It should come as no surprise that many writers are voracious and thoughtful readers.

Recently, Real Simple magazine asked 12 bestselling authors to share their Favorite Summer Books - from One-Day Reads, Book for Long Weekends; Books to Savor All Summer. They even stick their necks out and share their Good and Trashy picks. They are: Augusten Burroughs, Jackie Collins, Nelson DeMille, Janet Evanovich, Linda Fairstein, Elizabeth Gilbert, Philippa Gregor, Sophie Kinsella, Debbie Macomber, James Patterson, Jodi Picoult and Danielle Stee.

Not to be outdone, School Library Journal asked children's authors like Kevin Henkes and Graeme Base "What’s On Your Summer Reading List?".

The New York Time asked 12 writers to recall their most memorable experiences of summer reading in an article entitled What I Read That Summer. Among them, Louise Erdrich, Walter Isaacson, Pico Iyer, Alexander McCall Smith, Ayana Mathis, Christopher Buckley, Junot Díaz, Chelsea Cain, and Cheryl Strayed.

Veronica Roth currently has all three titles from her Divergent series on Amazon's list of bestselling teen books. The first book, Divergent, is at #4 for Kindle and #14 in paperback. Insurgent for Kindle is #7. The third book in this hot series, Allegiant, is #18. Another book on the list that caught my eye is Looking for Alaska by superstar author John Green, currently #25 in paperback and #32 for Kindle. This book is on my summer reading list because I loved Green's The Fault in Our Stars. If you'd like to browse Amazon's full list of teen bestsellers, it's right here.

Secret Service agent Ethan Burke wakes up on a roadside with initially no recollection of how he got there, but knowing that he is badly injured. As he walks into the idyllic town of Wayward Pines, Idaho, some memories start to surface. He eventually recalls that he and his partner (wherever he is) were on their way to this town to locate two missing federal agents, but their car was struck by a semi. But does he have any proof of who he really is? of course not...Anyway to contact family or work? not a chance (although he tries!)...More mystery and suspense, not to mention a bit of horror and just plain weirdness, meld together into a book that is difficult to put down. If you like the writing stylings of Cormac McCarthy and the eerie storytelling of a Stephen King, then you will love Blake Crouch's Pines ! If you are interested to know more about the author check out his website, http://www.blakecrouch.com

He comments in the afterword that this story was inspired by his favorite TV show, Twin Peaks. And yes the story does take place in a beautiful small-town with odd folks in it and as he says, "...a pitch-black underbelly.", but his story goes somewhere altogether different...

It's a restaurant. It’s a cookbook. It’s a graphic novel. It’s worth checking out.

Dirt Candy: Flavor-forward food from the upstart New York City vegetarian restaurant, by Amanda Cohen & Ryan Dunlavey, is a graphic novel that tells the story of how the actual NYC restaurant came to be. It is also a cookbook as it includes recipes that are served at the restaurant interspersed with the story. The recipes include chapters on pickles, soups, salads, appetizers, sauces, entrees, pasta, desserts. All vegetarian, many with vegan variations. The book is honest and quite humorous and would be a fun read for foodies, graphic novel enthusiasts, and those who are in the restaurant business.

Just some reading resources to get you started:

My favorite: NPR's Critics' Lists.

Publishers Weekly's Best Books Summer Reads.

Slate Magazine's Summer 2013 Staff Picks - brilliant and quirky.

This is the 5th year that the smart librarians over at Swarthmore college ask the faculty & staff to recommend a book read in the past year, or one they plan to read during the upcoming summer. You will find a wonderful mix of fiction and non-fiction, new and old classics, comedy and drama. Here is the 2013 list.

If you are one who'd rather work on your mind than your tan, here is The Washington Post's The innovator’s 2013 summer reading list: Eight books to make you smarter. Actually, you could work on both at the same time...

What's in my beach bag? I am taking the cue from the LA Times' Summer Reading Guide, with a total of 156 picks. Some are the hottest titles to hit the shelves this summer. Don't miss out.

You don't need me to remind you, Summer Game 2013 has started. Here is the info. to play.

Meet O.J., a dog like no other, in When Life Gives You O.J. by Erica S. Perl.

When Zelly Fried’s parents refuse to let her get a dog, her grandfather comes up with a crazy plan. Zelly will care for a “practice dog” to show her parents she is responsible enough to care for a dog of her own. The problem? This “practice dog” just happens to be an old orange juice container, and Zelly is terrified about what her classmates will think if they see her feeding it and taking it for walks! Will Zelly be able to stick it out long enough to earn a real live dog?

While the hilarious “practice dog” plot is sure to hook listeners, there is also much more to this heartfelt story. It takes on timely kid issues like being the new kid, feeling like an outsider, dealing with the death of a grandparent and worrying about losing a best friend. This book is also a 2012 Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Older Readers, awarded for its authentic portrayal of the Jewish experience.

If you enjoy realistic stories with just the right blend of humor and heart, you should definitely check out When Life Gives Your O.J. You'll find it on our NEW shelf.

It’s summer! The kids are out of school! Time to keep them entertained when they’ve had enough of sprinklers, pool slides, cotton candy, and ferris wheels. There are oodles of games and fun things to do, and AADL’s has some books with a few ideas.

The Downtown library has a shelf in the Youth Department known as the Parent Shelf. On this shelf you’ll find a variety of parent-child related books on a multitude of topics- including everything from language to tantrums to potty training to homework. These books are available for checkout, and can be found in the catalog when searching “parent shelf,” if you’d like to have one sent to a branch of your choice. For some books on games and play, check these out:

Carschooling: over 350 entertaining games & activities to turn travel time into learning time

500 five minute games: quick and easy activities for 3-6 year olds

101 movement games for children: fun and learning with playful moving

The complete book of activities, games, stories, props, recipes, and dances

For additional titles, see here and here for a longer list. And speaking of games, there's always AADL's Summer Game to keep you busy!

Two local authors will be launching their new books on July 9, 2013 at Nicola's Books.
Shutta Crum will be showing her new title, Dozens of Cousins. This book is illustrated by David Catrow. It will be released July 2, 2013. AADL will get many copies as soon as it's available.

Shanda Trent's picture book, Farmer's Market Day, illustrated by Jan Dippold is already available at the Library and the bookstore.
Both authors will be appearing at Nicola's Books on Tuesday, July 9th at 7:00 p.m. Come hear them talk about their books and enjoy some refreshments and prizes.

The Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads program is a community initiative to promote reading and civic dialogue through the shared experience of reading and discussing a common book.

The 2014 Reads theme is A Very Good Read and will highlight a work of fiction. Suggest a title for a ‘Very Good Read’ to the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads planning committees (by June 30) and your suggestion just might be this year's title!