Top Five: Summer Reads

Don't you just like those nice comprehensive lists? I know I do. I love spying on other people's top lists, see if I know any of the books they read and enjoyed. It's the reason I have stalked around on Goodreads for almost three years now, and the reason I'm going to do a series of posts highlighting my Top Five somethings!

Obviously, there are several "Top Number" memes out there, and this has been inspired by those.

The sun is finally showing its wonderful head here in the Netherlands, and I thought I'd kick off this series of posts with my Top Five Summer Reads!

#5 The House of Silk by Anthony Horrowitz

Don't you just love letting other people do the hard detecting work while you are relaxing in your chair with a nice cold beverage? Especially when those other people are Sherlock and his trusty sidekick Watson.

The House of Silk is one of those books I thouroughly enjoyed, but never reviewed. Well, here it is. This book is awesome, especially if you have a little Sherlock Holmes crush. Not that I have one of those.

#4 Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

This is one of my worst guilty pleasures.

I don't even really know why I adore these books as much as I do. J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood books are straight up paranormal romance books with kick ass tortured alpha males that swoop their eternal loves off their feet.

Maybe every girl needs some swooping once in a while.

#3 Angels by Marian Keyes

Angels was my first foray into chick-lit territory. You know, that scary world where there are no zombies, vampires or werewolves to keep you feeling safe and comfortable? That's the one.

And quite amazingly enough, I very much liked it. It's not something I would want to read all the time, but fast-paced, light but not fluff, full of hilarious friends Angels works very well to keep you company while getting a tan.

#2 The Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind

During summer is actually the only time in the whole year that I feel like I have the time to read a massive fantasy book, like the Sword of Truth series. There is nothing like being fully immersed into a world so different from ours, a world so fascinating and full of all these wonderful characters I would just love to know in real life.

This is definitely one of those series that has everything to keep you entertained during quite some summer weeks.

#1 Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

I'm starting to get the feeling that at one point or another, Harry Potter always shows up in Top lists. Doesn't matter if it's summer reads, winter reads, awesome reads, favourite reads, best character lists, favourite worlds... I almost feel compelled making a list of the lists Harry Potter dominates. But I'll save that for another time.

There is no denying that Harry Potter has grown dear to me. To hell with Twilight, Harry Potter is what got me hooked on reading. I grew up with these books, and I will continue reading them in sickness and in health, until I die.

Book Favourites: Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind

In a perfect world, reviewers would be able to review every single book they read. But as most of you know, you can't. Sometimes it's because you simply don't have the time. Sometimes it's because you just can't find the inspiration. And sometimes the book you're reading is so awesome that you can't describe it without turning into a blubbering fangirl. Every week I will be highlighting one of such books in Book Favourites.

You might not know it, but I'm also an epic fantasy fan-girl. I love to dive into these huge tomes with stories that span over thousands of pages. One of the first adult fantasy series I read and loved were the Sword of Truth books by Terry Goodkind. Even though all of his books are about six-hundred pages of length, I flew through them at an incredible speed. I own the entire series in hardcover and they look gorgeous on my shelf. I hope to reread them soon, maybe during the summer when I'll take a break from my blog (:

Why this series is awesome:

• The main character Richard. He is one of my favourite characters of all time. He's passionate and honest, and knows how to handle a sword
• His love and (further into the story) wife Kahlan. Kahlan has super awesome powers that not even the strongest man can resist. If that isn't girl-power, I don't know what is
• The fact that Richard and Kahlan stay true to each other, no matter what. Yes, they get separated a LOT. But there is never any real doubt that they love each other
• Awesome secondary characters - there is the ancient wizard grandfather, the blind but all-knowing bone lady, the formerly abused and torturer turned protector friend, the Mud people
• The story has this epic feel to it. There are massive battles and everything, but it never ventures into military blubbering that no average person understands
• It keeps you on the edge of your chair. Seriously, about everything that can go wrong actually goes wrong
• There is so much of it! It's almost like never-ending!
• It has been adapted for television (under the name Legend of the Seeker). Why yes, I'm using the actor that plays Richard and his abs to bribe you into reading this series
  

I recommend this series if you like:

• Epic fantasy
• Great couples & true love
• An incredibly detailed world
• Battles both small and big
• No really, the action scenes are to die for
• Old school wizarding
• Girl power