A novel idea: Summer Picks

By Theresa Yuan

Staff Writer

Whether you’re taking a long road trip or planning on lounging comatose on your couch with few thoughts of ever getting up again, here’s a list of books you can spend your summer with.

For a Psychological Thriller: Tana French’s “The Likeness” (Viking Adult, $9.03) takes readers behind the doors of a beautiful rococo-era house where a sinister murder has occurred. Cassie Maddox, one of the few female detectives in the Irish murder squad, goes undercover when a young girl is found killed in the woods, a young girl who bears a surprising resemblance to Cassie herself. She takes on the identity of Lexie Madison and begins investigating her death, starting with Lexie’s four eccentric roommates. A perfect blend between suspense and the finer details of plodding detective work, French’s second novel will deliver plenty of chills on a hot summer day.

For Pondering Unfathomable Questions: An impending trip to the beach is the central focus of Virgina Woolf’s classic novel, “To the Lighthouse” (Harcourt, $6.99). Over several years, the Ramsay family’s plans to visit a lighthouse are delayed constantly due to apathy, incumbent weather, and the occasional death of a family member. This novel, written in Woolf’s experimental stream of consciousness style, is perfect for pondering on a porch swing someplace.

For Romance with a Twist: “Bridget Jones’s Diary” (Picador, $7.99) by Helen Fielding is a classic love story based on Pride and Prejudice, told through the eyes of a tart thirtysomething intent on finding true love in modern-day London. Bridget Jones, the title protagonist, kicks off the New Year by writing her resolutions in a diary; the same diary evolves into a sometimes melodramatic, sometimes insightful, always hilarious exposé on Bridget’s various addictions, ongoing weight loss, and tangled love life. Bridget’s witty observations about “1471”, the British equivalent of Caller ID- “Adds to excitement of being single but also doubles misery potential on arrival home: no-number-stored on 1471 misery adds to no-message-on-answerphone misery or number stored turning out to be mother’s misery”- are by themselves comedy gold.