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Literary Friday: Interesting Summer Reading Books

Friday, August 5, 2016

Happy Literary Friday!  With only a few weeks of summer left, I want to share with you three interesting summer reading books.




Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a play, so it isn't written in novel form: it's a script.  I don't want to post many spoilers, but I will say that I found it odd that there are so many short scenes: I think that it would be difficult to stage.  The plot is interesting and is centered around Albus Severus Potter and his best friend Scorpius Malfoy as they attempt to go back in time and save Cedric Diggory. Several plot points seem to not fit with the original series, and Harry seems completely out of character in this play. I suppose that's my biggest disappointment.  It's a quick read, but I'd check it out at the library first before purchasing it.





The Society by Jodie Andrefski is one of Shelley's favorite summer reading books.  I read it and appreciate how it depicts a very important topic plaguing many teens today:  bullying.

According to Goodreads:

Welcome to Trinity Academy’s best-kept secret.

The Society.

You’ve been handpicked by the elite of the elite to become a member. But first you’ll have to prove your worth by making it through Hell Week.

Do you have what it takes?

It’s time to find out.

Samantha Evans knows she’d never get an invite to rush the Society—not after her dad went to jail for insider trading. But after years of relentless bullying at the hands of the Society’s queen bee, Jessica, she’s ready to take down Jessica and the Society one peg at a time from the inside out.

All it’ll take is a bit of computer hacking, a few fake invitations, some eager rushees…and Sam will get her revenge.

Let the games begin.


I highly recommend The Society to teens of all ages.  It covers important topics like bullying and harassment;  difficult dating situations;  terrible behavior which disappoints friends;  and family betrayals.  Samantha is a victim of bullying from almost all of her classmates at her exclusive prep school, but she decides she's been a victim long enough and plots to get even with them. She takes things too far, and tragedy ensues. She must face the consequences for her actions, and she takes responsibility for her mistakes with grace.  I like Sam's character for her flaws as much as her strengths. Redemption is another important theme, and the ending of this book does not disappoint as Sam matures from an anxious, vindictive high school student into a settled and composed college student.




I adore Susanna Kearsley's books.  Recently I read Named of the Dragon, and it didn't disappoint.  

According to Goodreads:

The invitation to spend Christmas in Angle, on the Pembrokeshire coast, is one that Lyn Ravenshaw is only too happy to accept. To escape London and the pressures of her literary agency is temptation enough, but the prospect of meeting Booker Prize nominee James Swift - conveniently in search of an agent - is the deciding factor.  On holiday she encounters the disturbing Elen Vaughan, recently widowed and with an eight-month-old son whose paternity is a subject for local gossip. Elen's baby arouses painful memories of Lyn's own dead child/ and strange, haunting dreams, in which a young woman in blue repeatedly tries to hand over her child to Lyn for safekeeping.

Who is the father of Elen's baby? What is the eerie, monstrous creature of Elen's dreams that tries to ensnare her son, and what makes her so sure that Lyn has been sent to protect him?  As she begins to untangle the truth behind the stories, the secret she discovers leads Lyn to an encounter with the past that will change her life forever.


One of my favorite things about this book is the Welsh setting.  Another one is the inclusion of Welsh myth throughout the narrative.  When Elen and Lyn begin to share the same dreams, the plot gets very interesting.  Lyn's dreams are so real that it's difficult to tell reality from figments of her imagination. Ghosts make appearances throughout the story, and not just in Lyn's subconscious.  The characters are fantastically drawn (especially Lyn's best friend Bridget), plus there is romance, suspense, and a very nice, feel-good ending.  Buy it for your end of the summer beach trip!



Named of the Dragon fulfills the above challenge.



What have you been reading this summer?  Please share in the comments section below!


Until next time...

Happy reading!
Ricki Jill



3 comments

  1. I did reserve the latest Harry Potter from the library, but I'm 23 on the list. I have been doing lots of summer reading, just haven't been posting, taking a bit if a break over the summer, just the odd craft or garden update post. It's hot and humid and we are lacking rain. Enjoy August.

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  2. Enjoyed your reviews RJ although I'm not familiar with these except Harry Potter. I'm reading an old favorite, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt.
    Where has the sumer gone, Connor begins third grade tomorrow!
    Have a great week……..

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  3. I love S. Kearsley too! I've tried to read all of her books but need to check and see if there are any I've missed. You definitely get pulled into another world and they are books that are hard to put down! Happy reading my friend! Hugs, Diane

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I'm Ricki Jill. Welcome! I'm honored that you're reading my blog. I enjoy sharing my creative lifestyle @ The Bookish Dilettante. For more information about my blog, please read the Start Here page. Thank-you for stopping by, and I hope you'll consider following me via email.

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