During the unpredictable days of early summer, you never know if you’ll enjoy the warm rays of sunshine dancing across the pages of your book or if you’ll be using a flashlight to read while passing time in your basement tornado shelter. Here are a few book suggestions for the must-reads during this tumultuous time of year. These books can be enjoyed on a comfy lounge chair in the sunlight or bundled up under a blanket by the fireplace.

THE PG-RATED SEXY HISTORICAL READ

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

Proving that novels don’t always have to be crass to be sizzling hot and sexy, The Paying Guests shows us how it’s done. Readers are introduced to Frances Wray and her widowed mother in Post World War London. After losing all the men and servants in their formerly grand household, the impoverished ladies are obliged to take in lodgers, Leonard and Lilian Barber. Tumultuous and crumbling social change along with the newly formed cross-class friendships with the lodgers lead to explosive developments including a love betrayal, a gruesome murder and a satisfying conclusion.

CREATIVE AND BRAINY CHICK LIT

Big Little Lies  by Liane Moriarty

If you enjoyed the game of Clue as a child, you’ll quickly be absorbed in Liane Moriarty’s latest novel Big Little Lies. The setting of this comedic and lively whodunit is a typical suburban town in Australia where three young mothers are involved in a murder. Madeline is dealing with a condescending ex-husband whose new wife is the spiritual yoga instructor that all the other moms adore, Celeste is a wealthy and gorgeous mother of rambunctious and naughty twins whose husband is rarely home, and Jane is the new, much younger single mother in town. These three women participate in  comedy of schoolyard blunders and desperate choices that constantly have the reader changing opinions on who the murderer could be and why they did it. Rumor has it that Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon will be starring in the adaptation of this sinister, yet amusing novel.

THE SUPERNATURAL EPIC

The Bone Clocks: A Novel by David Mitchell

David Mitchell plunges us into several different stories connected by one character, British psychic teenager Holly Sykes. The story begins as Holly is running away from home after her parents learn she is having an affair with a loser in his twenties. As Holly angrily sneaks out of her home, her sweet and peculiar younger brother Jacko convinces her to take his spiral puzzle drawing to remind her of home. Journeying through the english countryside searching for a new life, Holly captures the attention of an evil supernatural force that challenges her grasp on reality. When her teenage misadventure is interrupted by news of a missing loved one, Holly returns home and readjusts to a brand new life that will forever be impacted by her rash decisions. If you’re looking for a lengthy, dystopian and completely original novel, The Bone Clocks is for you.

THE ORPHANED WIZARD FANTASY

Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicle Book 1) by Patrick Rothfuss

If you’re fond of stories about orphaned boys who have unpredictable magical powers and spend their formative days of youth away at wizard college, then Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss will entice your familiarity of the subject. However, the similarities with the “other boy wizard” end there with this coming-of-age tale that quickly sojourns into an exciting narrative of tragedy, evil, and remarkable courage. Kvothe is a legendary magician of mythic proportions who quietly spends his days tending to his tranquil country pub. When signs of major attack are presented, Kvothe narrates the tales of his life, which include being the child of a traveling troupe of performers that were brutally slain while he hid, that led him to this point in time. Kvothe’s lifelong purpose is to figure out who murdered his family and to master the highest magical education in order to exact revenge.

THE UP ALL NIGHT HORROR STORY

The Stranger by Harlan Coben

In The Stranger, Harlen Coben shows us that panic and terror can arrive in the form of a whisper. Adam Price is a successful man living the dream with a beautiful wife, two strong sons, and a lovely home in the New Jersey suburbs. One evening, while visiting his local American Legion Hall, a stranger approaches him and whispers information into Adam’s ear that shatters his view of reality. This unknown intruder knows secrets about Adam’s wife and alerts him to her infidelity. After Adam confronts his wife with this volatile information, he quickly learns that her duplicity is the least of his problems. With this frightening wisdom, he must make critical and desperate choices that could potentially end lives with one wrong move.

THE UNRELIABLE PSYCHOLOGICAL MYSTERY

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Often compared to Gone Girl because of its uncertain narration, The Girl on the Train is a top-notch mystery. Each day, despondent Rachel rides the commuter train to and from work in an addicted haze. Disheartened and depressed after the demise of her marriage, Rachel gazes out the window of the train and imagines the lives of people living in the homes near the train tracks. One couple in particular grasp Rachel’s attention and after naming them Jess and Jason, she imagines an idyllic and loving life. One day, Rachael witnesses events with her flawless, mythical couple that forces her to question either her sanity or the possibility of real jeopardy. After visiting the police with her scandalous and alarming information, Rachel becomes intertwined in a complex web of riddles and secrecy and ultimately makes herself vulnerable to unforeseen peril.