The end of summer is staggered across the U.S. I know some of you are already sending kids back to school while other classrooms remain shuttered until after Labor Day. But regardless of school start dates, August is firmly a summer month to me.
So today, let’s celebrate summer reading and help each other find one or two more books for our summer TBRs. In the comments, tell us what YOUR book of summer is. This doesn’t have to be THE book of summer (the books you’ve been seeing everywhere and talking about with everyone), but the book that has defined YOUR summer of reading.
I’ll go first. My book of summer is THE FEAST by Margaret Kennedy. This book is so summery—it’s basically a midcentury British version of The White Lotus. When the book begins, you learn that a hotel on a Cornish cliffside shore has collapsed off a cliff and many of the posh guests and hotel employees have perished in the accident. The book then rewinds a week to slowly show you what happened and who died. This book is juicy and scandalous, but also morally tidy in a way I found perfectly satisfying for a summer read. While it requires a little bit of attention at the onset, it’s short alternating POV chapters make for pretty quick reading once you settle in. This book also represents my summer in reading because I’ve been craving lesser known backlist books over the shiny new releases.
Your turn! What is YOUR book of the summer (so far). Tell us what you loved and why you loved it!
The Wedding People by Allison Espach. I loved how the two female characters came into their own so to speak. And they did all of their self-discovery with great humor and a wedding at Newport Beach RI as a back drop. The book was pure fun to read. A 5 ⭐️ for me.
The best book I've read this summer is Clear by Carys Davies. Just a perfect short novel. Thanks to Sara for putting this author on my radar! But my favorite reading experience this summer was Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher which swept me away to WWII Cornwall for 950 pages. I could have stayed there forever.
I’m still hoping to get to The Feast before the weather changes in Chicago 🤞🏼As of right now, my summer book is All Fours. Not only was it the first book I picked up (and finished) in months, but it was propulsive and weird and thought provoking and a little spicy — all *chefs kiss* in a summer read for me!
I loved loved loved The Feast, but I am definitely on the hype train for Alison Espach's The Wedding People (I love this book so much that I'm not even mad that I somehow ended up owning three copies...totally unnecessary). It's not...light, but it's not heavy-handed, and it felt perfect for a moody-ish camping trip.
My book of the summer is Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe! It has a lighter tone but delves into so many intriguing topics that have given me a lot to think about. Once I settled in, I also really enjoyed the switching between first and third person. Since reading it, I went back and read Thorpe's debut The Girls of Corona del Mar and loved it as well (although be warned it's *much* darker than Margo).
So many fabulous books - it has been A Year for books hasn't it?! I've read and loved many of the titles mentioned, but for me, The French Lieutenant's Woman (so far my favorite backlist title of the year), followed by Essex Serpent, followed by Enlightenment made this my Victorian Girl Summer. and no one is more surprised than I am!
After reading Nathan Hill's Wellness last year and it making my best of the year list, I turned to The Nix this summer when I needed immersive literary fiction to get lost in a story. Loved the writing and the storyline and it was the hit of my summer reading! I still loved Wellness a bit more, but I can't wait to see what Nathan Hill writes next.
Oooh, I love that you wrote about 'The Feast'! I haven't seen a lot of people talking about this one, and it's such a great atmospheric summer read. The tone is so chilling. I call it Sunny Gothic ;-) So dark, so sun drenched!
The book that captured the summer reading vibe (so far) for me — fan on, reading all day, drinking cold beverages, no other responsibilities — was 'The Midnight Feast' by Lucy Foley. I'm a big fan of her multi-POV thrillers, and this was a good one for pure escapism.
And/but! I started Maureen Johnson's 'Death at Morning House' yesterday, and I'm loving it. My afternoon/evening is going to be devoted to reading it with fans blasting because it's 89F here in Prague today. Johnson is SO good at writing breezy mysteries that play with traditional golden-age mystery tropes, and she writes heroines that it's easy to root for. Super-fun and page-turn-y.
