summer reading: a seasonal round-up
everything I read this summer.
It has been a wonderful summer of reading over here! Summer is always a big reading season for me and I officially read 30 books this summer - a mix of physical copies, titles on my e-reader and a handful of audiobooks. Many of the reads were from my Summer 2024 Reading List which I shared back in July. I love matching my reading to the rhythms of the year and this list compiled all the summer-y titles that I wanted to read this season.
In this post, you’ll find a list of all the titles on my summer reading list, including a brief description and my rating and thoughts. Below the books on my official list, I have also shared the 19 titles that I read outside of my planned summer reading list, along with ratings.
This is a long one so it may be clipped in your email, you can always click over to read the full post on Substack! There are a lot of these books that I would highly recommend, I hope you find something you’re excited to add to your own reading list.
Summer 2024 Reading List
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
In Sandwich, we spend a week with the protagonist (clearly modeled after Newman herself) and her family over the course of a week at the beach. Her newly adult children both need her and don’t, her body viscerally feels the pain and growth of menopause and of having given birth and not, and her aging parents join for a few days of the week when their own frailty becomes glaringly obvious. You empathize with and judge the narrator, in a similar way that we both criticize and appreciate our own selves and bodies.
Loved it. I find Catherine Newman’s slice-of-life writing to be absolutely devastating. She perfectly captures just how joyful and painful it is to exist in your body, to love and be loved and to feel time pass.
The Garnett Girls by Georgina Moore
This book is set on the Isle of Wight, where a mother and her three adult daughters reckon with the big life decisions.
Liked it. This was an easy read and I loved the synchronicity of reading it while on the Isle of Wight where it is set. I loved meeting the different sisters and the mom in this story and their interactions over the course of the book.
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
A young woman in 1997 reels from the death of her mother and a romantic heartbreak. She spends a listless summer in Massachusetts, waiting tables and attempting to write a novel she has been working on for years.
Loved it. I found it easy to connect with the main character, Casey, who had just lost her mother, is constantly trying to just get by, and still works so hard to be a writer.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
A wealthy man found stabbed in the heart, Hercule Poirot turns up to save the day and solve the mystery. When I saw this one on Emma Straub’s very short summer must-read list, I knew I had to read it this summer!
Liked it. I can always enjoy an Agatha Christie! I listed to this one on audio and found the story fun to tune into, although I did start to see the twist coming well before it was revealed.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Set in a cherry orchard in Northern Michigan, Lara’s three adult daughters return home and over the course of the summer come to reflect on the life their mother led before them, their own relationships, love and marriage.
Loved it. This was such a lovely read - the setting, the characters, the dual timeline. I absolutely adored hearing about Lara’s life as a young twenty-something spending a summer working in a theater in Michigan and falling in love. The tender tone of nostalgia throughout was just perfect for me. This absolutely deserves to be on your summer reading list!
The Hole by Hiroko Oyamada
Asa and her husband, a young couple, move to a rural town and adjust to life there over the course of a long hot summer. Supernatural experiences lead Asa to become disconnected from reality and begin to question her own sanity.
Not for me. This was a very short read, but it just left me wanting so much more. The narrative is very sparse and I would have loved the characters and actions to be more fleshed out. Stylistically, the Hole simply wasn’t to my taste.
Brutes by Dizz Tate
Set in the swampy Florida summer heat, this books revolves around a group of thirteen-year-old girls and the local preacher’s daughter who goes missing. There is both darkness at the heart of the story right alongside the joys of being thirteen and of deep childhood friendships.
Not for me. I found this narrative very hard to follow. The writing style is somewhat experimental and each chapter jumps between different narrators, all kids from this same teen friend group, and between time periods. In certain sections, there is ambiguity around who the narrator is. This book had me hopping on reddit afterwards for an explainer. If you enjoy unique writing and are comfortable puzzling out a narrative, this may be a better fit for you.
Pieces of Blue by Holly Goldberg Sloan
When a father suddenly dies by drowning, his broken-hearted widow and three children move to Hawaii to try to restore a ramshackle hotel and restart their lives.
Loved it. This family was so easy to root for. The characters are all loveable. The setting feels believable. I’d actually recommend this as a late summer/early autumn read. It’s all about a family getting into a routine, starting a new life, and making their way at a new school.
Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados
Twenty-one-year-old Isa and her best friend gallivant around New York City and the Hamptons in a summer of fun, glamour, and no money at all.
Loved it. This was such a good story of friendship. Isa is one of the more interesting narrators I have read.
Luster by Raven Leilani
A woman in her twenties navigates life - sex, race, work, and believing in herself as an artist. After meeting a man in an open marriage, she unexpectedly connects with his wife and becomes a role model to his adopted daughter, perhaps the only Black person the daughter knows.
Liked it. This book really surprised me and defied my expectations throughout. The adopted daughter’s story line was much more minor than I anticipated. The focus was really on Edie herself and more than anything this was a book about isolation and facing the world on your own.
Wait by Gabriella Burnham
When their mother goes missing, two sisters return to Nantucket. After discovering that she was deported back to Brazil, the sisters work together to reestablish themselves on the island and bring their mother home.
Loved it. This was a book about class - the tensions on Nantucket between the elite who summer there and the year-round residents who cater the parties and clean the houses of those same elites. The narration jumps around between the main characters and I was fascinated seeing the world through each of their eyes as the summer unfolded. This will be a reread for sure.
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
An indigenous family is berry-picking in Maine in 1962 when their four-year-old daughter disappears. A second storyline tells the story of a girl growing up as the only child to an affluent family, whose dreams feel more like memories.
Still not sure! This is the very last book on my summer TBR and I’m still number 176 on the hold list at my library. Have you read it? Should I wait patiently for my turn at the library or bump it to my reading list for next summer?
All the books that I read off my Summer Reading List
Strange Weather in Tokyo - Hiromi Kawakami | Liked it.
The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah | Loved it.
Turbulence - David Szalay | Loved it.
Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer | Loved it.
An Island Wedding - Jenny Colgan | Liked it.
The English Understand Wool - Helen Dewitt | Liked it.
North Woods - Daniel Mason | Liked it.
The Summer Demands - Deborah Shapiro | Liked it.
Summer - Ali Smith | Liked it.
Land of Milk and Honey - C Pam Zhang | Not for me.
Fleishman is in Trouble - Taffy Brodesser-Akner | Liked it.
Velvet Was the Night - Silvia Morena Garcia | Liked it.
The Trio - Johanna Hedman | Loved it.
Modern Lovers - Emma Straub | Loved it. This is one of my tried and true summer favorites that I reread this year! Find a description on the original summer reading list post here.
Villa Triste - Patrick Modiano | Liked it.
Bright Dead Things - Ada Limon | Liked it.
Swing Time - Zadie Smith | Liked it.
The God of the Woods - Liz Moore | Loved it - full review here!
Heartburn - Nora Ephron | Loved it.
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