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Summer is a great time to slow down and curl up with a good book, preferably on a beach or in a hammock on a sunny day. Here are some of the books that I have read this summer and books I am excited to read in the coming months!

I kicked off my summer reading with the latest Karin Slaughter mystery "This is Why We Lied"- number 12 in the Will Trent series. This series is gritty and follows the slow burn romance between Sara and Will as he grapples with the trauma of his childhood while becoming a successful detective who investigates the worst crimes of humanity. In "This is Why We Lied", Sara and Will are joyful as they finally head off on their honeymoon to a remote camp deep in the Georgia wilderness for a week with no phones or internet. And then an unsettling person from Will's past appears and a body is found floating in the water ... 

Next on my summer reading list is "Swordheart" by T. Kingfisher. With some sunny days recently I was able to clock some excellent hammock time with this book. "Swordheart" will hit home for fans of "The Princess Bride", and follows the adventures of Halla after she finds out that she has unexpectedly received an inheritance from her late uncle. Her jealous relatives then lock her in a room as they plot how to steal her newfound money. In a fit of despair, Halla pulls an ancient sword off the wall to end her life. To her surprise, when she unsheathes the sword a handsome warrior named Sarkis appears! He is duty bound to protect the person in possession of the sword, so they depart on a dangerous adventure to get her money and find a way to safety.

I am a longtime fan of James Beard Award-winning author Hank Shaw. Shaw spends his time foraging, hunting, fishing, and gardening, and then adapts the food he gathers to create recipes for dishes around the world. I have learned a lot about cooking wild game and fish from reading his cookbooks and recipes. His new book "Borderlands: Recipes and Stories from the Rio Grande to the Pacific" features recipes from the U.S./Mexican border. Shaw has been traveling to the Frontera for many years and this book is the culmination of his journey. I can't wait to read this when it comes out later this month!

For folks looking for their next beach read, you can join me in reading the . In "Great Big Beautiful Life", "two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve".

In recent weeks, an Al generated summer reading list that included made-up books by famous authors was published in major newspapers. Please note that this reading list was written by your local librarian and all of the books are real books published by real authors! Al has its uses, but there are many reasons to be careful with how you use it. Interested in learning more? Stay tuned for weekly Brown Bag lunch discussions on tech/info literacy this fall including sessions on Al!