So many books I enjoyed in these comments! (Margo, God of the Woods, Liars, The Nix) But, I think I have to go with State of Paradise by Lauren Van den Berg. I grew up in the exact area where the book takes place, so I have a summer bias! I, too, have a complicated relationship with it, and it was SO atmospheric and really transported me. Plus, it was weird AF! My fave kind of book! It might not be the *best* book I read this summer, but it has stuck with me. Ironically, I might put Whale Fall (a decidedly winter book!) in second place, because again, it was atmospheric and transportive and I think that kind of "travel" is what I crave in the summer.
Liars by Sarah a Manguso! They say a book finds you where you are in life and this did. I loved her insight into the fact that it’s not motherhood that is a struggle for women its wife hood. Her interview on the B&N podcast is worth a listen if you’ve read and are intrigued!
My favorite books of summer so far are The Feast and I Cheerfully Refuse. I finished The Feast a few days ago and I thought it was brilliant and so much fun to read!
The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl is so good! Five stars! I think if you appreciate food writing, you’ll be buoyed on a wonderful adventure with mystery and self-discovery with a backdrop that was pertinent this year for many reasons.
I think my personal BOOK OF THE SUMMER has to be Les Miserables— I carried this chonker around for months and I loved every minute of it. When I think of summer 2024, I’m always going to remember Les Mis 💛✨
I loved "I Cheerfully Refuse" by Leif Enger. It's a dystopian novel with a heart of gold. " I Cheerfully Refuse" has intrigue, heartache and danger, but those are tempered by Enger's telling of the story. With an almost fairy-tale quality, he has you believe that some good still remains in the world. The title grabbed me, the story kept me rolling along. I loved it!
The Wedding People by Alison Espach! I love this book madly. It's a book where perfect strangers spill their guts to each other precisely because they are perfect strangers and don't owe each other anything, which frees them from the social conventions and responsibilities that often inhibit our communication with our own loved ones. It's honest, it's insightful, and it's frankly hilarious. But at the same time, it gives very serious weight to the protagonist's grief and depression and sadness. It's one of those books that can blend darkness and light and do it so well. It's everything I love in a book.
The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan. The setting - coastal Maine - is about as summery of a setting as there could be! It’s a bit long-winded at times, but I really loved the story.
Not my BEST book of summer, but my book OF the summer was ‘Just for the Summer’ by Abby Jiminez. Maybe it was the timing for me because that’s not my usual genre, but I really really liked it. I’m having a Minnesota crush right now so that may explain some of it too!
The book I most associate with the summer of 2024 I actually read in the spring, Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez. It is a very well-written, summer-y, rom com with some depth to it.
Love this type of post for inspiration - thanks for sharing! Mine would have to be Blue Sisters - I loved all the perspectives, they felt so real to the point where I wouldn't have been surprised to bump into them when I'm out and about. It is close though I have to say, after a very mid first half of the year, I have read some AMAZING books in July and August so far and am currently reading both God of the woods and All fours, both I've seen in the comments and enjoying so far so hopefully the streak will continue!
Right now I can't decide between two of my very favorite summer reading experiences so I'm going with both- The Winner by Teddy Wayne and Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (the audio!) . The Winner had me spending an entire summer Sunday bingeing it and RBC was such an unexpected surprise and includes one of my favorite characters of summer, Marcellus the octopus:)
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune. This is the third summer in a row that I’ve read a Fortune novel at the cottage by the lake in “up north” Michigan, and you can’t beat those summer vibes.
This doesn’t feel original at all but it has to be the God of the Woods. It’s just everything I wanted out of a summer read.
That's exactly what I was going to say! It really does feel like THE book of the summer and it's exactly what I want from a summer read.
Yes, this will always be a Summer 2024 book to me.
Me too!
Same!
was just coming here to say the same thing!!
I’m right there with you!!
The Wedding People by Allison Espach. I loved how the two female characters came into their own so to speak. And they did all of their self-discovery with great humor and a wedding at Newport Beach RI as a back drop. The book was pure fun to read. A 5 ⭐️ for me.
I can’t wait to read it when it arrives in my mail this week!
The best book I've read this summer is Clear by Carys Davies. Just a perfect short novel. Thanks to Sara for putting this author on my radar! But my favorite reading experience this summer was Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher which swept me away to WWII Cornwall for 950 pages. I could have stayed there forever.
