that she recently saw the movie “The Lincoln Lawyer” and is duly inspired to read Michael Connelly's books.

• Katie McVay, marketing manager for a Pottstown company and novelist herself, said she recently finished Jonathan Tropper's "The Book of Joe," which she described as "a male coming-of-age story about a best-selling novelist returning home to the hometown he slaughtered in his debut book and having to deal with the fallout. It's Nick Hornby for the Gen-X crowd. I liked the book but the ending but too tidy and a bit Hollywood-movie-ish." At this writing, Katie was reading "Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography" which she said is "very thick and very dry reading but well worth it and will probably take me the rest of the summer to get through." Katie said her "to read" list includes: "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson; "Room" by Emma Donogue; "Mermaid" by Carolyn Turgeon (which I previewed here ... this book is also on my list!); and "The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane" by Katherine Howe (also on my list).

As for me, I don't really have a summer reading list. It's more like a pile ... or a shelf (or a number of shelves). I constantly have a backlog of books that others have passed along or I've picked up at used book shops along the way. (And now, after compiling all these great suggestions, I'd like to the picks of all of the above to my own ... ah, the list grows.)

I'm currently reading "The Girl Who Played With Fire," the second book of the Stieg Larsson trilogy, and hope to polish off the third as well. When I'm done with those, I think it would be a hoot to read Lars Arffssen's spoof, "The Girl With the Sturgeon Tattoo" - I mean, who wouldn't think so?

Other books on my "list" include: "In The Woods" by Tana French; "Half Broke Horses" by Jeannette Walls, "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte, "Zilch: The Power of Zero in Business" by Nancy Lublin; "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy; "Anthropology of an American Girl" by Hilary Thayer Hamann; "The Corrections" by Jonathan Franzen; "A Widow For One Year" by John Irving; "Mermaid" by Carolyn Turgeon; "The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane" by Katherine Howe; "Her Fearful Symmetry" by Audrey Niffenegger; "Room" by Emma Donoghue; and "Star Island" by Carl Hiassen.

And no, I don't expect to get through them all by Labor Day. I'm sure new books that those around me are excited about and may loan me (hint hint!) will pop into my life. Plenty of room on my bookshelf!

If those weren't enough suggestions for you, check out the New York Times' "Books to Bury Yourself In" (Thanks to Evan Brandt for forwarding me this article).

For help creating your very own summer reading list, check out this advice from Goodreads.

Lastly, a few quotes about reading I like:

Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. ~Mark Twain

Never judge a book by its movie. ~J.W. Eagan

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. ~Chinese Proverb

My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter. ~Thomas Helm