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Summer 2006 reading choices

Carmel Magazine recently asked for my my top picks for summer reading. Here are my choices:

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Penguin, $15.00) A lush gothic tale built around a boy's discovery of an obscure book whose author is a mystery. As the boy grows into adulthood, the mystery stays with him, propelling him through an engrossing adventure that's as much about our relationship with books as it is about Daniel's quest. Captivating and romantic, this is, as Stephen King says in his blurb, "one gorgeous read." Buy now!

Thirteenth Night by Alan Gordon (The Mystery Company, $14.00) A sequel to Shakespeare's play, and so much more. Gordon's conceit is that all of the fools in Shakespeare and of the period were actually part of a guild that worked like a Middle Ages CIA: they ran around meddling in affairs. When the Duke of Orsino is killed, Feste returns to Illyria, convinced that Malvolio is responsible. Witty and clever, this is the first in an inventive series that's great fun (whether you like Shakespeare or not). Buy now!

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (Scholastic, $7.99) Meggie's father Mo reads aloud so vividly that characters literally come to life. Inkheart is about one character who wants to get back into his book, and about an even more surprising (and terrifying) aspect of Mo's "talent." This book is published for younger readers, who will certainly be caught up in the adventure. At the same time, it's a book for grown-ups, who will also enjoy the story and go on to appreciate much more in this deeply felt work. Buy now!

This Pen For Hire by Laura Levine (Kensington, $5.99) Levine has concocted a lovely bit of fluff in this first in a series set in Los Angeles, starring freelance writer Jaine Austen.  Jaine is hired to write a love letter that leads a geeky guy to a date with a fitness instructor. He arrives to find her bludgeoned to death with a thigh master. Jaine's self-deprecating narration is delightful, and Levine's comic timing is superb. Lots of laughs here. Buy now!

Tonight I Said Goodbye by Michael Koryta (St. Martin's, $6.99) Koryta's fast-paced writing is crisp and full of wisecracks, and it's a pleasure to watch investigators Lincoln Perry and Joe Pritchard work together through a twisty plot that starts with a missing woman and child, and leads to a greedy developer and Russian mobsters. This is a first novel and first in a series by a young Hoosier writer who already has to be considered at the top of the private eye field. Buy now!