Summertime brings lots of fun activities, one of which is reading! The warm weather and later daylight hours give us the opportunity to sit and read on the beach, by a lake, in your local park, at a resort, your own backyard, and many more places.

Below are some new releases that I personally am looking forward to reading this Summer. After the main list of new releases, I’ve included a “Read Before You Watch” of some older titles getting a TV/Film adaptation (such as Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman coming to Netflix!), as well as some classic literature, like Dracula, which celebrates its 125 anniversary this year. Each listing has accompanying links to the print, ebook, and audiobook editions; the publisher’s synopsis; and my quick thoughts.

Continue on to check out my Summer 2022 Book Recommendations….

Salvaged
Paperback | Kindle
Written by Madeleine Roux
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: October 15, 2019

We’ve all heard the old adage “don’t judge a book by its cover.” While this can certainly be true, for me, the cover is typically the first aspect of a novel that sparks my interest. Upon my initial glance at the gorgeous cover for Madeleine Roux Salvaged‘s, I knew that I needed to take the next step and read the synopsis on the back. Well, with a beautiful cover and an intriguing concept, the obvious next step was to read the book, and boy am I glad I did.

Fallen: An Alex Verus Novel
Alex Verus Book 10
Paperback | Kindle | Audiobook
By Benedict Jacka
Publisher: Ace (an imprint of Penguin Random House)
Release Date: September 24, 2019

I am a fairly new fan of Benedict Jacka‘s Alex Verus series. As a longtime reader of urban fantasy, I cannot fathom how I ever failed to pick these up until last year. But life is funny like that. I chewed through the first nine books in the series fairly quickly and was stoked beyond words when I saw that this one, Fallen, was coming out soon. I literally inhaled it when I received it. In fact, the guy who got me started on these books was so jealous that it took all I had not to tease him with some spoilers. But I persevered and he remains oblivious to the story. Sorry, Patrick. But it is better this way. Anyway, let me fill you in one some of the basics about the book without ruining the overall plot. Okay? Okay.

Doctor Who: City Of Death
Hardcover | Kindle
Written by Douglas Adams, James Goss
From a story by David Fisher
Ace Books
Release Date: October 6, 2015

Prior to this review for Doctor Who: City Of Death, I had never seen the Doctor Who episodes of the same name. I am a recent convert to all things Whovian, and I’m slowly getting through the massive quantities of literature and television programming. Nonetheless, I was quite happy to undertake the review for this book thanks in no small part to the fact that the original scripts were written by none other than Douglas Adams, though they were adapted from a story by David Fisher. The mere mention of Adams’s name makes me smile, so entertaining is his work. This publication is more than a novelization of Adams’ efforts, though. Author James Goss has taken the original scripts and created a far more comprehensive work than the program presented to audiences in 1979.

A Hard Day’s Knight
A Novel Of The Nightside
by Simon R. Green
Hardcover | paperback | Kindle
Ace Books
Paperback Release Date: December 27, 2012

Welcome to the Nightside, the darkest part of London, where it is always three o’clock in the morning. A Hard Day’s Knight is the eleventh book in the Nightside series from Simon R. Green and it is one of his best. Magical swords, threat of another interplanary war, and lots of folks trying to kill our hero, John Taylor. But let’s be honest, someone is ALWAYS trying to kill John.

We step into this story right after the last book and for poor old John, the hits just keep on coming! Someone sent him a package and inside is nothing less than Excalibur! No Lady of the Lake for this guy, just the regular old mail. As soon as he touches it, however, all of Nightside seems to know that he has it and of course they want to take it from him.