What books will Monitor readers be enjoying this summer?
We asked our readers what they are reading this month and – on a scale of 1 to 10 – here are the books they're enjoying the most.
Lots of readers will be picking up the books in George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" cycle this summer, thanks to the current HBO drama based on "A Game of Thrones," the first book in the series.
More often it's us telling you what we've been reading. But last week we asked the Monitor's Facebook fans to tell us – on a scale of 1 to 10 – what they are reading and how they are liking it. They gave us plenty of answers. Here are some of the titles that drew the most enthusiasm and the highest marks:
Irene Hofsetter gave Storm of Swords, the third book in George R. R. Martin's epic "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, an 8.
Jody Zuk loves Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (although she says that she regrets seeing the recent film version of the book, starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, before she read the book itself).
Barry Wightman praises The Pale King by David Foster Wallace and calls it some of the best writing he's seen all year.
Jay Gatsby gave Decision Points by George Bush a 10 and says that, "Whether you liked President Bush or not" you should "read about the motivations and facts behind his decisions."
Jocelyn Cordova says that at halfway through The Island under the Sea by Isabel Allende she would give the novel an 8.
Joan Gaylord calls Monument Eternal: the Music of Alice Coltrane by Franya J. Berkman a fresh perspective on "a major musician who stood for too long in the shadow of her husband" and gives it an 8.
Abraham McLaughlin recommends What Is There to Say to What We Have Said: The Correspondence of Eudora Welty and William Maxwell by Suzanne Marrs, writing that "their gentle affection for, and encouragement of, each other is what friendship is all about." He rates the book as an 8.
Andi Diehn gives the annotated version of Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen a 10.
Jolene Miller says she is enjoying Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, the gripping story of one town's quest to build an early Gothic cathedral. She says she read the book after many recommendations from friends.
Kathyrn Sykes Krentz gives Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls a 9.
Cynthia Ainsworth rates People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks as a 10.
Chic Barna calls In the Garden of the Beasts by Erik Larsonan "excellent narrative history of the first year of Hitler's Nazi Germany written from the prospective of the American Ambassador and his family's point of view" and rates it as an 8.
Jennifer Atwood calls Doc by Mary Doria Russell "fascinating historical fiction." She calls Russell "a really excellent writer, a joy to read" and she ranks her novel a 9.
Geoff Wisner rates The Master by Colm Toibin as an 8.
Rachel Unell calls No Dice by Mar Preston (8) a "very well researched and interesting mystery!"
Kim Thomas Miller rates Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand a 10.
Dennis Hargens heartily recommends Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, rating it as a 10 and callling it Foster's "tour de force." He also recommends that readers "read this as an ebook if you have an ereader" because it reaches over 1,100 pages.
Carol King Cummings recommends Tears of the Giraffe, part of the wonderful "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" by Alexander McCall Smith.
Chip O'Connor and Omar Dehrab both recommend The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. Both rate it as a 10 and O'Connor calls Campbell "an enthralling storyteller, who possessed an amazing insight into the collective subconscious, and human experience."
Jorg Lueke enjoyed Bad Samaritans: the Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism by Ha-Joon Chang and gave a rank of 8.
Keith Vaglienti recommends Pirates of Venus by Edgar R. Burroughs.
Jennifer Susan rates Fundamentalism and American Culture by George Marsden as a 9.