Summer’s beach reads more than just chick-lit

Summer ’07 is full of hot reads for the sweltering sand or your air-conditioned living room…. Summer ’07 is full of hot reads for the sweltering sand or your air-conditioned living room. Here’s a rundown of the page-turners you won’t want to miss.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” J.K. Rowling

No book may be more anticipated this summer by readers of all ages than the seventh and final installment in the Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” Author J.K. Rowling is keeping much of the plot a secret but did officially say that two characters will die in this book. While Rowling’s obviously not saying who those characters are, there’s enough in the way of plot spoilers and theories posted all over the Internet to give fans enough Harry Potter gossip until the book’s July 21 release date.

The approaching conclusion will be the end of the phenomenon that started nearly a decade ago when the first book was published. Since then, 325 million Harry Potter books have sold worldwide.

But will it really be the end for Harry Potter and his friends at Hogwarts? In response to the “Save Harry” campaign, Rowling said “never say never” about her writing more Harry Potter books.

“The Diana Chronicles” Tina Brown

Undeniably one of the most famous women who ever lived, Princess Diana was relentlessly hunted by the media until her death nearly 10 years ago. Though her death was surrounded by controversy and conspiracy theories, Diana will always be remembered for her beauty, style, compassion and charisma. In “The Diana Chronicles,” the latest of the Diana autobiographies, Tina Brown, former Editor-in-Chief of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, gives readers a fresh look into the life of the “People’s Princess” and the lives of all the royals.

In this revealing book, Diana is surrounded by a strong female cast – the Queen, Fergie and of course, Camilla Parker-Bowles, who Diana famously referred to as the third person in her marriage. A royal expert, Brown knew Diana personally and offers fresh and intriguing insight into Diana’s life.

“Sandcastles” Luanne Rice

Teaching art at Star of the Sea Academy on the beautiful Connecticut shore, Honor Sullivan is content with the life she has established for herself and her three daughters. But when one daughter, the rebellious Regis, suddenly announces that she’s getting married, Honor’s life takes a sharp turn.

When the news of the engagement reaches Honor’s ex-husband, John, he comes back to the family he abandoned a decade earlier. Now with his return, John discovers each of his family members struggling in her own way. But at the heart of it all is Honor, whose passion for her husband may have never disappeared.

Luanne Rice’s novel shows readers how strong the family bonds can be, even if it takes a miracle for this family to overcome the pain of the past.

“A Thousand Splendid Suns” Khaled Hosseini

Following the success of 2003’s “The Kite Runner,” Khaled Hosseini brings us another story of struggle, violence, friendship and love in this year’s “A Thousand Splendid Suns.” Chronicling 30 years of Afghanistan’s history, Hosseini’s story centers around two women and how the anti-Soviet jihad, civil war and Taliban tyranny around them affect their lives.

“The Maytrees” Annie Dillard

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Pittsburgh native Annie Dillard returns to the literature world with this summer’s “The Maytrees.” Though she’s written more than 10 books and contributed to and edited many more, “The Maytrees” is only Annie’s second fictional novel.

Now, Dillard tells readers a tale of the marriage between carpenter Toby Maytree and the bookish beauty, Lou Bigelow. The couple meet in Provincetown following World War II, fall in love and have a child, Pete. But 14 years later, when Toby hits a midlife crisis, he leaves his wife and the life he’s created on Cape Cod with the couple’s friend, Deary. Abandoned by her husband and his father, Lou and Pete must learn to either live with or struggle with his absence. Only 20 years later when Toby needs Lou’s help, does Lou’s true character, strength and beauty show.

“Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA” Tim Weiner

If books on princesses, wizards or romantic entanglements aren’t your idea of a good beach read, check out Tim Weiner’s “Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA.” Weiner, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, fills his book with research on the CIA, gleaned from more than 50,000 documents, many from actual CIA archives and interviews with hundreds of CIA veterans, including 10 directors. From its beginnings after World War II to its situation post 9/11, Weiner takes readers on an insightful and fascinating journey into a mysterious world. The Wall Street Journal calls “Legacy of Ashes” “truly extraordinary … the best book ever written on a case of espionage.”