'GMA's' Picks for Great Summer Reading
"GMA" and Parade magazine share great summer reads for adults.
June 29, 2009— -- "Good Morning America" and Parade magazine unveiled their lists of must-read books for the summer. From thrillers to biographies to light reading, these stories are un-put-downable.
If you're in search of that perfect page-turner for your summer vacation, look no further!
CLICK HERE for more hot summer book picks from Parade magazine.
CLICK HERE for our special books page full of book excerpts, author interviews and more!
Mystery Thriller
"Gone Tomorrow," by Lee Child
Jack Reacher's latest adventure begins when he suspects a female suicide bomber is aboard a Manhattan subway car. Her death leads him on a path back to the war in Afghanistan against the Soviets in the 1980s.
"The Scarecrow," by Michael Connelly
After he's laid off in the latest budget cuts at The Los Angeles Times, reporter Jack McEvoy plans to write the murder story of his career in his last two weeks at the newspaper.
"The Neighbor," by Lisa Gardner
When Sandra Jones, a hardworking young wife and mother, disappears without a trace one day, Sgt. Det. D.D. Warren is called in on the case. As he's digging, he discovers that her family life isn't so perfect.
"Killer Summer," by Ridley Pearson
In Ridley Pearson's third crime novel starring Walt Fleming, the amiable sheriff in Sun Valley, Idaho, the lawman faces a master thief planning to steal three very expensive bottles of wine at the annual wine auction.
"Guardian of Lies," by Steve Martini
After Paul Madriani encounters Katia Solaz, a 26-year-old beauty from Costa Rica, it's a race to avoid disaster.
"The Defector," by Daniel Silva
Gabriel Allon's perfect world is thrown into confusion with shocking news from London: The defector and former Russian intelligence officer Grigori Bulganov, who saved Gabriel's life in Moscow, has vanished without a trace.
"Relentless," by Dean Koontz
After Shearman Waxx, the nation's premiere literary critic, tears apart the work of best-selling author Cullen Cubby Greenwich, Cubby and Waxx engage in all-out warfare.
"Above the Law," by Tim Green
Dallas lawyer Casey Jordan must deal with illegal immigrants and abuse of power in this legal thriller.
Fiction
"In The Kitchen," by Monica Ali
After a night porter's naked corpose is found in a pool of blood in the basement of London's Imperial Hotel, the aftereffects threaten to undo everything chef Gabriel Lightfoot has worked so hard to achieve in the kitchen.
"The White Queen," by Philippa Gregory
A gorgeous woman marries a boy king in secret and ascends to royalty in "The White Queen."
"South of Broad," by Pat Conroy
A group of teens -- privileged and poor, black and white -- forms a lasting bond in Charleston, S.C., in 1969 just as southern society is in the midst of dramatic change.
"Shanghai Girls," by Lisa See
Pearl and her younger sister, May, are living in affluence in Shanghai in the 1930s, until their father says that his gambling habit has ruined their finances. To pay his debts, he has sold both sisters to a well-to-do Chinese-American as wives for his sons.
"The Story Sisters," by Alice Hoffman
Elv created fairy tales for her sisters as a child, but after sexual abuse, she succumbs to drug addiction and painful self-abuse.
"The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane," by Katherine Howe
This beautifully written piece travels between contemporary times and one of the most fascinating and disturbing periods of American history -- the Salem witch trials.
Nonfiction
"Losing Mum & Pup," by Christopher Buckley
Christopher Buckley describes coping with the death of his father, William F. Buckley, the father of the modern conservative movement, and his mother, Patricia Taylor Buckley, one of New York's most glamorous socialites.
"Not Becoming My Mother: And Other Things She Taught Me Along the Way," by Ruth Reichl
Ruth Reichl, editor in chief of Gourmet magazine, begins to understand the depth of her mother's sacrifices for her family after discovering her hidden letters and diaries.
"Paul Newman: A Life," by Shawn Levy
Early on, Paul Newman realized that his good looks and baby-blue eyes would help him get in the door, but it was his work ethic that ultimately catapulted him into the ranks of America's finest actors.
"Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men On The Moon," by Craig Nelson
Just in time for the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing, Craig Nelson presents a well-researched account of the landmark event on July 20, 1969. Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, their families and the NASA ground crew share the spotlight in this story.
Light Reading
"Black Hills," by Nora Roberts
In the rugged Black Hills of South Dakota, two childhood sweethearts, wildlife biologist Lil Chance and ex-cop/PI Coop Sullivan, reconnect after many years apart. When Lil is targeted by a killer, Coop will stop at nothing to keep her safe.
"Twenties Girl," by Sophie Kinsella
Twentysomething Lara Lington is newly single and on the verge of losing her start-up business when she's visited by the ghost of her great aunt Sadie, making a bizarre request: that Lara find the missing necklace Sadie owned for more than 75 years.
"Best Friends Forever," by Jennifer Weiner
Addie Downs believes she and Valerie Adler will be best friends forever, but everything changes after a fateful betrayal. Fifteen years later, Valerie shows up on Addie's doorstep, frightened and in bloodstained clothes, pleading for Addie's help.
"The Castaways," by Elin Hilderbrand
Four successful Nantucket couples have dubbed themselves the Castaways. When Castaway members Greg and Tess MacAvoy sail to Martha's Vineyard for their anniversary and mysteriously drown, their deaths unravel plenty of secrets.
"Mercury in Retrograde," by Paula Froelich
The story revolves around three struggling Manhattan women: anxious socialite Lena Lippencrass, intrepid reporter Penelope Mercury and high-flying lawyer Dana Gluck, who all wind up in the same former tenement building in SoHo.
"Queen Takes King," by Gigi Lavange Grazer
After being married for 25 years, ex-ballerina Cynthia and her husband Jackson, a real estate mogul, are headed for divorce, and their work lives are in disarray, too. Jackson's condo project might not survive and Cynthia's ballet board is in turmoil.
Parade Picks
"Fragment," by Warren Fahy
Aboard a ship in the South Pacific, members of the cable reality show "SeaLife" answer a distress call from Henders Island. Soon after, several of the show's scientists are slaughtered by strange animals on the island. In response, the U.S. government blockades Henders Island to contain the biothreat.
"My Father's Tears and Other Stories," by John Updike
Updike sums up a life in his carefully rendered, moving posthumous collection of stories.
"Die for You," by Lisa Unger
When best-selling author Isabel Connelly finds out that her husband has been lying about his past, she is determined to get the truth, no matter what it costs her.
"The Angel's Game," by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (author) and Lucia Graves (translator)
In an abandoned Barcelona mansion, a young man, David Martín, writes sensationalist novels under a pseudonym, but his dark imaginings may not be as odd as they seem: in the house are photographs and letters that offer clues to the mysterious death of the previous owner.
"The Girls From Ames," by Jeffrey Zaslow
The Ames girls are 11 childhood friends who formed a tight bond growing up in Ames, Iowa. They moved to eight different states, but their friendship endured through college and careers, marriage and mothering, dating and divorce, a child's illness and the death of one of their group members.