You have your tickets. You have your swimsuit. You’ve pored over every vacation guide available and you’re about to get outta Dodge for a few days.

You don’t get much of it, so you plan your vacations carefully. So why not carefully plan on the books you want to take with you to the beach, the cabin, Grandma’s house, or wherever you’re going to spend your summer getaway?

Make room in your suitcase for these:



May

Okay, yes, May’s almost over but Memorial Day is the Official Kick-Off to Summer, so why not tuck “Killer Instinct” by Joseph Finder in your beach bag? Serious readers might enjoy “House of War: The Pentagon and the Disastrous Rise of American Power” by James Carroll. Or how about “At Risk” by Patricia Cornwell or “Queen of Babble” by Meg Cabot or “On, Off” by Colleen McCullough? And when Memorial Day is over, you still have “The Husband” by Dean Koontz, “Killer Dreams” by Iris Johansen, “The Cold Moon” by Jeffery Deaver, “Telegraph Days” by Larry McMurtry, “Thriller: Stories To Keep You Up All Night” edited by James Patterson, and “Dark Side of the Moon” by Sherrilyn Kenyon to kick your summer off!



June

What’s better than spending a lazy summer Saturday with a book in your lap? Not much, especially when you have “Captive of My Desires” by Johanna Lindsey to look forward to spending it with. Not into romance? Then try “The Book of the Dead” by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, “The Saboteurs: A Men at War Novel” by W.E.B. Griffin, or “Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven” by Fannie Flagg. In mid-June, you’ll find “Terrorist” by John Updike, “Blue Screen” by Robert B. Parker, and “Baby Proof” by Emily Griffin. Then, to round out your first month of summertime reading, look for “Twelve Sharp” by Janet Evanovich, “Coming Out” by Danielle Steel, “The Traitor” by Stephen Coonts, and “Danse Macabre” by Laurell K. Hamilton. You’re wishing you had more vacation time, aren’t you?



July

Fireworks aren’t the only thing sparkling this month. There are a whole lot of authors who have bang-up books for you to read in July. Look for “Break No Bones” by Kathy Reichs and “What They Want” by Omar Tyree right away the first week. You’ll find “Judge & Jury” by James Patterson and Andrew Gross, “Pegasus Descending” by James Lee Burke, “Phantom” by Terry Goodkind, “Sleeping with Fear” by Kay Hooper, “Dead Wrong: A Novel of Suspense” by J.A. Jance, and “Insight: Case Files from the Psychic World” by Sylvia Browne with Lindsay Harrison to make your July reading explode. Funniest title of the summer: “Winkie” by Clifford Chase.



August

So the summer is starting to wind down a little bit and maybe you’ve used your vacation time up. You still have your weekends to enjoy August releases like “The Red Hat Society Cookbook” by Sue Ellen Cooper (Exalted Queen Mother of the Red Hat Society), “Outcry” by Sandra Brown, “Wins, Losses, and Lessons: An Autobiography” by Lou Holtz, and “Overcoming Life’s Disappointments” by Harold S. Kushner. August also offers “The Garden of Eden and Other Criminal Delights” by Faye Kellerman, “Summerall: My Life On and Off the Air” by Pat Summerall, and “Rise and Shine” by Anna Quindlen.

Keep in mind that the publishers can change their minds, so check with your local bookstore or library before you set your vacationing heart on any of these titles.

So shake last year’s sand out of your bag. Brush off the flip-flops and air out the beach towel. It’s gonna be a great reading summer!