What is on a book blogger’s summer reading list? Check out Rachael’s list of books to read this summer.
Every year, I love to create a summer reading list for my readers. I research the best books to read this summer and read as many as I can to give you the ultimate summer reading guide.
However, that means that by the time summer rolls around, I’ve already read the summer reads I’m recommending.
So what does a book blogger read in the summer?
I always think it’s fun to give you a peek at my personal summer reading list. For those hot summer months, I like to catch up on some recent reads as well as some backlist favorites I keep hearing great things about.
Go ahead. Satisfy your curiosity and glance through what’s on my summer reading list in 2024.
Reading Challenge Prompts
The Final Empire
Brandon Sanderson
Prompt: A Friend’s Favorite Book For a thousand years, the Lord Ruler has enslaved the Skaa with no hope that his despotic rule will ever end. From a hellish prison, Kelsior snaps and develops the powers of a Mistborn. As a brilliant thief, Kels instigates the ultimate heist against the Lord Ruler with a crew of the underworld’s elite. But adding in a ragged orphan girl might just be what they need to succeed, if they can teach her to use her powers and to learn to trust others. My college bestie told me this was her favorite book and since I didn’t read it when my entire family did a few years ago, I feel like this is the summer to finally try the Mistborn series.
Death in the Stocks
Georgette Heyer
Prompt: Classic by a Female Author In the middle of the night, a well-dressed man is found dead with his body in the stocks in the town square. Andrew Vereker was the most reviled man in town, not even loved by his family. To solve his murder, Superintendent Hannasyde must use all his skills to figure out who is telling the truth, who is lying, and who is clever enough to get away with murder. This is my best friend/assistant Kiki’s favorite book and I knew it would be the perfect choice for this reading challenge prompt.
Green Rider
Kristen Britain
Prompt: Reread a Favorite After a fight at school that will surely have her expelled, Karigan G’ladheon sets off through the forest on a long journey home. When she comes across a dying Green Rider, one of the king’s elite messengers, he begs Karigan to carry his urgent message to King Zachary. Suddenly her life is changed forever as she battles deadly danger and complex magic and is stalked by a dark being intent on keeping the message from the king at any cost. If you want page turners that will hook you from the start, this high fantasy series full of gripping action and fun characters is a must-read.
Lilac Girls
Martha Hall Kelly
Prompt: Purple Cover Martha Hall Kelly’s debut novel follows three different women as their lives are set on a collision course. Caroline Ferriday is an American socialite working at the consulate in Paris when Germany invades Poland and sets its sights on France. Polish teenager Kasia Kuzmerick is terrified one wrong move will spell her doom as she works with the resistance movement. Ambitious young German doctor Herta Oberheuser is thrilled to get a new government job until she learns what the Nazis really want her to do.
The Covenant of Water
Abraham Verghese
Prompt: 2023 Bestseller At the turn of the century, a twelve-year-old girl grieving her father is sent by boat to meet her 40-year-old husband. Eventually, she becomes known as Big Ammachi, the matriarch of a family particularly cursed to have one member of each generation die by drowning. From 1900-1977, Big Ammachi sees unimaginable changes to her Christian community on South India’s Malabar coast. If you aren’t afraid of long book club books, The Covenant of Water is an excellent literary choice.
NetGalley ARCs
The Rom-Commers
Katherine Center
Emma has always wanted to be a screenwriter and her work has been winning contests. Yet taking care of her dad full-time has made it difficult to pursue screenwriting as a career. When she gets the chance to rewrite a script for Charlie Yates, her screenwriting role model, her sister steps in as a caretaker so Emma won’t miss this opportunity. Yet Charlie has no interest in working with Emma or even in the script they are rewriting. Emma must convince Charlie that love stories matter, but it might end up being her heart that is on the line.
The Next Mrs. Parrish
Liv Constantine
In The Last Mrs. Parrish, Amber was able to claw her way to become Jackson Parrish’s wife. While Jackson has been serving time for tax evasion, Amber has enjoyed being the queen bee of Bishops Harbor. With Jackson’s release from prison imminent, Amber’s time and money is running out. Meanwhile, Daphne has never looked back after divorcing Jackson. But when her daughter runs away desperate to see Jackson, Daphne must return to Bishops Harbor and reenter a vicious cat-and-mouse game.
