Codex Alera Series by Jim Butcher

This is good, old fashioned fantasy. The main characters are likable, honorable and mildly conflicted. There is lots of action with doses of humor throughout. I felt like a complete nerd because I wanted to be IN the novel.

The people of Alera have a unique bond with their furies: elementals of earth, air, water, fire, wood and metal. For example, a wind fury can help you fly and a fire fury can start a fire. Some people connect with more than one fury. In the Calderon Valley, Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. When the Marat threaten the valley, Tavi must rely on his courage and resourcefulness to fight them. Meanwhile, the First Lord struggles to save a realm on the brink of civil war.

I don’t want to spoil the plot by reviewing each book. If you're worried about this being YA, know that with each book the pace increases, and the characters are faced with more complex problems as they age. Also, some of the characters are older so you aren’t stuck the entire time with a young protagonist.

Book 1: The Furies of Calderon

Book 2: Academ’s Fury

Book 3: Cursor’s Fury

Book 4: Captain’s Fury

Book 5: Princeps’ Fury

Book 6: First Lord’s Fury

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Rachael falls in love with Nick. When Nick takes Rachael to Singapore to meet his family, she’s in for a big surprise. He forgot to tell his girlfriend one tiny detail; he is rich. Super. Super. Rich. And you’ll get to read about all the glitz and glam.

Book v. Movie: I liked the book but didn’t think the movie was great. The movie is a silly rom-com staring Rachael as the only protagonist. The book dives deeper into other characters too. It also explores the cultural differences between Singapore’s “old money” and mainland’s nouveau riche. The book has depth* that the movie lacked. Read the book!

*Don’t get me wrong, the book is still what I call a light, fun read. It is entertaining and gossipy and slightly (sometimes very) ridiculous.

Then She Was Gone: A Novel by Lisa Jewell

Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. Then one day she disappears. In the book you mostly follow Ellie’s mother, Laurel (the POV does change). Laurel is struggling to put her life back together. When she meets a man and his daughter reminds her of Ellie… things get crazy. This book had more twists and turns than Gone Girl. It really kept me guessing, even when you think you know what is going on, trust me you don’t know. This is a perfect summer read and hard to put down.