Toes in the sand, smell of sunscreen, and book in hand. That is my favorite way to spend a summer day. For some summer reads are light and fun. For others it’s the perfect time to get lost in the world of crime dramas. And then of course there are those who want to catch up on the newest memoir hitting the shelves. No matter what type of book you’d like to get lost in I’m sure something on this list will hit the spot. Plus we’ve made it easy – once you get hooked and obsessed with reading more, click the titles and order the book now!
LIGHT AND FUN
Steve Kluger – Last Days of Summer
It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve read this book I find myself putting it in the beach bag each and every summer. Set in the 1940’s this books tells the story of a smart mouth kid and his baseball-playing hero. Told through letters, telegrams and notes you can’t help but fall in love with Charlie Banks as he steps up to support his biggest fan, 12 year old Joey Margolis. Try not to laugh at the antics that Joey comes up with to convince Charlie that he should be there for his Bar Mitzvah. And let me know what you think about the love advice Charlie gives Joey to help get the girl. I think I need to dig this book out again!
Ava Miles – Nora Roberts Land
Any hopeless romantic knows Nora Roberts set the bar for fun romance novels. Meredith Hale is no exception. Her ex-husband, however, blamed their divorce on her unrealistic expectations of romance due to her love of Nora Roberts…completely forgetting that he is a slimly, lying, cheating jerk. Meredith is determined to prove that there are romantic heroes like those she’s grown up reading about and she’s sure she can find them when she returns to her home town. But what happens when the guy who fits the mold is the last type of man she wants in her life again?
Olivia Cunning – Backstage Pass (Sinners on Tour Series)
Something about summer reading makes me want to read books I’d hide from my father. The Sinners on Tour Series starts with Backstage Pass. Rockstar God Brian Sinclair meets his match in nerdy sex-therapist Myrna Evans. Sparks fly when she joins the tour to research what makes groupies want to live the naughty lifestyle. And maybe do a little personal research about the desires of her favorite rocker. By the time you reach the end of the book you’ll be itching to finish the series and watch each member of the band fall head over amps for some amazing women.
CRIME AND THRILLER
Paula Hawkins – The Girl on the Train
(summary from Amazon.com review)
If you were a fan of Gone Girl this is the summer book to turn to! “Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost. And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?”
Estelle Ryan – The Gauguin Connection (Dr. Genevieve Lenard Series)
If you are a fan of Dan Brown books or find yourself tuning in Monday nights to watch Castle and Beckett keep New York safe then look into this series by Estelle Ryan. Dr. Genevieve Lenard navigates art heists, murder, conspiracy theories across Europe. Despite having an incredibly high IQ she has to deal with being highly functioning Autistic and often misses social cues that come naturally to those around her. Working with the EU and a team composed up of a thief, a thug, a cop and an art appraiser pushes Genevieve outside her comfort zone in more ways than one.
BIOGRAPHY AND MEMOIR
Taya Kyle – American Wife: Love, War, Faith and Renewal
(summary from goodreads.com review)
“The widow of “American Sniper” Chris Kyle shares their private story: an unforgettable testament to the power of love and faith in the face of war and unimaginable loss—and a moving tribute to a man whose true heroism ran even deeper than the legend. American Wife is one of the most remarkable memoirs of the year—a universal chronicle of love and heartbreak, service and sacrifice, faith and purpose that will inspire every reader.”
Clint Hill – Mrs. Kennedy and Me
I have had an obsession with Jackie O for as long as I can remember. From her style to her strength after the death of her husband, she became an American icon. Hill shows readers what the First Lady was truly like as he details life as her Secret Service Agent. My heart broke as I read how devastating it was for her to lose a child and struggle with her marriage. Even after her husband’s death she wasn’t able to just fade from the unwanted limelight she had been in as a Kennedy wife. She was dismissed by the new First Lady and hounded by reporters until she practically went into hiding. Reading this story made me fall even more in love with Jackie O.
AUTHORS YOU GREW UP WITH
Judy Blume – In The Unlikely Event
(summary from goodreads.com review)
In 1987, Miri Ammerman returns to her hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, to attend a commemoration of the worst year of her life. Thirty-five years earlier, when Miri was fifteen, and in love for the first time, a succession of airplanes fell from the sky, leaving a community reeling. Against this backdrop of actual events that Blume experienced in the early 1950s, when airline travel was new and exciting and everyone dreamed of going somewhere, she paints a vivid portrait of a particular time and place—Nat King Cole singing “Unforgettable,” Elizabeth Taylor haircuts, young (and not-so-young) love, explosive friendships, A-bomb hysteria, rumors of Communist threat, and a young journalist who makes his name reporting tragedy. Through it all, one generation reminds another that life goes on.
Harper Lee – Go Set A Watchman
I don’t know about you, but I can vividly remember reading To Kill A Mockingbird in middle school and falling in love with the book. Now in just a few days, July 14th, I will be able to fall in love with Harper Lees’ words again. Her lost manuscript is set to be released this summer. The story picks up with Scout returning to her hometown as an adult to deal with personal and political issues again. I cannot wait to get my hands on this book.
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