Great Books for Summer 2010

When it comes to relaxation, nothing really beats reading a book in a swinging hammock or on a rocking chair overlooking the beach. If you are looking forward to reading many books this summer during your leisure time, knowing what to expect in the book stores these coming months will help you head towards the right aisles. Following is a list of the top five most anticipated books for lazy reads under the summer sun.

• Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes

This book written by Elizabeth Bard (2010) will surely be a nice bag filler along with your sun screen, sun glasses and iPod. This memoir narrates how the author met her French husband in Paris where she successively moved. The reading flows easily between narrations about the entire love story mingled with delectable French recipes. The story is over all enchanting for the mind and tantalizing for the taste buds. A great addition for any leisurely summer vacation.

• By the Time You Read This

Author Lola Jane, will surely pull at your heart strings as you read this story that will bring some tears in your eyes. If your philosophy of life is to live in the moment, this book will surely give you food for thought. The story is about Lois, a five year old child who loses her dad. His dad leaves behind a book just crafted with her in mind called ''The Manual'' which must be read on each of her birthdays. When Lois receives the book seven years after his passing, she cannot come to terms with his loss, however she finds the fatherly advice helpful in walking her through some important life stages of her life.

• Remarkable Creatures

Author Tracy Chevalier who wrote the famous book ''The Girl with the Pearl Earring'', brings to life another fictional book that blends historical figures with an imaginative, almost magical story line. It all begins when Mary Anning, in the early nineteenth century discovers some ancient dinosaur fossils that contest the matter of the origins of human kind. Intrigued, she seeks out help, but in an era dominated by male roles where women are still considered subordinates, no collaboration takes place. Left to her own devices she finds an ally in Elizabeth Philpot. Together they unearth some of the most interesting discoveries pertaining the origins of human kind.

• Island Beneath the Sea

Isabel Allende, author of many bestselling novels, such as Ines of My Soul , Zorro, Portrait in Sepia, and Daughter of Fortune, has recently released her latest novel, Island Beneath the Sea. The story takes place in the sugar plantations of Saint-Domingue, whereZarité, a mulatta woman decides to take control of her own destiny. She marriesToulouse Valmorain as the story depicts how Zarite'works hard to find love amid the many losses and attempts to forge her own identity in a life of adverse twists of fate.

• Spirit Bound

For all those who love vampire series, Spirit Bound is another must have for an engaging read at the beach. Written by Richelle Mead, this book is the fifth book to be published among the best selling young adult Vampire Academy Series. After having been in Siberia, Rose Hathaway returns to St. Vladimir where she is re-united with her best friend. However, her heart still aches for Dimitri which has already tasted her blood and is hunting for her relentlessly....

For all those who love to keep up with the latest technologies, a Kindle may make a great summer vacation gift. A Kindle is a hand held electronic reading device that allows people to use as a book. Books and magazine subscriptions can be downloaded within minutes from Amazon.com. The newest Ipad also is a great addition for those who want to read books with electronic devices, while this is back lit, however it is much bulkier than the kindle.