Summer Reading

It’s been a while since I shared a book list on here. I’ve always got a book open and a couple on the back burner, but I’ve been disappointed in so many books over the past year. Just nothing to write home about. Recently some of my favorite authors published new books and some of you friends have sent recommendations my way. Now I have an actual summer reading list.

I’ve found reading in different formats helps me get through more books. I get most books on kindle. I prefer to borrow them through Overdrive from the library (I recommend the Libby app for that). The drawback is having to wait your turn for more popular titles (the library only owns one “copy” of an e-book to lend at a time), and you get up to two weeks to finish the book. The plus side? They’re free, of course. I get a stack of books every time I visit Books & Books in Key West, my favorite bookstore. And for road trips, I look for audiobooks both of us are into. I’ve found some books are even better as audiobooks, especially when there’s a great narrator. 

Now let’s dive in.

Trust by Hernan Diaz

Currently finishing this one about a reclusive tycoon and his much more interesting wife in 1920s New York. It’s divided into four parts: a novel, an autobiography, a memoir, and a journal, each from a different character’s perspective, and each one taking you closer to the truth. The style is complicated but the storytelling is great. It reminded me of Lauren Groff’s Fates and Furies. If you liked that, you’ll like this.

The Puzzler: One Man’s Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life by A.J. Jacobs

I put this on my list after hearing A.J. Jacobs on a podcast. The lovely bookseller at Books & Books, a fellow puzzle lover, gave me a fancy rainbow Blackwing pencil to go with it. I recommend buying the print version so you can write in it. If you write in library books you’re a jerk. This book is a delight even though I didn’t solve the hidden puzzle and win $10,000.

A few recent reads that were okay…

How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Michael Schur

The title is tongue-in-cheek. It’s a light and funny guide to ethics in the modern world, like can we appreciate art when the artist was a scumbag? If you care enough to give it some thought, then you’re on the right track.

Honor by Thrity Umrigar This one is tragic but uplifting in the end, similar to The Kite Runner. A bit predictable. 

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse A detective novel set in the Swiss Alps during a snowstorm- good cold thrill on a hot day.

 

And here’s what I’m looking forward to:

The Hawk’s Way by Sy Montgomery

Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett

The Maid by Nita Prose

Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow

Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris

The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk

These Precious Days by Ann Patchett

Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon

The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

French Braid by Anne Tyler

Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

Tracy Flick Can’t Win by Tom Perotta

Book Lovers by Emile Henry

Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

The Four Winds and The Nightingale, both by Kristin Hannah

 

Have you read any of these? Do you have any to recommend? I’d love to hear in the comments below. Thanks!

10 Comments Summer Reading

  1. Juliet Gross June 13, 2022 at 9:42 pm

    Sounds weird but I found it intriguing and well written,
    “My Year of Rest and Relaxation”.

    1. suwanneerose June 14, 2022 at 8:36 am

      That’s popped up for me before. I’m adding it to the list. Thanks, Juliet!

  2. Liz June 14, 2022 at 3:29 pm

    Tracy Flick can’t win – Tom Perotta

    1. suwanneerose June 14, 2022 at 3:32 pm

      Thanks! Adding it now.

  3. Jessica June 15, 2022 at 8:49 am

    Book Lovers by Emile Henry is my favorite book in ages! It’s the perfect book to read at the beach or by the pool. 🙂

    1. suwanneerose June 17, 2022 at 8:38 am

      I’ve heard that’s a great beach read! Adding it now. Thank you!

  4. Julie June 15, 2022 at 4:25 pm

    Thank you for all the book recommendations. I also read/listen to books in several different formats at the same time, including Kindle and always two audio books, one for the car and one on my watch when I walk.

    Best book I’ve read, er, listened to lately was Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams and the narrator is delightful. Happy Summer reading!

    1. suwanneerose June 17, 2022 at 8:33 am

      Thank you, Julie! I love the idea of a book just for walks, and so cool you use your watch for it. I don’t like carrying my phone along all the time. I’m adding Dictionary of Lost Words to my list. Hope all is well in your neck of the river.

  5. Mary Ann Shambach June 16, 2022 at 11:32 pm

    I have read Kristin Hannah’s “The Four Winds” it was well written, but my favorite by her is “The Nightingale”.

    1. suwanneerose June 17, 2022 at 8:35 am

      Thanks, Aunt Mary Ann! I don’t think I’ve read anything by her. It’s sure nice to have a good book to escape into right now. Adding both of those to the list. Have a safe drive home. <3

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