Last year I wrote a summer reading list for moms. Since reading is still one of my favorite activities, I decided to make another list as the summer season begins. So far this year I have read 20 books (out of my goal of 30 in the Goodreads challenge). Clearly, books are on my brain. Although I know summer time for moms isn’t always full of the laid back glory days we may remember from our childhoods, I still associate summertime with more time to read. Whether or not it’s actually true (in my case it’s not), we can pretend.
I want to offer a selection of some of the books I think would be a great addition to any summer reading list. Hopefully somewhere in here you will find a suggestion that suits your reading pleasure. Because I also love quotes, I have included some of my favorite quotes from each book, as well.
Books I’ve Read:
“He is fifteen and ten and five. He is an instant. He is flying back to her. He is hers again. She feels the weight of him in her chest as he comes into her arms. He is her son, her beloved child, and she takes him back.”
This is my favorite book that I have recently read and also my first Ann Patchett book. I found the story to be captivating and moving. Family relationships are often complicated, and I thought that Ann Patchett did a good job of exploring the ties that hold families together, even if only by a thread.
My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
“This must be the way most of us maneuver through the world, half knowing, half not, visited by memories that can’t possibly be true. But when I see others walking with confidence down the sidewalk, as though they are free completely from terror, I realize I don’t know how others are. So much of life seems speculation.”
This is a quick and easy read, but don’t let the simplicity and length of the book fool you. Elizabeth Strout has a beautiful way of weaving complex narratives, particularly the complicated love between a mother and daughter. I recently read the follow-up to this book, Anything is Possible, and I loved it just as much.
“The plan was in the water we drank, the air we breathed. It was poured into the pavement on the streets we called home. Marry a nice man, one who was a good provider, and live happily, or at least comfortably, ever after. Safe to say I’d followed the plan. I’d married a banker. Had a baby. But the plan had failed me.”
This book is the first book in a series called The Country Club Murders. Currently the series consists of 5 books, and I have read 2 of them. They are such a pleasure. The main character, Ellison Russell finds herself in many hard to believe ridiculous situations (and also near many dead bodies), but this book will keep you entertained from start to finish.
Crimes Against A Book Club by Kathy Cooperman
“How did the nursery rhyme go? ‘Old Mother Hubbard went to her cupboard and found she was fresh out of blow.’ Something like that.”
Although the premise is a little scandalous (two women plot to scam the rich women in their book club by selling overpriced face cream laced with cocaine), I didn’t want to put this book down. The humor and light hearted feel (despite the obvious, very serious crime) amused me.
“Sometimes it amazes me how much these defining parts of our lives hinge on chance.”
A new twist on an old favorite, Eligible modernizes Pride and Prejudice. I absolutely loved this book, and the characters were fun and refreshing. The added twist of having one of the leading men be a reality star on a Bachelor type show hooked me from the start. This is a perfect summer beach read.
Books On My Radar/To Read Next List:
Into The Water by Paula Hawkins
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
Option B by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Crimes Against aBook Club sounds really good and I heard Small Great Things is excellent. Her book Keeping Faith was one of the best books I read last year.
Yes! Crimes Against A Book Club really made me laugh. It was a fun and entertaining read. I really want to read Small Great Things. I haven’t heard of Keeping Faith, but I will look into it!