Hellobee

Summer reading is my favorite kind of reading. I have more energy when it’s light out when I wake up and when my kids go up and find myself staying up later (and even occasionally waking up earlier) to read. Whether it’s a page turning mystery, an easy breezy beach read, a gripping thriller, or WW2 historical fiction, it’s just easier and more enjoyable for me to read any type of book during these long, hot summer days.

Here is what’s on my summer reading list:

1/ Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult – I am listening to this one on audio as I write this post. You can rest assured that it’s a good book if Mrs. Peas actually wants to do laundry so she can keep listening to my audiobook. I highly recommend this one even for those of you are skeptical that a writer as prolific as Picoult can write truly good fiction. This one is both a fast “read” (or listen) and a compelling story with fascinating narrators and a story line that makes you think.

2/ The Alice Network by Kate Quinn – This is a wildly popular and highly rated WW2 novel (I know, I know – another one). I recently purchased the Kindle sale when it was on sale and am looking forward to digging into it. This was also a Reese Witherspoon book club pick, and lately everything Reese touches seems to turn into pure gold (and often a movie deal as well).

3/ Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng – Like many, many others, I really enjoyed Ng’s previous novel, Everything I Never Told You, and have her most recent book on my to-be-read list. I’ve read mixed reviews for her latest novel, but I suspect I’ll thoroughly enjoy it regardless.

4/ The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy – I have really enjoyed picking out a new book each month from the Book of the Month club. This was my May pick, and I am itching to finish my current book (First Comes Love by Emily Giffin), so I can start this one. Thrillers never make my list of all-time favorite books, but I always enjoy reading them and appreciate how fast they make me turn the page.

5/ That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam – Apparently I have an attraction to books with the word “Mother” in their titles, although this one is in a much different genre than the above title. This book seems to pull in similar themes as Picoult’s Small Great Things (race, motherhood, families), and I’m really excited to read it.

6/ The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand – It seems I also have an attraction to books with the word “Perfect” in their titles. What I really have an intense attraction to are Hilderbrand’s beachy yet compelling books. I can almost guarantee you I will drop whatever I am reading on June 19th and start power reading Hilderbrand’s newest release the day it comes out. If you’re new to Hilderbrand, her older books often go on sale on Kindle, and my very favorite is Castaways (bonus ~ some of the characters in Castaways reappear in this one)!

7/ Us Against You by Fredrik Backman – Backman’s Beartown was one of my favorite books I read in 2017 (if not my very favorite), and I am SO excited to read its sequel that comes out in just a few days! If I time things correctly, I can finish up the 2 books I’m currently reading, squeeze in one more before this one comes out, and finish this one up before Hildebrand’s newest comes out on June 19th. Ah, the joy of summer reading! P.S. You do not need to love hockey or Backman’s previous books to thoroughly enjoy this series.

8/ An American Marriage by Tayari Jones – This book has received STELLAR reviews, and while its subject matter is a bit more serious than most of my summer reads, I feel compelled to read it anyhow.

9/ The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah – Like most of America, I adored The Nightingale, Hannah’s WW2 novel that was published in April 2017. I am really excited to read her most recent book based in Alaska, which has received incredible reviews (including from my own Dad!)

10/ Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser – This is another book I picked as a Book of the Month Club selection, and I’m not going to lie – it sounds a LOT like my other BOTM pick, The Perfect Mother, which probably means I’ll thoroughly enjoy reading it even if it doesn’t make my very favorites list.

What’s on your summer reading list? Some of my go-to authors for summer reading are Elin Hilderbrand, Emily Giffin, Louise Penny, Liane Moriarty, Lauren Weisberger, Tana French, Joshilyn Jackson, Kate Morton, and Sue Monk Kidd.