Shelterwood
Lisa Wingate
From the author of Before We Were Yours comes a touching historical fiction novel set in Oklahoma. When ranger Valerie Boren-Odell arrives at Horsethief National Park, she doesn’t expect to be immediately thrust into the case of a missing teenager and the discovery of a burial site of three children. In 1909, eleven-year-old Ollie takes her little sister Nessa and flees from their abusive father. Journeying through the outlaw-ridden Winding Stair Mountains, they join a band of others hoping to stay a step ahead of those who want to exploit them.
The Paris Widow
Kimberly Belle
Stella doesn’t mind leaving her precarious jetsetter life behind when she marries Adam, a nice normal guy. While vacationing in Paris, Adam goes missing after a bomb explodes in a public square. Now the police are telling Stella that Adam is a known dealer of stolen antiquities. Refusing to leave Paris until she learns the truth, Stella must discover if Adam was a random victim or a target of the explosion.
The Midnight Feast
Lucy Foley
From the author of The Guest List comes another locked-room mystery where not everyone will make it out alive. At the opening weekend of The Manor, a luxury resort in an ancient forest, the guests each have their own agenda. On the guest list: the founder, the lover, the mystery guest, the kitchen help, and the detective.
The Lost Story
Meg Shaffer
As children, Jeremy and Rafe disappeared for six months only to reappear with no explanation. Rafe has scars but no memory of what happened and Jeremy has never told him that they traveled to an enchanted magical land. When Emilie hires Jeremy, now a famed missing persons investigator, to find her missing sister, Jeremy must come clean to Rafe about their past and return to the enchanted world to recover everything they lost.
By Any Other Name
Jodi Picoult
In 1581, Emilia Bassano feels trapped by the societal expectations for women. As Lord Chamberlain’s mistress, she has access to all of England’s theatrical productions. Desperate to see her own work come to life, Emilia pays William Shakespeare to use his name, writing herself out of history. A century later, Melina Green has written a play based on Emilia’s life and is faced with the same question: should she give up her credit as the author just to see her work performed?
Audiobook Holds
Inspector Gamache Series
Louise Penny
I decided to give Louise Penny’s Inspector Armand Gamache series a try this year. After loving the first book, I was less than impressed with the following entries. Everyone told me to wait until books five and six, and I’m so glad I did. Using his empathy and reasoning, kind-hearted middle-aged detective Armand Gamache investigates murder, usually in the small Quebec town of Three Pines, along with a trusty band of assistants. From the colorful characters to the larger political ramifications of Gamache’s work, Penny’s detective series has me hooked and I can’t wait to see where the books go.
Redwood Court
DéLana R. A. Dameron
Growing up in a Black working class South Carolina neighborhood, Mika Tabor has become a repository for the stories of her loved ones. Told through a series of vignettes, Redwood Court showcases Mika’s coming of age as well as her family history: her grandparents who survived Jim Crow to settle on Redwood Court; her parents working two jobs to provide a better life, and her older sister, finding her own footing.
The Guest
B.A. Paris
When Iris and Gabriel arrive home from a much-needed holiday, they are shocked to find their friend Laure staying in their house. Laure’s husband has cheated and Iris and Gabriel want to be supportive friends. But Laure keeps crossing boundaries and making them uneasy with her unpredictable moods. Their only sense of peace comes from a friendship with a new couple until the weight of secrets threatens to destroy them all.
Britt-Marie Was Here
Fredrik Backman
Britt-Marie cannot stand clutter or disorganization and she doesn’t mean for her helpful suggestions to come off as criticism. After walking out on her cheating husband, Britt-Marie takes a job as the caretaker of the local recreation center. Soon, she is heavily involved in helping a colorful collection of local characters and coaching the youth soccer team. Can Britt-Marie finally find a place where she belongs?
Book of the Month Selections
The Husbands
Holly Gramazio
One night when Lauren returns home to her London flat, she is greeted by her adoring husband Michael. Except Lauren isn’t married. But her house and her friends seem to indicate that Lauren and Michael have been together for years. Then one day Michael goes into the attic and out emerges a new husband and a new and improved life. With this magical ability to swap out husbands and lives, Lauren must now decide what she wants her life to be and when to stop trying for something perfect.
