Summer Reading Roundup

Everything from the story of an ape to the death of a young mother, a botched attempt at being a flower girl to the bombings in Dresden in WWII, my summer reading included some of the BEST NOVELS I've read this year. Honestly. It was a summer of hot picks, and I will share them with you! (Links to author websites and book sites) (I had to include Junie B because that little girl makes me laugh out loud. Every. Single. Time. Humor, in my opinion, is the most difficult thing to write. Don't worry, I read more to my girls, but I just included my top summer Junie B reads.)

Then I will choose my summer pick -- the book that just hit a chord, touched my heart ... the one I can't get out of my head!
















And the winner is ... A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness. I haven't cried so hard reading a book in a long, long time. Plus the idea behind the novel and all that went into it just broke my heart. It's stunning. Absolutely. Of course, because it's Patrick Ness. (Can this guy write anything crappy? I think not.)

Now ... what to read? What were your best reads this past couple of months?