Used Books but not Abused Books

Re-stocking Thriftbooks.com Summer Reads

We're about to hit the Dog Days of Summer, so it's time for a refresh of our Summer Reads list.

Don't look for solid patterns and pathways in these choices, but thinking of school being out and parents getting to do more with their kids, we included Jodi Picoult, who has been promoting the fruits of her collaboration with her daughter, Samantha recently. Also in the Young Adult genre, this recent blog entry in The Guardian by Tanya Landman about her successful forays into the lore and history of the Wild West won her instant approval and inclusion.

Since we first put up Summer Reads, Laurell K Hamilton published (in the US) the latest in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. Drawing from her addiction to Sue Grafton, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, but answering her deep desire to create a female hero in the mold of her influences, she is still adding to this proverbial home-run in horror/noir fiction.

Summer is for movies too, so we had to include something from Alex Garland after the universally positive press the movie "Ex-Machina" is getting. Also, once that gate had opened we included Crichton as a nod to the biggest release so far this summer with "Jurassic World" (I literally nodded off ? no thank you Hollywood). 

But the list doesn't stop there.  The selection is so huge it's hard to narrow down to a list that you can get your arms round.  We have second-hand treasures from loads of other categories, including my personal fav' Stuart Dybek's stunning American collection "I sailed with Magellan."

We've got some hot days ahead of us in 2015. Our advice? Find a leafy tree and get lost for a few hours with one of these.

Read more by Hugo Munday