The Storm We Made
Vanessa Chan
In 1945 in Malaya, Cecily Alcantara’s family is trying to survive until the end of World War II. Cecily’s son has disappeared, her youngest daughter must stay hidden so she isn’t forced to work in the comfort houses, and her oldest daughter hates serving drunken Japanese soldiers in the teahouse. Cecily knows it’s all her fault; for a decade ago, Cecily was drawn into a campaign to keep “Asia for Asians.” Tired of being a housewife, Cecily became a spy who unwittingly ushered in the Japanese invasion. Now Cecily must face what she has done in order to save her family.
The Great Divide
Cristina Henríquez
Cristina Henríquez, the author of The Book of Unknown Americans, tells a tale of the building of the Panama Canal from the perspective of fishmongers, laborers, doctors, and journalists. Local fisherman Francisco isn’t happy about the foreigners wanting to carve a canal through Panama but his son Omar sees it as a means for escape. When Omar collapses after a grueling shift, Ada, a teenage immigrant from Barbados, rushes to his aid. Moved by her act, John Oswald, a researcher studying malaria, hires Ada to care for his sick wife, an action that will set into motion a sweeping tale of loyalty and ambition.
The Bullet Swallower
Elizabeth Gonzalez James
In 1895, Antonio Sonoro and his brother Hugo leave Mexico to rob a train in Houston but the heist goes awry and Hugo is killed. Seeking revenge, Antonio risks not only his life but his eternal soul. In 1964, Jaime Sonoro discovers a book telling his family’s entire history. When a man from his grandfather’s day suddenly appears in Jaime’s life, he finds that he must find the truth or pay for his ancestor’s crimes.
Shark Heart
Emily Habeck
In their first year of marriage, Wren and Lewis are shocked when Lewis is given a rare diagnosis. Over the next few months, Lewis will gradually transform into a great white shark. As Lewis struggles to mark peace with his unfulfilled dreams, Wren desperately wants to find a way to stay together. Yet Lewis’s changes into a predatory creature trigger her long-repressed memories of trauma. For book clubs not afraid of something a little different, Shark Heart is a beautiful choice.
Family Lore
Elizabeth Acevedo
Flor can predict the exact day anyone will die. So when Flor wants a living wake, her sisters and nieces willingly gather together. Confronted with the possibility of Flor’s death or their own, each sister and niece makes a decision about her life in this powerful story of a Dominican-American family. Although Elizabeth Acevedo is best known for her young adult novels, this GMA Book Club pick for August 2023 is being praised as a superb adult novel.
Beyond the Point
Claire Gibson
On the eve of 9/11, three women entering the U.S. Military Academy at West Point form an enduring friendship to see them through the years ahead. Dani, the star athlete determined to break barriers; Hannah, the Army brat guided by her faith; and Avery, the wild child pushing boundaries. Covering women in the military and the history of West Point as well as the post-9/11 years, Gibson’s debut novel has plenty to set it apart.
On My Nightstand
The Whalebone Theatre
Joanna Quinn
When a whale washes up on an English beach in 1928, twelve-year-old orphan Cristabel Seagrave and her household build a theater from the whale’s ribcage. In the Whalebone theatre, Cristabel is able to escape the stress of her stepparents and their expectations. Using their acting schools, Cristabel and her brother become British secret agents during WWII, a task that threatens to tear their family apart.
The Unmaking of June Farrow
Adrienne Young
June Harrow has lived her whole life in a small North Carolina town followed by rumors after her mother disappeared and she was raised by her grandmother. When June begins seeing and hearing things, she desperately seeks a way to break an old family curse. Until her grandmother dies and June realizes that she might not be hallucinating as she walks through the mysterious door to start an adventure encompassing both her past and her future.
Lone Women
Victor LaValle
Everywhere she goes, Adelaide Henry carries a locked steamer trunk with her because whenever it is opened, people disappear. Fleeing California for Montana after her parents’ death, Adelaide takes up the government’s offer of free land. But Adelaide’s secrets don’t want to stay locked up forever. And the secret she most wants to keep hidden might be the only thing that can keep her alive in the untamed West.
What’s on Your Summer Reading List?
What do you think? How does your summer reading list compare to mine? What are good books to read this summer? As always, let me know in the comments!
More Summer Reading Lists:
The Booklist Queen Summer Reading Challenge
50 Best Beach Reads for Your Summer Vacation
The Ultimate Summer Reading List
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