Books I've Read
I'll start by recommending two books I've recently read - one of which was just published, and one of which is coming out in a few weeks but which I read an advance copy. I think both will make good summer reading.
The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll (5/15/18) - This novel is about the women on a fictional reality show called Goal Diggers, about ambitious successful young women, and we are informed at the start that someone dies during the fourth season of the show but don't know who or what happened. Essentially, a really dark satire of reality tv combined with a mystery/thriller - like if the TV show "Unreal" was about a "Real Housewives" type of show. The characters were all unlikable and not necessarily believable, and this was a book with a pretty dark view of humanity, but it was also extremely juicy and entertaining to read.
The Summer I Met Jack by Michelle Gable (5/29/18) - A really fascinating historical novel, a fictional take on a real person, Alicia Darr, who dated JFK back when he was just a junior congressman, and led a very interesting life both before and after that as well. Though the book takes place over a long period of time, a good chunk of it is set on Cape Cod in the summer. Obviously well-researched, with all the real and famous people who make appearances in it, but in a way that is folded into the narrative very naturally. Alicia is a prickly character and at times you want to shake her, but she is also sympathetic. Just a super fascinating book, I couldn't put it down and it flew by even though it was a little long.
Summer-Themed Books Coming Out This Summer
I haven't read the following books, so I can't guarantee that they will be good. But they *sound* good, and they either have the word "summer" in the title or otherwise are set in the summer/at beachy locations, so they sure sound like perfect summer reads to me!
The Summer Sail by Wendy Francis (5/1/18) - I enjoyed Wendy Francis's first book, "The Summer of Good Intentions," so I'm looking forward to checking out her second book, which is about three college roommates on a summer cruise to Bermuda.
The High Season - Judy Blundell (5/22/18) - In addition to a great cover with a picture of the beach, this book, set in a beach town near the Hamptons, is being blurbed by the publisher as "perfect for fans of Meg Wolitzer, Curtis Sittenfeld, and Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney's The Nest." As a fan of all of those, sounds good to me!
Sailing Lessons - Hannah McKinnon (6/5/18) - As I said in my chick lit post (always a good genre for summer), I have really enjoyed Hannah McKinnon's three previous novels, and her niche seems to be summer reading books set in different summer locales. This one is set on Cape Cod, so as I said in that post, I am having an internal debate with myself as to whether to just read this one right away, or save it for my Cape Cod vacation later this summer!
The Perfect Couple - Elin Hildebrand (6/19/18) - Like pretty much all of Elin Hildebrand's books, this one is set on Nantucket during the summer. This one is a mystery, where a bride-to-be is found dead just before her wedding.
The Summer Wives - Beatriz Williams (7/3/18) - Beatriz Williams is one of my favorite authors of the dual period historical fiction genre. This one is set on a resort island in the Long Island sound in both 1951 and 1969.
Other Books Coming Out This Summer
And just in case that's not enough books for you to add to your summer reading list, here are a few more books coming out this summer that sound like fun summer reading. Again, I haven't read these yet so can't vouch for them, but am definitely planning on reading them.
Death of Mrs. Westaway - Ruth Ware (5/29/18) - In addition to lighter books, I always find it fun to read a thriller on vacation when you have time to really get swept away by it, and I loved two of Ruth Ware's previous three thrillers. This one is about a woman who receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes that the letter was sent to the wrong person, but hopes that she can still find a way to claim the money.
How Hard Can It Be? - Allison Pearson (6/5/18) - Allison Pearson's book "I Don't Know How She Does It," a funny book about what it's like to be a working mother juggling career and family, was published so long ago that I didn't even have kids when I read it! I loved it at the time even though I couldn't relate to it. Many years later, she has finally written a sequel, with the main character of the first book now figuring out a return to the workforce in her late 40s.
When Life Gives You Lululemons (6/5/18) - Another sequel, this one to "The Devil Wears Prada." This one is about Emily (the character played by Emily Blunt in the movie), who is now an image consultant, working with a ex-super model in Greenwich, CT.
Girls' Night Out - Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke (7/24/18) - This one sounds like fun - a thriller about three women who go on vacation together to Mexico, where one of them disappears during a girls' night out, and the other two have to piece together what happened.
The Masterpiece - Fiona Davis (8/7/18)- Fiona Davis's first book, "The Dollhouse," was on my 2017 10 Favorites list, and I recently read her second book, "The Address," and enjoyed that a lot too. So, I'm definitely looking forward to her third and latest book, another dual time period historical novel, this one set in Grand Central Terminal.
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Do any of these sound like books you want to read this summer? What other books are you planning to read this summer?
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