Writing Belle: Top-Rated Reads of Summer 2014: Suggestions for the Kindle-Lover

Welcome to summer! Technically, the first day of summer isn't until Saturday, but where I live, it's been sweltering in the 90s to the triple digits since April, so we've long broken in the season of sun-tans, flip-flops and snow-cones. Another great reason for summer? Reading. I love taking any afternoon or evening off (when I can!) and reading a good book. This summer, I plan on getting a lot of reading done between work. I created a list of some of the top-rated summertime reads on my Kindle for this summer. Some of them I have read, some of them I'm in the process of reading, and some of them I haven't read yet at all - but I'm planning on it! I like diversity on my bookshelf, whether it's digital or physical. Here are my picks for Summer 2014:

Taking on the Dead (Book One in the Famished Trilogy) by Annie Walls
It's zombie apocalypse time! A 20-something-year-old young woman named Kansas is thrown into the middle of the apocalypse, and she becomes a total baddy in the process. Throw in some romance and plenty of zombie-esque scariness/action and you've got yourself a book that is plenty of fun. I've only just started reading it this past weekend, and I'm enjoying it so far. It's only 2.99 on Kindle. Check it out.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Two cancer patients meet and fall in love. That is literally all I know about the book at this point, because I haven't read it yet. It's been on my to-read list for a very long time, and I've heard nothing but awesome things about it. So. I've got the Kleenex handy (I've heard it's a tearjerker), and I'll probably be reviewing it soon. And then I'll have to see the movie, of course! I picked it up for just 4.99 on Kindle last week.

Secret Love by Christine Warner
For you romantics out there. This is the first book in The Sweet Fifties Series, and it clocks in at just 69 pages, making it much more of a novella than a novel. It was sweet and cute and everything in between. It'll barely take an hour to read it. Get it on Kindle for just 99 cents.

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
High school kids get locked in a gymnasium surrounded by hoards of - you guessed it - zombies. Yeah, I like zombie books. I don't know why. I just do. I love the survival aspect. It's pretty fun. Grab for under 7 bucks on Kindle. I also plan on finally purchasing Fire and Ash, by Jonathan Maberry this summer, but I'll probably grab the hardcopy to complete my collection.

Bathing Beauties, Booze and Bullets by Ellen Mansoor Collier (Jazz Age #2)
I'm finally going to read this beauty (see what I did there?) this summer. I enjoyed the first installment in the trilogy, and I'm interested to know how Jazz's adventures in the world of the Prohibition and the Roaring Twenties pan out. It's only 3.99 on Kindle.

Loving Mr. Daniels by Brittainy C. Cherry
Girls meets boy. They fall in love. Only, hey - the girl is a student and the boy happens to be her teacher. I've read books with this romantic premise that have seriously creeped me out (let's face it, the story could be told very wrong), but this premise is about an older student falling in love with her teacher, and although I haven't read it yet - I'm willing to give it a go! We'll see how far I get. It's on Kindle for 3.99.

Have any reading suggestions for me? Let me know! If you're an author with a book that might be right up my alley, feel free to send me an email. I love to meet and discover new writers! Enjoy your summer, everyone! Happy reading!