What is on a book blogger’s summer reading list? Check out Rachael’s list of books to read this summer.
Every year, I love to create a summer reading list for my readers. I research the best books to read this summer and read as many as I can to give you the ultimate summer reading guide.
However, that means that by the time summer rolls around, I’ve already read the summer reads I’m recommending.
So what does a book blogger read in the summer?
I always think it’s fun to give you a peek at my personal summer reading list. For those hot summer months, I like to catch up on some recent reads as well as some backlist favorites I keep hearing great things about.
Go ahead. Satisfy your curiosity and glance through what’s on my summer reading list in 2023.
Upcoming Book Releases
Dark Corners
Megan Goldin
In a sequel to The Night Swim, podcaster Rachel Krall returns to assist the FBI in investigating a case. Popular true crime podcaster Maddison Logan interviewed soon-to-be released serial killer Terence Bailey in prison and then disappeared. But Maddison Logan seems to only exist online. Going undercover at a popular influencer convention, Rachel discovers a fierce world of competitors and suspects that Bailey might have an accomplice on the outside.
None of This is True
Lisa Jewell
On her forty-fifth birthday, Alix Summers runs into Josie Fair, who happens to also be celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. Soon Alix runs into Josie again, and the two become friends. Josie thinks her interesting life would be a great subject for Alix’s true crime podcast. Josie manipulates her way into Josie’s life and home before vanishing. Suddenly, Alix finds unexpectedly finds herself the subject of her own podcast and must uncover Josie’s dark secrets to protect her family.
The River We Remember
William Kent Krueger
In 1958, Sheriff Brody Dern investigates the murder of a wealthy landowner in a small Minnesota town. The rumor mill is quickly ablaze, accusing the murder on Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII vet who just returned to town with his new Japanese bride. As Brody tries to find the truth, the physical and emotional wounds from World War II bring up old grievances in the community.
Happiness Falls
Angie Kim
Twenty-year-old Mia isn’t particularly concerned when her father and brother are late coming home from a walk. Until her little brother walks in covered in blood. With a rare genetic condition, Eugene can’t communicate what happened. Now Mia must race to find answers, desperately hoping the family’s secrets won’t be exposed.
My Darling Girl
Jennifer McMahon
Alison has always hated Christmas, but her holiday season gets worse when her mother calls and tells her she only has a few weeks to live. Reluctantly, Alison agrees to take in Mavis despite Alison’s traumatic memories of her abusive alcoholic mother. Instead of healing the relationship, Alison begins to suspect her mother is not who she thought. When other-worldly things begin to happen, Alison must decide how far she is willing to go to save her family from this nightmare.
Book of the Month Picks
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?
Crystal Smith Paul
When legendary white actress Kitty Karr Tate leaves her entire estate to the St. John sisters, three wealthy Black women, the media has lots of questions. As Elise St. John sorts through Kitty’s journals, she finds something that will change her world. For Kitty’s rise to fame from a segregated Southern town is a tale of unexpected family, sacrifices, and crimes that could ruin the St. John family.
Pineapple Street
Jenny Jackson
The Stockton family of Brooklyn Heights has lived off their connections and old money for generations, firmly placing them amongst New York’s one-percenters. Darley, the eldest daughter, traded her job for motherhood but has lost herself in the process. Meanwhile, Georgiana, the youngest, finds herself facing forbidden love, forcing her to choose what she really wants. And Sasha, the daughter-in-law, feels like an outsider after marrying into wealth that she could never have comprehended. Pineapple Street falls all three women, giving a witty look at modern life.
River Sing Me Home
Eleanor Shearer
At a Barbados plantation in 1834, the master gathers his slaves together and announces that they have all been emancipated. Now they are to be his apprentices instead of slaves, although they must now work for him for another six years. Instead, Rachel decides to leave, searching for her five children who were sold away.
The Last Word
Taylor Adams
House sitter Emma Carpenter lives in a secluded life at a beach house on the Washington coast. After leaving a one-star review on a poorly-written horror novel, Emma finds herself in an online argument with the author. When strange things begin to happen at night, Emma begins to suspect that the author might be stalking her.
Backlist Books
Beyond the Point
Claire Gibson
On the eve of 9/11, three women entering the U.S. Military Academy at West Point form an enduring friendship to see them through the years ahead. Dani, the star athlete determined to break barriers; Hannah, the Army brat guided by her faith; and Avery, the wild child pushing boundaries. Covering women in the military and the history of West Point as well as the post-9/11 years, Gibson’s debut novel has plenty to set it apart.
