Los Angeles Times' 2012 Summer Reading List Summer Reading Guide What are your summer plans? Plenty of people prefer some quiet, idle time in a hammock somewhere or lounging beside the body of water of their choice, but don't include readers in that group. For book lovers, the summer is always a busy, exciting season, and this year is no exception. Eager for some high-octane thrillers to fill the hours, or do you have more challenging reading plans? What about the kids? How are you going to keep them busy? The Los Angeles Times book staff presents a summer reading guide to answer all of those questions. This selection of books, published mostly over the next three months, includes more than the familiar, usual categories - beach reads, for instance, and big nonfiction titles. Here you'll find selections appealing to the armchair travelers out there, fitness and outdoors lovers and those with a taste for the quirky and unconventional too. More: The Hunt Andrew Fukuda MacMillan Audio, $39.99, ages 12 and up The scenario of Andrew Fukuda's "The Hunt" is so wildly fantastic (in a good way) that narrator Sean Runnette delivers just what this story needs: a clear, steady voice. Runnette doesn't need to overdramatize this story of a world dominated by vampires and of a young boy, Gene, who attends school and struggles to hide the fact that he's human. When his father's bitten, starts to transform and races outside to commit suicide in the bright sunlight, Gene's sense of isolation is complete. He's not thinking of his society, however; he's just mourning the loss of his family: "My father was right," Runnette reads slowly, thoughtfully, "I became alone that day. We were once a family of four, but that was a long time ago. As for the book's title, and Gene's involvement in an awful hunt, Fukuda's story has a very clear message: There are many societies that have their hunger games, not just Katniss'. Copyright © 2012, Los Angeles Times Comments are filtered for language and registration is required. The Times makes no guarantee of comments' factual accuracy. Readers may report inappropriate comments by clicking the Report Abuse link next to a comment. Here are the full legal terms you agree to by using this comment form.