Thrilling Trilogies and More

Whether you'll be relaxing in the sun at the beach, traveling to a vacation getaway, or just bumming around the house, chances are that you'll need a good book or two to help you pass the time. Here's a look at this summer's best upcoming books:

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris – May 4

True Blood may not be airing until June, but that doesn't mean you have to wait to get your latest fix of Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie is back for her 10th adventure in Dead in the Family, and it doesn't look like the troubles for this telepathic waitress from Louisiana will be ending any time soon.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson – May 25

Serial killers, international crime and a curious journalist determined to solve it all with his young hacker sidekick — what's not to like? Part mystery and part suspenseful thriller, Hornet's Nest is the final book of the Millennium Trilogy, and advance readers have already declared it to be the best of the series.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender – June 1

Young Rose Edelstein has an unusual gift. She can taste the emotions of others in the food she eats. But the discovery of this flavorful sixth sense is bittersweet as her first bite with heightened taste buds turns her mother's lovingly-made birthday cake into a mouthful of sadness and despair. Particular Sadness will have you rooting for Rose as she grows up and comes to terms with her special skill and the sometimes painful truth that it provides about her family.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins – Aug. 24

In Hunger Games, there were just murmurs of dissent. In Catching Fire, there were few hushed-up revolts. But in Mockingjay, there is no longer talk of a full-scale rebellion. The rebellion has officially begun.
The Capitol has finally gone too far. The threat of human sacrifice in the Hunger Games may have kept the 12 districts of Panem in line for 75 years, but when they chose Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark as tributes, their political mind-game was finally beat. Now Katniss and Peeta are the unlikely heroes of the rebellion, and it will be up to them to unite the poor districts against the wealthy, powerful and ruthless Capitol — and to win or die trying.