As summer starts and school is out, May makes a good month to sit back, relax, and read “junk food for the brain” books to decompress. Here are a few of the best books to read to unwind from the school year.
A Feel Good Read
“The House In The Cerulean Sea” by T.J. Klune
“The House In The Cerulean Sea” is the perfect heartwarming book to read going into summer. Set in an urban fantasy world where fantastical children are shunned and viewed as “other”, Klune tells the story of a high strung caseworker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, Linus Baker, who reviews children and their orphanages. Linus is sent to evaluate an orphanage, in a house on a cerulean sea, as the book is named. But once he arrives, the children and their headmaster aren’t what he expected.
Klune tells a beautiful story of finding love, family and a new life. The characters are all delightful, sympathetic and as typical with any of Klune’s characters, a far cry from normal or expected.
“The House On The Cerulean Sea” tells a story that manages to balance having real stakes with being a cozy read, as characters are forced to examine the world around them, and their prejudices.
A History Reimagined
“His Majesty’s Dragon” by Naomi Novik
If you’re a fantasy fan but looking for something with a little excitement, the first book in the Temeraire series by Noami Novik is the perfect summer read for you. Set in a fantasy version of the Napoleonic Wars where dragons are sentient, and are hatched into service for the aviators in the British Army, Noviks brilliant world building is on full display. While dragons are not a new trope in fantasy military worldbuilding, Novik puts a spin on this classic ideal by having the dragons operate like ships.
In Noviks world, the dragons are so behemoth that they have a captain, who bonds with them at hatching, and an entire crew who clip themselves onto the dragons to serve as its crew during flight. The crew is composed of rifle men, who engage in combat from the air, boarding parties and bombers to drop bombs hitched to the dragon’s harness.
This unique take on dragons as weapons of war makes the battles in the series thrilling and fast paced, balancing grand sweeping fights between dragons that read like aerial dog fights, and close quarters high stakes fights between captain, crew and enemy soldiers.
While the first book in the Temeraire series is not heavy on the action, the relationship between the endlessly inquisitive Temeraire and by-the-book former navy captain Lawerence make an entertaining and endearing combination. Lawrence, who is uptight and determined to always follow orders, finds himself questioning the world around him more than ever before as Temeraire, the dragon he unintentionally bonded with, forces him to see the world with fresh eyes.
Lawrence’s understanding of himself and the corps as he knows it is challenged as Temeraire, and his fellow aviators, defy his preconceived nations, of respect, loyalty and duty. With her classic sense of humor, Novik pushes Lawrence and Temeraire into well developed character arcs, and forms an amusing friendship and deep loyalty to each other that carries the story from start to finish.
A Quick Escape
“All Systems Red” by Martha Wells
If you’re looking for a light read, Martha Wells’s “All Systems Red” will keep you engaged from start to finish. “All Systems Red” is the first book in the Murderbot Diaries series. The worst thing about this series is undoubtedly its name, but if you can get over that then Well’s sarcastic wit and action packed plot will have you reading this novella in one sitting.
The MurderBot Diaries follows the main character, a security unit cyborg, as they are sent on a mission to protect a group of scientists surveying a planet. The MurderBot Diaries is set in the future where corporations dominate the galaxy, and the Company approves and provides security to planetary missions.
The main character, who calls themself Murderbot, hacks its governing module and now has free will. Being the ambitious bloodthirsty cyborg they are, they use their freedom to binge watch soap operas in their freetime.
When they disobey a direct command to save the life of one the scientists they are charged with protecting, their hack is discovered and MurderBot needs to convince the scientists that (despite their name), they are not on the verge of a murderous rampage. Soon, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems on the planet when a near-by mission stops responding, and suddenly MurderBot has bigger problems than the discovery of their hacked module.
MurderBot is a bitingly sarcastic narrator, and a curmudgeon with an “I don’t care” attitude that doesn’t do quite enough to disguise how far they go to protect their crew. The plot twists, bonds between characters and humor make this a great fun read for the summer. If you don’t feel like committing to a series, “All Systems Red” has a largely self-contained plot, making it a satisfying read whether you are looking for a one time read or a new series to dive into.
All three books are fun reads that have a nice balance between levity and heart, and while they may not have the intellectual rigor of the classics, they all feature deeply human characters and focus on forming relationships and attachments, even if, in some of the characters’ cases, a little reluctantly. While each book is an engaging read, they still have deeper themes about self, family, and the world around us.
