We’ve had such a busy summer so far, but I still managed to get some reading in. I used to have a job where I felt like I had to constantly keep up with a certain amount of books per year and they all had to be specific genres. Now, I have the flexibility to read what I want, when I want. I love reading! I could easily spend all night devouring a great book, but being a responsible adult gets in the way of that. Without my previous job’s pressure, I can simply enjoy a book when I can. And who wouldn’t want to read with a cuddle bug like my Lola!
My summer reading list is a little all over the place. I’m not the type to stick to one genre or style, although I do really love a great mystery or thriller. I love reading anything from new releases to old classics, and everything in between (like those “beach reads” that will never win a Pulitzer but make for such a delightful guilty pleasure).
My Summer Reading List
THE BOOK FOR FASHION LOVERS…
Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen
If there’s one book to take to the pool, on a trip, or just curl up by the beach with, it’s this one. I loved Park Avenue Summer. It has all the Man Men feels! It centers around Alice Weiss, a single girl who lands a job at Cosmopolitan Magazine in New York City at the same time Helen Gurley Brown takes over as the first female editor-in-chief. If you don’t know HGB, Google her now. It’s 1965, a time when the publishing industry was dominated by men. Helen takes Cosmopolitan from a failing magazine to a best seller, creating the “Cosmo Girl” in the process. Alice bears witness to it all, including a plot to sabotage Helen and ruin the magazine. Making her own way in New York, Alice realizes that women can really have it all, thanks to her loyal friendship with Helen and a cast of other interesting characters. Romance, mystery, fashion, drama…Park Avenue Summer is a great summer read.
THE BOOK FOR MUSIC LOVERS (PLUS A LITTLE DRAMA)…
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Although I wasn’t a fan of the style in which it is written, Daisy Jones & The Six was an interesting story that basically epitomizes the whole sex, drugs, and rock & roll culture. It reads like a transcript from a VH1 Behind the Music episode. All of the characters tell parts of the story to an unknown interviewer, whose identity and connection to the band is revealed at the end. It’s set in L.A. in the late sixties to early seventies. Daisy Jones is a bit of an “it girl” on the strip, spending nights at the Whisky a Go Go doing drugs and sleeping with rock stars. She’s also quite a musical talent herself and ends up being signed with The Six, a band led by the handsome and somewhat complicated Billy Dunne. As with a lot of rock bands, the story goes in the usual way – successful first album, touring, lots of drugs and sex, power struggles, fights, and eventually a breakup. But what causes the group’s demise is only revealed in the end.
THE BOOK FOR LITERARY LOVERS…
My book nerd friends and librarians may roll their eyes at this selection. You don’t ever really see big name best sellers on reading lists like this. They make the New York Times Best Seller list for a few weeks and then the author pumps out another one later in the year. I get it. It can be a little formulaic. But, I have to say that Camino Island is a great story, especially for book lovers. It’s not a courtroom drama by any means. It’s an intriguing tale of a literary heist, one that involves the theft of priceless manuscripts by F. Scott Fitzgerald from the library at Princeton. The FBI thinks they have a lead on a rare book seller in Camino Island, Florida who might have purchased them on the black market. The main character, Mercer Mann, is a budding novelist spending time on the island to get rid of her writer’s block. Soon, a relationship between Mercer and the book seller develops, and before she knows it she’s part of an FBI investigation. Did he really steal the manuscripts? You’ll have to read it to find out! I found the story to be captivating and I continued to think about it for a few days afterward. The setting and literary references throughout make for a fun read.
THE THRILLING NEW RELEASE…
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
A famous painter fatally shoots her husband and then never speaks another word. Committed to a mental hospital, she won’t open up to anyone until Theo Faber arrives. He’s a criminal psychotherapist and has been waiting to try and crack her for some time. He’s determined to get her to talk about that fateful night and why she did it. But the longer their sessions continue, the more tangled the tale becomes and Theo’s true motivations are revealed. If you love a good thriller, this book should be on your list. The mystery of why she killed her husband remains unknown until practically the very last page.
THE CLASSIC…
Every summer I try to read at least one classic that I’ve never read before. Can you believe I’ve never read The Outsiders? I know, it’s like I’ve been living under a rock or something. It wasn’t a required reading book when I was in school like it is now. I really loved the story of Ponyboy and the rest of the greasers. It’s a poignant tale of what it’s really like to be an adolescent. There’s a whole world that we as adults have either forgotten about or choose to blissfully ignore. The story of the greasers versus the socs is one that still resonates today, some 50+ years after it was written. Conflict, social class, bullying, and even death are all woven into the lives of these characters, just as they are in real life. If you haven’t read it, grab a copy and escape for a while. It’s a short read and definitely worth it. After finishing the book we watched the movie, which remains pretty true to the book. But as always, the book is better than the film.
What’s on your summer reading list? Is there one book that you read that you feel EVERYONE should read, too? Let me know in the comments!
Happy reading!
xo – Erin
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Putting Camino Island on my list! The cover of The Silent Patient makes me feel icky though. 😛 I just finished Truly Madly Guilty and really liked it!
I hope you enjoy Camino Island! And I’m always interested in book recs – will have to check out Truly Madly Guilty! xo – Erin