Summertime and the reading is easy......

​Not long now until the summer holidays (hooray!) when hopefully most of us will get the chance to start to make inroads into our to be read pile .....or mountain if you're anything like me. I've already read lots of great books this year though, if you're looking for suggestions here are my top six so far:

A Library of Lemons, Jo Cotterill - not to be too hasty but I think this will end up being my favourite read of the whole year, I haven't felt this strongly about a book since last year's One love affair! It's a gorgeous, sensitive story about grief and the difficulties young carers faced and it's packed with book love and literary references. This book deserves to win all of the prizes out there.
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A Boy Made of Blocks, Keith Stuart - Fascinating story drawn from the author's own experiences of connecting with his autistic son through the medium of video games, specifically Minecraft in the book. A few touching scenes will have you reaching for the tissues but it is ultimately a very hopeful  story and I really enjoyed it.

Bad Apple, Matt Whyman - Set in a world where 'trolls' are real, being almost human, under the earth dwellers, this book has a lot to say about overcoming preconceptions and accepting our differences, a theme that seems particularly pertinent at the moment. Very valid points about not judging books by their covers and violence not being the answer are conveyed with a light touch and it's a damn good read.

Ink and Bone, Rachel Caine - Librarians, books, adventure, love and pain - what's not to love?! A rewrite of history where the Great Library of Alexandria not only still exists but is a powerful force in society. There is a thriving black market in books and main protagonist Jess comes from a family of dealers but wants to become 'legit'. Thrills spills and adventure abound, I will definitely be reading on in this series.

Introducing Teddy, Jessica Walton - This delightful picture book introduces us to Errol and his teddy friend, Thomas. When Thomas is sad one day Errol is nonplussed to realise this is because Thomas feels he should be a girl teddy not a boy teddy. This doesn't bother Errol at all - "What matters is you're my friend" Just lovely with beautiful illustrations. 

Starve Volume 1, Brian Wood - Excellent graphic novel for older readers set in a dystopian future when global warming is out of hand and man has been the reason many animals & fish are extinct. Main protagonist is a chef, creator of a cooking show called Starve. He dropped off the radar years ago due to deserting his marriage when he came out as homosexual but now he's been brought back to compete in the show. The images are so powerful and striking and the story gripped me to such an extent that I can't wait for the next volume.

Happy reading summer all, please do leave your must reads in the comments section.