Erin's Bestsellers Blog

Although gas prices are generally keeping people closer to home this summer, I hope you get the chance to have at least one long weekend away. If your plans include flying, it would be a good idea to have a book with you to make your wait at the airport more pleasant. This list of suggested airport reading includes books that are fast paced enough to make time fly by and engaging enough to keep your attention from people watching or starring at whatever is playing on the airport news channel.

Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson is the final novel in the Dune Chronicles, a series of novels set in an immersive sci-fi universe created by Herbert’s father Frank and often compared to the Lord of the Rings in its scope and depth. All the events from the original series by the elder Herbert and the prequels by Herbert and Anderson come together here for an ending that is mostly satisfying, though not majestic.

• Read a complete review of Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

_{Cover Photo Courtesy Tor}

The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller is the story of two women -- one at the beginning of her marriage, one in her later years -- who live next door to each other. One of the big hits of 2008, The Senator's Wife would make great summer reading for anyone who likes well written family stories.

• Read a complete review of The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller
• The Senator's Wife Book Club Discussion Questions

_{Cover Photo Courtesy Knopf}

Oprah's Book Club has been reading A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle all year. If you're like me, you're ready for something new from "the biggest book club in the world." Well, Oprah doesn't have a new summer pick, but she included five books she thinks everyone should read in her recent newsletter:

• Lolita by by Vladimir Nabokov
• Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot
• The Wisdom of the Desert: Sayings from the Desert Fathers of the Fourth Century translated by Thomas Merton
• Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
• Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

What do you think of her list? I'm not sure any of these books would be on my "essential reading" list.

This is the first full week of summer, and I am loving the extra sunshine. The long days always make me feel as if I can get about 20 more things done before I go to bed. Of course, there is no better way to spend the extra hours of daylight than reading on the back patio.

Why not spend some of your "extra time" this summer reading the books you always meant to read, but never got around to? Check out these top picks from a high school summer reading list for some ideas. Happy reading!

_{Photo Courtesy Harper Perennial}

Hollywood Crows by Joseph Wambaugh focuses on the police officers of Hollywood Station in the LAPD, and particularly the role of the "crows," or Community Relations Officers. While Hollywood Crows is a good mystery novel, it will really appeal to those who want an insider’s view of the LAPD.

• Read a complete review of Hollywood Crows by Joseph Wambaugh
• Hollywood Crows Book Club Discussion Questions

_{Cover Photo Courtesy Little, Brown}

Wondering what to pack for your next vacation? When you are on vacation, often you want to relax, escape and unwind. There is nothing quite like a good book to accomplish these things. Here are five books that are quick, entertaining reads--great choices to throw in your bag for your next vacation.

The English American is Alison Larkin's first novel, and it's a work of fiction drawn from the author's own experience as a young English woman who meets her biological parents, two eccentric Americans. Part chick-lit story about finding love, part emotional exploration of the lasting effects of adoption, The English American is a charmingly-written novel.

• Read a complete review of The English American by Alison Larkin
• The English American Book Club Discussion Questions

_{Cover Photo Courtesy Simon & Schuster}

On Chesil Beach, which was one of our Top 10 Books of 2007, is now available in paperback. This slim novel would be a great choice to through in your beach bag or carry on luggage during your next vacation.

Need some mindless romance or a thriller that's available in mass market paperback for your beach bag? Check out these 6 popular beach reads.