If You Liked Harry Potter, You Might Like . . .

With Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opening in theaters this weekend, there's a burst of new interest in the series. There has long been talk of how J.K. Rowling's books created a new generation of readers. What isn't discussed as often is how many of those readers are adults. For those of you grown ups who loved the Harry Potter books and need something new, here are some titles you might enjoy.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - This is the classic tale of Bilbo Baggins, a respectable hobbit who is chosen by the wizard Gandalf to take part in an adventure from which he may never return.

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart - The story of Merlin, of Arthurian Legend, as a child, growing up in the court of his grandfather, the King of Wales.

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey - Lessa of Benden Weyr, a supposed kitchen girl, and a queen dragon team up to protect the land of Pern.

The Hunger Games

Panem, a city in the Rockies, and it's twelve surrounding districts are what remains of the United States in this post-apocalyptic story. The twelve outlying districts suffer under harsh leadership because of their past rebellion. They are each required to send a teenage boy and girl to participate in the Hunger Games annually. This fight to the death competition is broadcast on live television and is required viewing by all.

Katniss takes the place of her younger sister who is chosen in the lottery. Katniss has developed hunting and tracking skills in order to help feed her family. Her partner in the games has few skills that will give him any advantages. Katniss is put through training with her partner and a relationship develops. Can she bear to kill him if the time comes? This page-turning sci-fi novel is gripping and violent, yet the relationships versus survival theme is unforgettable.

Romance Readers of the World, Unite

I have a confession to make. I went to visit some family this weekend and I hid my paperback romance. I know, I'm so ashamed. I would pull out my intellectual book if anyone could see me reading, but late at night I would pull out my paperback romance and all the stresses of the day would just fade away.

This article from USA Today gives me the validation I need. Apparently smart people do read books with heaving bodices on the cover. I am not alone. You can read your romance with pride, knowing that you are joined by scholars from some of the best institutions in the nation. Mary Bly, better known to us as Eliosa James is a tenured professor at Fordham University and presented recently at the Princeton University scholarly conference titled "Love as the Practice of Freedom? Romance Fiction and American Culture."

So, if you love books with a bared male chest on the cover and snappy dialog inside, read them unabashedly. And if anyone mocks you, just feel sorry for them. They're missing out.

The Unseen: “A creepy haunted house, reports of a 40-year-old poltergeist investigation and a young researcher trying to rebuild her life take the "publish or perish" initiative for college professors to a terrifying new level in this spine-tingling story that has every indication of becoming a horror classic. Based on the famous Rhine ESP experiments at the Duke University parapsychology department that collapsed in the 1960s, this is a chillingly dark look into the unknown." Romantic Times

Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton

A fun and entertaining summer book, Mating Rituals of the North American WASP provides laughs and enjoyable characters. It tells the story of Peggy, who after a Las Vegas night on the town, finds herself married to a stranger named Luke, a true Connecticut blue-blooded WASP. Luke's Aunt Abigail proposes that they stay married for a year, after which they both will inherit her huge old (and well-worn) house. Needing the money, both agree to her terms. Although predictable, this story is filled with likeable characters and amusing situations and is a light, fun summer read--pack it in your beach bag to read alongside the pool!

Night and Day by Robert B. Parker

In bestseller Parker's Night and Day, the "eighth Jesse Stone novel (after Stranger in Paradise), the Paradise, Mass., police chief almost effortlessly performs his laconic magic to restore order and right wrongs. When Betsy Ingersoll, the junior high school principal, decides to conduct a check of girls' undies before an eighth-grade dance, it may or may not have been a crime, but it certainly provokes a firestorm of protests. Then there's a Peeping Tom calling himself the Night Hawk, whose activities escalate from watching to home invasions. In addition, the legal activities of a group of adults calling themselves the Paradise Free Swingers are badly affecting two children." Publisher's Weekly

Knockout by Catherine Coulter

If you like plenty of action combined with the paranormal—you’ll like Knockout! “Coulter's riveting 13th FBI thriller (after TailSpin) opens with a bang as psychic FBI agent Dillon Savich thwarts a gang of gun-totting robbers attempting to hold up the First Union Bank of Washington, D.C. Three days later, seven-year-old Autumn Backman, who sees Dillon on TV, sends him a telepathic message that she's in danger. Though eager to help Autumn, Dillon is busy tracking a bank robber who escaped, a teenage girl now leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. Meanwhile, in Titusville, Va., Autumn's mother reports her daughter missing to Sheriff Ethan Merriweather. After finding Autumn, Ethan discovers her sinister uncle, Blessed, has evil designs on his psychic niece. Before Dillon and his fellow FBI agent and wife, Lacey Sherlock, can get to Titusville, Autumn and her mother flee.” Publisher’s Weekly