Summer is unofficially here with Memorial Day behind us.  When you're relaxing by the pool or on the beach, here are some authors that are light fun reading for the "Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer.  These are a booklovers delight with memorable characters, fun dialogue and with a twist of two to hold your interest.

• Bill Crider - Most of his Sheriff Dan Rhodes series is in paperback now.  Rhodes must solve crimes while mediating disputes between his jailer and dispatcher.  Sure to bring a smile to your face.
• Julie Kenner- Her first two "Demon Hunting Soccer Mom" stories are a treat.  What happens when a Slayer like Buffy retires, gets married, starts a family and then the Demons start to attack.  Carpe Demon and/or California Demon attempts to answer these questions in a fast paced fun way.
• Joan Hess- Joan Hess has two fun series that are perfect for the pool or beach.  Follow the semi comic investigations of Sheriff Arly Hanks in the Maggody Arkansas series.  For a small town, Maggody has seen everything from Martians to Faith Healers.  It puts the FUN back in Dysfunction as she deals with some strange folks in all of her books.
• Her other series features bookseller, Claire Malloy.  Caron (Claire's teen daughter) and her best friend Inez provide most of the laughs in this series.
• Charlaine Harris-  Her "Southern Vampire Series" is a delight.  It revolves around the adventures of telepath barmaid, Sookie Stackhouse, and her supernatural friends of the night ranging from Shape Shifters and Vampires to my favorite character Bubba (a vampire who isn't overly bright but answers the question of the Elvis sightings).
• Shirley Damsgaard-  Abby and Ophelia are descended from a long line of Appalachian wise women.  Ophelia is psychic.  Abby uses sympathetic magic and charms to ward off evil as they solve the crimes that surrond them.
• Shirley Rousseau Murphy-  The Joe Grey mysteries are a hoot for the cat lover.  After observing a murder, Joe Grey (Clyde's cat) finds that he can talk.  Joined by his girl friend, Dulcie, they become the unofficial informants to the local police force.  They blend humor, adventure, and a love for our feline friends into a delightful reading experience.

I'll be back with more recommendations soon.  Until then, here's a little Nat King Cole to get you in the mood for the summer reads.

This blog won't be participating in the Blog crawl every week. I stumbled on this clip on the video shelf amd thought I'd post if for a change of pace.

Dragon Slippers is a stunning debut novel by a talented author, Jessica Day George.  It tells the tale of Creel, an orphaned girl who is forced to live with her aunt and uncle.  Her aunt comes up with a scheme that will hopefully improve their lot in life.  Creel is going to be given to Theoradus, the dragon that lives in the cave near the village.  When rescued by a knight, she will marry into wealth and share the riches with her poor kinfolk. 

The departs from the standard damsel in distress plot at this point.  She introduces to a new brand of dragon lore.  Did you know that not all dragons hoard gold.  Some dragons collect and hoard shoes, windows, and even dogs.  Creel is introduced to the world of dragons.  Theoradus sends hr on her way with a pair of slippers that are wickedly beautiful.

Creel's journey takes her to the king's city.  She finds a country that is on the edge of war.  Creel discovers that her slippers may save the kingdom or destroy it.

This debut novel is written for young adults.  It is filled with dragons, alchemy, humor, and dogs.  Loyalties will be tested.  Friendships are betrayed and broken.  There are heroes and villains and a good dose of common sense mixed in to produce a great read for all ages.

I would rate this a 8.5 or maybe even a 9 on my 10 point scale.  It is a must read for fantasy fans. For more info on the book, visit the website: http://www.dragonslippers.net/

Kathy Hoopmann has published a wonderful book about Asperger's Syndrome called All Cats Have Asperger's Syndrome.  She combines the characteristics of this type of autism with beautiful cat photos that illustrate and educate the reader.  The author uses humor to introduse us to the Asperger individual.  Even if you have no interest in learning about autism....the photos like the ones below make this a must read for cat lovers everywhere.  It receives two paws up and a hearty Meoooowwww recommendation from my cat.

  This is a humorous and heartwarming introduction to the world of an autistic child.

Invisible Prey is the 17th outing for Minnesota lawman Lucas Davenport.  The author, John Sandford, departs from his usual style of suspense/thriller to bring us a solid police procedural. Some might say that Sandford is losing his edge in this book; however, I think it's more of a changing of styles to keep his readers interested.

The book opens with the brutal murder of Constance Bucher and her maid.  Their bodies are found in  Bucher's home that is filled with antiques.  The house is trashed.  Suspicion is focused initially on a black teen who would do odd jobs for Bucher for spending money and the residents of a halfway house located near the property.  When these leads begin to fizzle, Davenport must look elsewhere to find the perpetrators.

Lucas must juggle this investigation with another politically sensitive one.  State Senator Burt Kline has been accused of having sex with a minor.  Lucas must determine if Kline should be arrested or if he's the target of a blackmail scheme.  Needless to say, the crude cop innuendoes and dialogue give plenty of leeway for dark humor.

All of a sudden the lines between the cases begin to blur.  Lucas must separate truth from fiction as the body count rises.  Will there be more victims before the perpetrators are caught?

The reader knows early on who is committing the crimes.  It is still an enjoyable experience watching as the threads begin to unravel to a somewhat surprising ending.  The characters are interesting.  The world of antiques is enlightening.  All of it is blended together in a very enjoyable read.  I would rate it a solid 8 on my ten point scale and give it two thumbs up.[[EMOTICON:THUMBSUP3]]