I really loved Clear also! I loved how it dealt with loneliness and the need for human connection.
I’m still hoping to get to The Feast before the weather changes in Chicago 🤞🏼As of right now, my summer book is All Fours. Not only was it the first book I picked up (and finished) in months, but it was propulsive and weird and thought provoking and a little spicy — all *chefs kiss* in a summer read for me!
I'm still hoping to get to The Feast, too!
I loved loved loved The Feast, but I am definitely on the hype train for Alison Espach's The Wedding People (I love this book so much that I'm not even mad that I somehow ended up owning three copies...totally unnecessary). It's not...light, but it's not heavy-handed, and it felt perfect for a moody-ish camping trip.
Yes! I could NOT put this one down! Perfect summer read.
I love love loved that book too. I just listed it myself before reading all the comments.
My book of the summer is Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe! It has a lighter tone but delves into so many intriguing topics that have given me a lot to think about. Once I settled in, I also really enjoyed the switching between first and third person. Since reading it, I went back and read Thorpe's debut The Girls of Corona del Mar and loved it as well (although be warned it's *much* darker than Margo).
This is mine, too! I couldn't stop talking about it! So smart, so sweet, so entertaining! Looking forward to reading more by Thorpe!
So many fabulous books - it has been A Year for books hasn't it?! I've read and loved many of the titles mentioned, but for me, The French Lieutenant's Woman (so far my favorite backlist title of the year), followed by Essex Serpent, followed by Enlightenment made this my Victorian Girl Summer. and no one is more surprised than I am!
This makes me super committed to prioritize French Lieutenant’s Woman before the end of the summer!
After reading Nathan Hill's Wellness last year and it making my best of the year list, I turned to The Nix this summer when I needed immersive literary fiction to get lost in a story. Loved the writing and the storyline and it was the hit of my summer reading! I still loved Wellness a bit more, but I can't wait to see what Nathan Hill writes next.
The Nix is one of my favorite books of all time. Such a masterpiece. I have Wellness on my shelf, I need to get to it soon.
Loved them both!
Ooh, I want to do the same.
I'm reading The Nix now!! its taking me a while because its chonky but really loving it.
I loved All the Colors of the Dark—it’s definitely gotten a lot of attention but to me it was phenomenal and I couldn’t put it down.
I'm hoping to still squeeze this one in! (Although realistically it might have to wait until September.)
A 5 ⭐️ for me too.
Oooh, I love that you wrote about 'The Feast'! I haven't seen a lot of people talking about this one, and it's such a great atmospheric summer read. The tone is so chilling. I call it Sunny Gothic ;-) So dark, so sun drenched!
The book that captured the summer reading vibe (so far) for me — fan on, reading all day, drinking cold beverages, no other responsibilities — was 'The Midnight Feast' by Lucy Foley. I'm a big fan of her multi-POV thrillers, and this was a good one for pure escapism.
And/but! I started Maureen Johnson's 'Death at Morning House' yesterday, and I'm loving it. My afternoon/evening is going to be devoted to reading it with fans blasting because it's 89F here in Prague today. Johnson is SO good at writing breezy mysteries that play with traditional golden-age mystery tropes, and she writes heroines that it's easy to root for. Super-fun and page-turn-y.
So many books I enjoyed in these comments! (Margo, God of the Woods, Liars, The Nix) But, I think I have to go with State of Paradise by Lauren Van den Berg. I grew up in the exact area where the book takes place, so I have a summer bias! I, too, have a complicated relationship with it, and it was SO atmospheric and really transported me. Plus, it was weird AF! My fave kind of book! It might not be the *best* book I read this summer, but it has stuck with me. Ironically, I might put Whale Fall (a decidedly winter book!) in second place, because again, it was atmospheric and transportive and I think that kind of "travel" is what I crave in the summer.
Liars by Sarah a Manguso! They say a book finds you where you are in life and this did. I loved her insight into the fact that it’s not motherhood that is a struggle for women its wife hood. Her interview on the B&N podcast is worth a listen if you’ve read and are intrigued!
