This might sound backwards, but I do most of my reading in the summer. I don’t want to be inside looking at screens, and scrolling on your phone in the sun is an impossible task thanks to the glare so I do a lot more reading in the summer than I do in the winter. And I have some books I like to revisit in the summer more so than in the colder months.

Repeat Offenders

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha – This is a heavier read, but it’s superb, and short.

Chanel Cleeton – I haven’t read everything, but I have read 5/7 and loved them all.

Emily Henry – I don’t think I love Emily Henry as much as everyone on Instagram loves Emily Henry, but they are a great beach read.

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner – I love this book, similar to One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London, it’s a story of a woman in a larger body, but it’s not really about that, it’s just a point to note because most romance/murder mystery novels do not involve a woman over a size 6 in a role beyond best friend. So that’s cool. But otherwise this is just a really fun book about friendship and murder.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins – The Villa is your classic murder mystery set in two timelines. In one timeline, a group of 70s British musicians, writers and artists rent a villa in Italy for the summer and by the end of the summer marriages are over and one of them is dead. In the modern-day timeline two childhood friends who are now (very different) authors decide to reconnect their friendship and spend the summer writing at the same villa in Italy.

Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy – I don’t normally go for romance novels like this, but I really enjoyed this and really want to go back for the sequel. This is a perfect beach read.

The Tea Shop Mystery Series by Laura Childs – I feel like cozy mysteries should be more of a fall/winter read, but I love these in the summer. They are just easy, and Theodosia is one of my comfort characters.

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London – this is a novel about a Bachelor-type show with a plus-size lead. It’s super fun.

New Reads

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin – I’m currently reading this book and really enjoying it.

Horse by Geraldine Brooks

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune – this is set in a cottage country town very near where I lived as a teenager and is supposed to be very good.

Meet Me At the Lake by Carley Fortune – Not a sequel, but if Every Summer After is as good as everyone says it is, I will want to read this too.

Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy – this is in the same universe as Good Girl Complex, but with the other brother.

The Summer Girl by Elle Kennedy – part of the same universe, and new in July.

Happy Place by Emily Henry – is it summer without new Emily Henry?

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum – this beach town murder mystery seems like everything I want.

The Shift by Tinx – I originally was going to resist this book, but now that it’s out and real people are reading it I’m intrigued.

I’m also considering a kindle instead of physical copies. I have some travel coming up and I got hard core shamed by the gate agent when I was flying home from the holidays for carrying around 4 novels in my bag and she had a point. A Kindle is much lighter.

That’s it, which is actually kind of a long list. The best part of summer though is that there is no pressure for anything, including completing your reading list.

What are you reading this summer?

Laura