Sink into summer stories

Take some time to relax this weekend and unwind from Fourth of July by dipping into a stand-alone novel or starting a stellar series, most of which are available at the Storm Lake Library in book or audio form.

Dark fictional historical dramas: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova - a stunning debut detailing the myth of Vlad Tepes and fictional counterpart Dracula, which blends history, adventure, intrigue and mystery into one solid genre.

The Thirteenth Tale by Elizabeth Kostova - for the past 50 years, a famous British novelist has evaded questions about her past, but finally decides to confront her past demonds with the aid of an amateur biographer in this suspsenseful, gothic thriller.

Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe - halved between summer in modern-day Massachusetts and the Salem witch trials, a Harvard graduate student discovers her family's unsettling link to a turbulent period of history.

Science fiction and fantasy favorites by little-known authors: Poison Study by Maria Snyder - unlikely heroine Yelena is plucked from death row to become a food taster for a top-ranking official in the first of Snyder's Study series.

The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks - with characters in this dystopian sci-fi novels as intriguing as its author, who "lives off the grid" and communicates via internet and scrambled satellite phone, the first in the Fourth Realm trilogy is an attention-grabber from page one.

Trading in Danger by Elizabeth Moon - a military-esque five-book science fiction series that follows ex-cadet Kylara Vatta's involvement in a local crisis, which later unfolds to include piracy and vicious interstellar attacks.

And, finally, a gratuitous nod to Iowa authors: The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America by Bill Bryson - witty-Midwesterner-turned-Brit chronicles his journey off the beaten path from Des Moines through small towns and forgotten wonders in the Midwest, Deep South, East Coast, Great Plains, Southwest and the Rocky Mountains.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron - one of those heartwarming, cute and fuzzy true stories that features a once-abandoned kitty transforming into Spencer Public Library's mascot.

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf - two girls in small-town Iowa disappear overnight, leaving families searching for answers trapped in unspoken family secrets.

* Reach the columnist at amiller@stormlake pilottribune.com