Summer.

Our air conditioning is on the fritz, and while it’s okay in the house in the morning through mid-afternoon, by evening, we’re dying and retreat to the basement. We must get this fixed… because if it’s this hot at the end of May, who knows how hot it will be in a month!

Hope you’re staying (relatively) cool… On to this month’s books:

The Wee Free Men (HarperTempest): “There’s trouble on the Aching farm: monsters in the river, headless horsemen in the lane — and Tiffany Aching’s little brother has been stolen by the Queen of Fairies. Getting him back will require all of Tiffany’s strenght and determination (as well as a sturdy skillet) and the help of the rowdy clan of fightin’, stealin’, tiny blue-skinned pictisies known as the Wee Free Men!”

I’m sorry. I know this book is hard to describe and write a blurb about, but they didn’t even really try. It’s part of the reason why I took so long to actually read the book.

Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom (G.P. Putnam Sons): “To the world at large, the Wilde family is an amazing team of golden skinned adventurers, born to daring escapades and globetrotting excitement! Doctor Spartacus Wilde, world class scientist and inventor, physical exemplar, ultimate warrior, and loving dad! Brian and Wren Wilde, the worlds most swashbuckling kids, able to survive the most perilous situations through quick wits and the intensive training and astonishing gadgets that are their birthright! Aided by their dashing majordomo Phineas Bartlett and their loyal driver and pilot Declan mac Coul, the Wildes crisscross the Earth on a constant quest for new knowledge, incredible thrills, and good old fashioned adventure! The Frogs of Doom… “

Campy and fun and over the top. Just like the book.

The Year the Swallows Came Early (The Bowen Press): “Eleanor “Groovy” Robinson loves cooking and plans to go to culinary school just as soon as she’s old enough. But even Groovy’s thoughtfully—planned menus won’t fix the things that start to go wrong the year she turns eleven—suddenly, her father is in jail, her best friend’s long-absent mother reappears, and the swallows that make their annual migration to her hometown arrive surprisingly early. As Groovy begins to expect the unexpected, she learns about the importance of forgiveness, understands the complex stories of the people around her, and realizes that even an earthquake can’t get in the way of a family that needs to come together. Kathryn Fitzmaurice’s lovely debut novel is distinctively Californian in its flavor. Her rich characters and strong sense of place feel both familiar and fresh at first meeting—and worth revisiting, again and again.”

One of the better examples of a blurb that gives you the basic arc of the story without giving anything away. Perfect.

The Actor and the Housewife (Bloomsbury): “A very different kind of fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Shannon Hale. What if you were to meet the number-one person on your laminated list–you know, that list you joke about with your significant other about which five celebrities you’d be allowed to run off with if ever given the chance? And of course since it’ll never happen it doesn’t matter… Mormon housewife Becky Jack is seven months pregnant with her fourth child when she meets celebrity hearththrob Felix Callahan. Twelve hours, one elevator ride, and one alcohol-free dinner later, something has happened…though nothing has happened. It isn’t sexual. It isn’t even quite love. But a month later Felix shows up in Salt Lake City to visit and before they know what’s hit them, Felix and Becky are best friends. Really. Becky’s husband is pretty cool about it. Her children roll their eyes. Her neighbors gossip endlessly. But Felix and Becky have something special…something unusual, something completely impossible to sustain. Or is it? A magical story, The Actor and the Housewife explores what could happen when your not-so-secret celebrity crush walks right into real life and changes everything.”

And this one is just here because I really like the book. 🙂

Other books read this month:
Extras
The Screwtape Letters
The Amaranth Enchantment
The Lucky Ones
The Woman in White
Babymouse: The Musical
Life Sucks
The Good Neighbors
The Ordinary Princess
Ranger’s Apprentice: The Burning Bridge
The Last Olympian
The 19th Wife: A Novel
Devilish