I always get some of my best reading done in the summer. I spend a good amount of time seaside and poolside, and I can sit there with a book for hours.
And much like my list of books that capture very specific feelings, I often want to read something that feels like it should be read in the summer (despite not being a typical “beach read” person). The first book on this list is the perfect example of what I mean.
Without further ado…here are my top five.
1. The Wedding People by Alison Espach
The Wedding People is the most recent book I’ve finished, about a week before summer officially ended today. It’s also the most recent book that got my “cried” tag. I was determined to finish it while it was technically summer, and I’m so glad I did because it didn’t disappoint. In fact, it’s one of the very few books I’ve rated five stars this year.
The story begins with a woman named Phoebe, whose life and marriage have fallen apart. On a whim, she checks into a luxury hotel with her own plans, but when it turns out she’s the only guest not attending a wedding, her week takes an unexpected turn.
This story perfectly illustrates how life’s unplanned detours and a few encounters with random people can change everything.
2. How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz
Even if I hadn’t been in the same job search boat as the main character, Cara Romero, this summer, I’m sure I still would’ve loved How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water and its endearing heroine.
The book has a unique structure, where Cara, a mid-50s woman returning to the job market for the first time in decades, shares her story over the course of twelve sessions with a job counselor. As she tries to figure out what type of job she can try next, she navigates rising debt, neighborhood gentrification, loss, and family relationships, including the pain of not knowing what happened with her estranged son.
It’s short but still manages to be funny, insightful, and incredibly moving.
3. Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
When I mentioned Chain Gang All-Stars in a previous post, I said it was excellent but hard to recommend. I stand by that, but it’s ultimately a really great book. It’s a dystopian novel that brilliantly addresses some harsh truths about America’s prison system—if you can stomach it.
In it, two top women gladiators fight for their freedom for the public’s entertainment. The world they live in is so depraved, so immoral, that it naturally progresses to a devastating situation with impossible moral choices and lethal consequences.
This story is action-packed and hard to look away from (unless you need a break from the violence, like I did). It tells an important story about what can happen when mass incarceration and unchecked capitalism meet, producing a society that’s so corrupt and morally bankrupt, it’s both hard and frighteningly easy to imagine.
4. The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley
The Girls Who Grew Big is another example of the ideal summer book for me. It’s set in Padua Beach, Florida, and felt just “summery” enough. And while it’s not light, it’s full of heart in the way books about female friendship typically are.
The story follows a group of teenage mothers who, together, face judgment from their small town neighbors, questions about who they can become, and the chaos that can unfold in the search for love.
“The girls” had each other’s backs, and there was something I loved about their realistic, untidy, nonlinear relationships and paths. It’s a brutally—and beautifully—raw representation of the ups and downs of friendship, girlhood, womanhood, and motherhood.
5. Alligator Tears by Edgar Gomez
Reading books set in Florida must’ve been my summer vibe, because Alligator Tears was another standout. I’ve read mostly nonfiction so far this year, but it’s the only nonfiction book that made this list.
This memoir in essays offered humor, sharp writing, and gritty, thrilling tales of survival and self-discovery. It’s a really strong collection that details the author’s coming-of-age journey, from queerness and love to making ends meet by any means necessary. It was a joy to read along as the author accomplished his dreams, and I didn’t want it to end.
That’s a wrap on summer reading! I had a good time, but I’m really excited for fall. I have a loose, unrealistic TBR full of Hunger Games books (finally), thrillers (because I usually do a spooky October), sci-fi, poetry collections, and cozy literary fiction.
I’d love to hear about the best book(s) you read this summer and/or what you’re planning to read during the fall.
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