Here in the great lakes where I live, there’s nothing better than a summer weekend at the cabin with a bag full of good reading. Good books are what you want when it’s time to relax and get into a vacation frame of mind. I love taking a few hours at the library before hitting the road and filling my bag with literary food for my heart, mind and soul.

Whether you’re a library lover like me or a book store lounger or a “get ‘em quick” on the Internet shopper, we want to help you get to your lounge chair faster by making some seriously relaxing recommendations.

Our bag is already full, so here are some of this year’s best to uplift your spirit. Whatever your watery destination, beach, lakeside or pool, these books will make summer days feel longer and your spirit seem stronger after a good read.

UPLIFT YOUR SUMMER/FICTION
Hawaiian Crosswinds by Linda Lee Chaikin (Moody)
Set in the beautiful Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Crossroads is a perfect read to begin the summer. Eden Derrington divides her time between working at a hospital in Honolulu and getting ready to marry her fiancé. But when her father returns to start a clinic in a leper colony and asks her to join him, Eden feels she must choose between her love and her mission.





Almost Heaven by Chris Fabry (Tyndale)
“I believe every life has hidden songs that hang by twin threads of music and memory. I believe in the songs that have never been played for another soul. I believe they run between the rocks and along the creekbeds of our lives.” –From Almost Heaven by Chris Fabry

Billy Altman lives and works quietly in the mountains of West Virginia building his own radio station. His humble spirit and tenacious will to succeed keep his faith alive in spite of tragedy, hardship and disappointment. Fabry offers a simple yet compelling story of faith that will encourage anyone who has ever pursued a dream.

Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner (Waterbrook/Multnomah)
Susan Meissner brings two worlds together in Lady in Waiting. Jane Lindsay must face her new life after her husband leaves. When she finds a small ring in the binding of an old book at an English rummage sale, Jane begins a journey of self-discovery as she learns about the owner of the ring and her relationship to another Jane long ago.

Lost Mission by Athol Dickson (Howard/Simon&Schuster)
Lost Mission, set in southern California, weaves a tale of suspense for mystery lovers. An old Spanish mission collapses through supernatural forces to uncover a terrible crime. Twelve generations later the ruins are uncovered and four characters, a shopkeeper, a wealthy man, a minister and a husband are forced to deal with the evil that destroyed the mission and keep it from changing their lives forever.   

An Amish Love: Healing Hearts/What the Heart Sees/A Marriage of the Heart by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller and Kelly Long (Nelson)
For the romance lover, An Amish Love is the perfect way to uplift your spirit this summer. Three novellas in one volume, this book tells the stories of three women, Levina, Abigail and Ellie, and their search for truth, love and acceptance.

Next: UPLIFT YOURSELF / SELF HELP