A List of Books for Summer Reading [OPINION]

It doesn't feel like it here in Massachusetts, but it will be beach season soon and the beach is a great place to read a book.

This list of books has no theme other than I liked them and I think you might as well. It is a mixture of fiction and non-fiction books.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas is an entertaining novel about betrayal and revenge written in 1844.

Black Mass by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill is the story of the Boston underworld and FBI corruption. It reads like fiction, but it is, unfortunately, a true story.

Shallow Graves by Maureen Boyle is the story of the still unsolved serial killer who murdered women in the area of New Bedford in the 1980s.

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway is a novel based on the Communists and fascists battling for control of Spain.

Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington by Richard Brookhiser is a short and inspirational biography. This book led me to read all of Brookhiser's books and you will probably do the same.

Radical Son by David Horowitz is the autobiography of a New Leftist who became a conservative and an enemy of his former comrades.

Socialism by Ludwig von Mises is the great economist's explanation and logical takedown of the fantasy of socialism. It is as important today as it was when he wrote it in the 1920s.

Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.