Summer Book Recommendations 2016

Summer is right around the corner and for many of us that means lots of time heading into the library to keep the kids busy.  We have a library that does a ton of really fun crafts and activities for the kids so we make a trip at least once a week.

I do tend to enforce encourage reading time each day in summer with my little lovelies. Usually while they are reading I am trying to do 100 other things like dinner prep or laundry or work.  This summer my goal is to actually sit down myself and read together for at least a few days a week.  I love to read and the kids see me get books at the library but they don’t actually see me reading since I do it at night after they go to bed.

This summer I want to try to have them actually see me read much more often.  I want to encourage a culture of reading in our house as a choice, not just because the iPad battery is dead and no friends are around.  🙂 So here are some books I have enjoyed recently or have on my list to pick up this summer.  Hopefully you find a few that are interesting to you as well!

Now someone brew the iced tea and let’s get the hammock set up.

The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson. I am a huge Joshilyn Jackson fan.  She writes beautiful and complicated stories usually involving southern women.  This book is about Paula, a successful attorney in New York and recounts her very complicated relationship with her free spirited Mother Kai.

I loved this book and read it basically on release day.  If you like audiobooks these are narrated by the author and I think she does an amazing job.

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney. I haven’t read this one yet but it is getting rave reviews all over the place.  The story is about a complicated sibling relationship in a New York family.  The kids are set to receive a trust fund that has gained in value over the years and the story tackles their bad choices, what the money has done to their relationships and sounds really interesting!  Who doesn’t dream of some secret inheritance somewhere waiting for them?  I sure do.

Harry Potter & The Cursed Child by JK Rowling.  I didn’t get into the Harry Potter novels for many, many years.  I remember seeing an elderly lady on an airplane that was voraciously reading one of the books many years ago and that was when I finally picked one up.  And literally read all of them in lightening speed.  You better bet I will be grabbing this one the minute it goes on sale.  And don’t tell my 8 year old I picked it up because she is going be so excited to find a new book about Harry!  But first Mommy gets to read it 😉  This one you can preorder now and it comes out July 31st.

Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave.  Ok so my name is Charlene and I have a problem.  I can not get enough of WWII literature.  I read all of it and this is yet another novel about WWII in England.  This one sounds REALLY good though because it details the love affair of the author’s grandparents as documented through letters they sent from 1939-1942.  It also tells the story of the people we often forget that were victims of the war- children and other minorities.  Can’t wait to get my hands on this one!

Rare Objects by Kathleen Tessaro.  Did you read the Perfume Collector?  Well I did and enjoyed it and now we have a new book from the same author.  This book is set in Depression era Boston and tells the story of Maeve, a young Irish immigrant that finds herself falling into a world of alcohol and men.  Maeve is eventually sent to a mental institution and falls into a relationship with a wealthy (and troubled) young socialite.

The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem by Sarit Yishai-Levi. This one sounds really promising.  It details the story of a girl learning about her Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother and the secret lives they led.  The story is set in the most fascinating times- Hollywood’s Golden Age, WWII and the 1970’s.

The House of Dreams by Kate Lord Brown.  Sorry y’all.  I warned you about my WWII obsession.  This one is set in Marseilles in 1940 and tells the story of the American Relief Center which managed to save many artists and writers from the Nazis.  The reviews on this one are mixed but I personally can’t wait to pick it up and decide for myself.

Edited:  I really enjoyed this book.  It is a long one but I had a hard time putting it down.

Rich and Pretty by Rumaan Alam. This is the story of two best friends transitioning into adulthood and struggling to see how their friendship evolves over the years. This story is about complicated female relationships and would be a perfect one for book clubs or for the beach this summer!

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal. I keep grabbing this one at the library and then I have to turn it back in and I haven’t had the chance to read it.  A single father raises his daughter in the kitchen with a deep appreciation for food.  As she gets older she becomes the hottest chef in America.  The story unravels a Mother Daughter relationship and a passion for food and has won a bazillion awards so far.

The Singles Game by Lauren Weisberger.  Whoo hoo- a new book from the author of the Devil Wears Prada.  A promising young tennis star winds up with a ruthless Coach that wants to propel her to the top at any cost.  The story details her experiences mingling with the jet set and traveling the world.  This one is just perfect to keep you engrossed while traveling this summer.

A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams.  Set against the backdrop of the roaring twenties, this book is about a messy love triangle between wealthy socialites in New York.  I read her previous book, A Hundred Summers, and really enjoyed it. I don’t often pick up historical fiction set in the 20’s and this one has been called a modern day Gatsby so worth adding to your reading list for sure.

First Comes Love by Emily Giffin. This is another favorite author and if you like this one, spend the summer going back through all her other books because they are excellent.  Super easy to read and very hard to put down. This story is a complicated relationship between two very different sisters that experience a tragedy and how their relationship evolves over the years.  Just get this one.  You won’t be disappointed with Emily Giffin’s beautifully written characters.  This one is released June 28th.

Falling by Jane Green. This is an embarrassment of riches with all the amazing books set to release this summer!  I am really excited to see Jane Green again.  This one is released July 19th and I will be preordering for sure.  This is the story of a young woman that escapes a high pressured life in London for an even more high pressured life in New York and eventually escapes it all to renovate a home in Connecticut.  There she learns what is really important.  This is another author you could spend the summer reading through her older books.  I love them all like my children and hope you do too 😉

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty.  Surly you are familiar with Liane Moriarty as she wrote several books and all of them went crazy on best seller lists.  (The Husband’s Secret, Little Big Lies and What Alice Forgot are just a few.)  She has this new one coming out July 26th and I can’t recommend her books enough.  I have loved each and every one.  This one is about a happy couple that decide to head over to a friend’s BBQ one afternoon.  Something life changing happens at the BBQ that leaves them wondering- how would things be different if we had never gone.  What I have found with her books is that there tends to be several characters and Liane Moriarty weaves their lives together beautifully to really make you invested in the story.  There are two sides to every story and I love that Moriarty actually allows you to see circumstances from different perspectives instead of just one main character. Hurry up July!

So Close by Emma McLauchlin and Nicola Klaus.  I wanted to end with something more beachy and this one is sure to be good.  These ladies are the authors behind the Nanny Diaries, which I loved.  So Close is the story of Amanda, a young girl raised in a trailer park.  Amanda meets and follows a young attorney and his wife all the way to Washington DC where they are in the running for a Presidential campaign. Amanda is confronted with moral issues that test her loyalty to the couple and help her determine the person she will become.

And for every two books for pleasure reading, I try to read at least one that will help me learn new things and grow as a person.  Here are four books I have on my list for the summer that fall into that category:

The Longevity Book by Cameron Diaz.  (I listened to a few of her Soul Sessions on Oprah and liked where she was coming from.)

Protecting the Gift by Gavin de Becker.  Have you read the Gift of Fear? It is an older one but a really good one on how your instincts can protect you from dangerous situations in life and how you should learn to listen to those instincts.  This one involves protecting the kids with this amazing ability we are all born with to sense danger.

The One Thing by Gary Keller.  For anyone struggling to find balance and to get everything done in the day.  This book is about developing focus to be more productive and achieving goals.

168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam.  Again on the subject of focus and goal setting and just general time management. This one has been recommended to me as a great way to really decide how you spend your time.

What books are on your reading list this summer?  I’d love to hear your recommendations!

Here are a few other articles you might enjoy:

15 Books to Read in 2016 (you guys I am reading #5 right now and listening to #10 on Audible and I LOVE both books.  Highly recommend!)

100 Books to Read in a Lifetime.  How many have you read?