My local newspaper (although I should admit we no longer have a subscription for a number of reasons even though that has nothing to do with anything but I felt I should mention it) puts out each summer a best of list.  About two years ago, they canned the books section.  It wasn’t something new; a lot of papers were doing it for budget reasons and I guess they mistakenly believed people had stopped reading.  Anyway, rant for another time…  In the last few months, the paper has brought back a semi-book section which is published several times a year.  I read the book section online and found this year’s summer recommendations list and thought it would be fun to take a look and possibly add more books to my list.  Because, let’s face it, that’s what it’s really about it — it’s the books.

I found that once again I still don’t have much in common with my local paper’s picks.  There are a few on here which are on my TBR and I’m looking forward to reading, but I also feel as if the paper has to always pick something that feels DC-like as if we all sit around thinking, breathing, and eating policy.  I can assure you that’s not the case.  At least I do not and I only speak for myself.  There may be some individuals that do — I’m just not one of those individuals.  Anyway, the list isn’t too policy heavy this year but still not enough to fully impress me.

Here’s the list of new summer arrivals.

A zombie book (Zone One by Colson Whitehead) sounds somewhat interesting but I’ve had a bit too much of these characters this year which means there will be a wait to read this one. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman is one that will make it on my list though.  She’s an author I’ve been meaning to read.

The editorial picks are here.

The Magnetic North by Sara Wheeler does sound interesting and I feel I am lacking in my knowledge about the arctic and it would fulfill my non-fiction reading craving.  Unfortunately, that’s probably it for me.

It’s not as if I need to add more to the already crowded and overwhelming list of books but sometimes I want to feel as if I’m getting something out of the paper.  Guess that’s why I’m reading blogs for book recommendations instead.  Although, maybe I need to explore this thought in another post someday…

Before I leave off for the day, a few links for your enjoyment:

Top 10 fairy tales picked by the author of the Inkheart trilogy, Cornelia Fluke.  I will admit to not recognizing any of these stories.

Need a summer adventure but don’t want to leave the house? Travel by book! Turn Right at Machu Picchu is on my list.

The Telegraph has literary home tours.

Happy Sunday.