Dava Shastri’s Last Day
Kirthana Ramisetti
One of the wealthiest women in the world, Dava Shastri is used to getting her way. When she is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Dava gathers her entire family to her private island, and then leeks an early press release announcing her death. Instead of accolades, Dava is stunned to see articles revealing hidden secrets, which she now must explain to her children.
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore
Robin Sloan
After losing his job in the Great Recession, Clay Jannon takes a position at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. However, something is odd about this particular bookstore. The customers are sparse and never buy any books. Instead, the “check out” obscure large volumes lost in the hidden corners of the store.
Bel Canto
Ann Patchett
In South America, famous opera singer Roxane Cross entertains the crowd gathered at the Vice President’s home to celebrate the birthday of Mr. Hosokawa, a powerful businessman. Until terrorists storm the party taking everyone hostage. What begins as a terrifying ordeal morphs into something poignant as individuals from different backgrounds begin to bond together.
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage
Ann Patchett
I visited Ann Patchett’s gorgeous bookstore, Parnassus Books, in Nashville, Tennessee, and couldn’t resist purchasing a signed copy of one of her books. Since I had just purchased Bel Canto at a thrift store a few weeks before, I settled on her memoir, a Reese Witherspoon book club book. In a series of essays, Patchett writes about what is most important and the moments throughout her life that have shaped her.
Lilac Girls
Martha Hall Kelly
Martha Hall Kelly’s debut novel follows three different women as their lives are set on a collision course. Caroline Ferriday is an American socialite working at the consulate in Paris when Germany invades Poland and sets its sights on France. Polish teenager Kasia Kuzmerick is terrified one wrong move will spell her doom as she works with the resistance movement. Ambitious young German doctor Herta Oberheuser is thrilled to get a new government job until she learns what the Nazis really want her to do.
Rough Draft
Katy Tur
MSNBC news anchor Katy Dur recounts a lifetime of chasing news. Her parents Marika Gerard and Bob (now Zoey) Tur gained fame and wealth as helicopter journalists covering such events as O.J. Simpson’s car chase. By high school, they had lost it all, leaving Tur with a complicated relationship with her parents. Telling of her own rise from local reporter to foreign correspondent and eventually news anchor, Tur ponders on the roles and responsibilities of journalists.
Books I Hope to Read
Yellowface
R. F. Kuang
Although June and Athena went to school together, Athena has found major success as an Asian-American novelist while June struggles to get a foot in the door, probably because she’s just another basic white girl. When June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she impetuously snatches up Athena’s unfinished work. Publishing it as her own, June rebrands herself as a racially ambiguous Juniper Song and becomes an instant bestseller. Yet as the truth threatens to come out, June must decide how far she is willing to go to keep her secret.
The Only One Left
Riley Sager
Since 1929, Lenora Hope has never left her family’s Maine estate, ever since she was accused, but not convicted, of killing her sister. Now in 1983, Kit McDeere becomes Lenora’s home health aide to care for the wheelchair-bound woman who cannot speak. As Lenora begins to type out her story to Kit, Kit suspects that the old lady might not be as harmless as she appears.
You Could Make This Place Beautiful
Maggie Smith
Poet Maggie Smith never imagine that her career success would lead to the deterioration of her marriage. In her lyrical memoir, Smith tells her tale of heartbreak and rebuilding as she is determined to become a fierce mother even as she finds herself. More than just her story, You Could Make This Place Beautiful contemplates modern womanhood, traditional gender roles, patriarchy’s role in society, and the challenges facing women today.
Poverty, by America
Matthew Desmond
The United States of America is one of the wealthiest nations in the world, yet has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Sociologist Matthew Desmond explores the root of poverty in America. From concentrating wealth (and poverty) to subsidizing those already financially secure, Desmond gives a searing look into how America keeps the rich rich and the poor poor.
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev
Dawnie Walton
In her debut novel, Dawnie Walton writes the oral history of a fictional rock & roll duo who rose to fame in the 1970s. Coming of age in Detroit, Opal knows she can be a star despite her unusual Afro-punk style and teams up with British singer Nev. When another band on the label uses a Confederate flag, Opal’s vehement protests have lasting repercussions. As Opal and Nev contemplate a reunion in 2016, dark secrets about their past start to surface.
What’s on Your Summer Reading List?
What do you think? How does your summer reading list compare to mine? What are good books to read this summer? As always, let me know in the comments!
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