I’m about halfway through Liars and it’s intense. I’ll check out the podcast. Thanks for that recommendation.
Hot Milk by Deborah Levy. No contest. Great quirky characters. Odd situations. The Spanish coast. Divine!
I've been loving western settings- True Grit! Just finished The Horse by Willy Vlautin and loved it.
Some of my fave Westerns, if you’re still on that kick (I find summer to be the perfect season to read them too):
True History of the Kelly Gang — technically Australian Outback Western lol, unique writing style
My Antonia — Classic
News of the World — On the shorter end but packs such an emotional punch
Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan because it kicked off an amazing Summer of Books 😃 for me. Beautiful emotionally devastating (debut!) novel.
My favorite books of summer so far are The Feast and I Cheerfully Refuse. I finished The Feast a few days ago and I thought it was brilliant and so much fun to read!
The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl is so good! Five stars! I think if you appreciate food writing, you’ll be buoyed on a wonderful adventure with mystery and self-discovery with a backdrop that was pertinent this year for many reasons.
I read that on a train from Marseille to Paris! Definitely a summer reading highlight!!
I think my personal BOOK OF THE SUMMER has to be Les Miserables— I carried this chonker around for months and I loved every minute of it. When I think of summer 2024, I’m always going to remember Les Mis 💛✨
For me it was Sandwich by Catherine Newman. So immersive and funny and gut punchy here and there!
I loved "I Cheerfully Refuse" by Leif Enger. It's a dystopian novel with a heart of gold. " I Cheerfully Refuse" has intrigue, heartache and danger, but those are tempered by Enger's telling of the story. With an almost fairy-tale quality, he has you believe that some good still remains in the world. The title grabbed me, the story kept me rolling along. I loved it!
The Wedding People by Alison Espach! I love this book madly. It's a book where perfect strangers spill their guts to each other precisely because they are perfect strangers and don't owe each other anything, which frees them from the social conventions and responsibilities that often inhibit our communication with our own loved ones. It's honest, it's insightful, and it's frankly hilarious. But at the same time, it gives very serious weight to the protagonist's grief and depression and sadness. It's one of those books that can blend darkness and light and do it so well. It's everything I love in a book.
The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan. The setting - coastal Maine - is about as summery of a setting as there could be! It’s a bit long-winded at times, but I really loved the story.
I loved Sipsworth. I was unsure of what to expect, with the premise centering on a senior citizen befriending a mouse, but I was enchanted.
Just to clarify, both the depth and the sweetness took me by surprise.
Fly Away by Kristin Hannah and Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal
Not my BEST book of summer, but my book OF the summer was ‘Just for the Summer’ by Abby Jiminez. Maybe it was the timing for me because that’s not my usual genre, but I really really liked it. I’m having a Minnesota crush right now so that may explain some of it too!
The book I most associate with the summer of 2024 I actually read in the spring, Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez. It is a very well-written, summer-y, rom com with some depth to it.
I loved the following, all of which I got from your recs: The Feast, Fortnight in September, and Eleutheria, and Seating Arrangements.
My book of the summer is definitely The God of the Woods!
Love this type of post for inspiration - thanks for sharing! Mine would have to be Blue Sisters - I loved all the perspectives, they felt so real to the point where I wouldn't have been surprised to bump into them when I'm out and about. It is close though I have to say, after a very mid first half of the year, I have read some AMAZING books in July and August so far and am currently reading both God of the woods and All fours, both I've seen in the comments and enjoying so far so hopefully the streak will continue!
My favorites are The Feast 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽, The God of the Woods and How to Read a Book. But August may still bring more goodness!
All Fours - I turned 50 in June so…
Right now I can't decide between two of my very favorite summer reading experiences so I'm going with both- The Winner by Teddy Wayne and Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (the audio!) . The Winner had me spending an entire summer Sunday bingeing it and RBC was such an unexpected surprise and includes one of my favorite characters of summer, Marcellus the octopus:)
Sarah Manguso (minus the a :) 🫠
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune. This is the third summer in a row that I’ve read a Fortune novel at the cottage by the lake in “up north” Michigan, and you can’t beat those summer vibes.