2 Book Lovers Reviews

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Summer Vacation Reads & Recommendations - 2026!

Well, it’s that time of year again, to sing the adult version of “School’s Out” and stop wearing pants for a week or two. Perhaps you’re going to bite that bullet and take that long awaited family vacation, or you may just want to stay the hell to home and sit by the pool and avoid all the stress. Well, whatever it is, you’re going to need some books. Here are some of my favorites that you might want to dig into or take a bite out of.

Just "click" on the book title to read my review.

Last summer I started a new series, Dungeon Crawler Carl  by Matt Dinniman. I had such a great time with Carl and Princess Donut that I went from one book to the next, until I had read all seven books in the series (I am reading book 8 in the series as I write this). I cannot think of a better endorsement, this is a great series to enjoy on those summer nights as you are looking for a getaway; you just might not want to get away to this dungeon.

I think that I may have just finished this year’s Carl; The Mayor of Noobtown  by Ryan Rimmel. It is another LitRPG, like Carl, but it is completely different from Carl. This 291-page book ended far too quickly and left me wanting more; with nine books already out there, this one could keep me busy for a while.

The summer is a great time for an ocean adventure. If that is the sort of thing you are into, have I got a recommendation for you: Stephen Fry’sOdyssey. It is based on Homer’s Odyssey but with a lot more laughs. My advice would be to go with the Audible (I did), it is narrated by Stephen Fry and his performance is spectacular.

Maybe you just want to kick back by the ocean and relax on a secluded property. In that case, The Caretaker  by Marcus Kliewer could be exactly what you are looking for. We all know that nothing goes wrong when Craigslist is involved. You just might want to steer clear of the residents.

Or maybe you are more of a homebody. You just want to stick to home, perhaps have a visitor. Well, I’ve got a couple of suggestions that may make you think twice about that: Glenn Dixon’s The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances or Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth. These two great reads could give you pause regarding the comfort of home.

Here are some books that I am looking forward to reading over the next few weeks:

- Cross My Heart, I Hope You Die  by Mallory Arnold. What could you wrong when three women lure their cheating boyfriend to an isolated cabin? You read that correctly, three women with one boyfriend plus one isolated cabin. We can all do that math, even on holidays.

- Dead Happy  by Nick Spalding. It is hard to go wrong with Nick Spalding. As a man of a certain age, what could be more fun or dangerous than a summer of lawnmower racing, rock climbing, or medieval combat.

- Village of Noobtown  by Ryan Rimmel. I really need to know what is next for Jim and Shart.