How’s your summer reading going? I’m still looking for some great books for this season, which is why I was recently so excited to get an email from book blogger extraordinaire Sarah Mackenzie about her own favorite books. She has flawless taste, as many of you already know. I eagerly opened up the email, clicked on “Sarah’s Favorite Adult Reads” and…oh no…all but one of them, I had already read! Talk about dismay! But it’s delightful to know she and I like the same books. =) Now, my search continues.
If you, too, are still searching for the perfect book for your beach/pool/living-room-in-front-of-a-fan reading, I am here to (hopefully) help! Below are my favorite books I’ve read in the past six months, from historical fiction, nonfiction, middle grade novels, a couple of vintage finds, and three books releasing this summer that I’m really looking forward to.
Happy summer reading!
Historical Fiction
The Last Bookshop in London – Better than The Kitchen Front but in the same vein, with more Guernsey Literary themes and similarities. I loved it, even if I have read way too many WWII novels.
Finding Dorothy – A fascinating novel set during the making of the The Wizard of Oz movie that centers on Frank Baum’s wife and her experiences.
Fantasy
Piranesi – Did I totally understand this book? No. But sometimes it’s nice to read a book you ponder for weeks, and this one was quite the page turner after about 30% of the way through. I really enjoyed it.
Middle Grade for All Ages
Pie – I loved this book so much! I read it on my own and a week later started reading it aloud to my kids, ages 4-12, and every single one of them begs for another chapter when I say it’s time to stop. The characters are so well done, and the writing portrays every scene as if it were playing out like a movie in front of your eyes. The book begins with a death, though not a violent one, so you may wonder, “is this going to be too sad and heavy for my young readers?” but I really do not think it is.
The Mother Daughter Book Club and Much Ado About Anne – I walked by these books on the library shelf many times before I decided to pick them up, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed them! I’d recommend these for girls ages 12 and up, or grown up women who like a good coming-of-age story centered on mother-daughter relationships and great literature.
Non-Fiction
This Beautiful Truth – Newly released book that deserves a post of its own soon! It’s amazing, beautifully written to communicate how the world around us, though broken, is still such a gift.
The Life You Long For – Should this have been grammatically correctly titled The Life For Which You Long? …either way, it’s an excellent book that goes well beyond popular self help books but remains very readable. It was my favorite book in my latest Quick Lit post.
Don’t Overthink It – Read it even if you think you’re not an overthinker! I didn’t think I was, but it’s such an enjoyable read, and showed me some ways I was spinning my wheels daily in making decisions.
Vintage Fiction
(Who am I kidding, I liked the vintage novels the best!)
The Lark – Who knew that E. Nesbit of The Railway Children wrote books for adults? Not I! And I am so excited to discover this one! It is just lovely, light and well written with arch and snappy dialogue and the perfect amount of narrator interjection that Nesbit is so good at. Bonus- it’s only $2.99 on Kindle.
Home is If You Find It – This book from 1947 is so obscure, I had to add it to Goodreads. Yikes. But Thriftbooks still had it! I went on a hunt for it when my dad told me it was so funny, he’d read it several times (Dad, I know you would’ve lent me yours but I like old books on my shelves and who knows what would’ve happened to your copy in this crazy house…). It has not disappointed, and the illustrations sprinkled throughout are done by the legendary Paul Galdone.
July 2021 Releases I Can’t Wait For!
These three books are by authors whose work I have already read and loved. I highly recommend Where the Forest Meets the Stars, The Book of Lost Names, and Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers.
The Light Through the Leaves (as of right now, only $1.99 on Kindle!)
Actually, my copy of The Light Through the Leaves just came in from the library, so I’m off to read it…
I’d love to hear if you read any of these and what you think, or what you’ve been reading this summer!