In Ep. 195, Susie (@NovelVisits) and Sarah are back to share their favorite books that missed last year’s Summer Reading Guide and our #1 picks for each category featured in my 2025 Summer Reading Guide. Plus, they begin by sharing how their summer reading habits have evolved over the years.
This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).
Once again, we are happy to offer a Printable Cheatsheet for this year’s Guide:
- Available to anyone who signs up for a FREE TRIAL of our Patreon Community (sign up here) OR our Substack Paid Feed (sign up here).
- The Summer Reading Guide in quick recommendations in PDF format for easy printing (great for taking to the bookstore or library!). Plus:
- Summer Reading recommendations from our Sarah’s Bookshelves Live team (Catherine from Gilmore Guide to Books, Susie from Novel Visits, and Chrissie Whitley from @chrissiewhitley).
- Summer Reading recommendations from my Top Recommendation Sources from last year.
- Access to the Summer Reading Guide Cheatsheet and sign-ups for our Free Trials of our Patreon Community and PAID Substack Community will close on Friday, May 23 (right before Memorial Day weekend).
- When you sign up for a Free Trial, you’ll receive a Welcome Letter with a link to the Summer Reading Guide Cheatsheet (and a Starter Roadmap of bonus content to make sure you try during your Trial window).
- As a participant in our Free Trials, you’ll also get access to our entire back catalog of bonus podcast episodes and my Rock Your Reading Tracker.
Summer Reading [7:42]
The Evolution of Our Summer Reading Journeys [8:41]
Books Mentioned by Susie
- London by Edward Rutherfurd (1997) [15:09]
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (2005) [16:09]
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008) [16:12]
- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (2005) [16:15]
- Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (2009) [16:31]
- The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (2013) [16:32]
- 11/22/63 by Stephen King (2011) [16:34]
Books Mentioned by Sarah
- Jaws by Peter Benchley (1974) [17:57]
- The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (1943) [21:02]
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (1957) [21:03]
- Fall of Giants by Ken Follett (2010) [21:06]
Books That Missed Last Year’s Summer Reading Guide [24:23]
Sarah
- JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography by RoseMarie Terenzio and Liz McNeil (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [24:27]
- Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [29:08]
- Hunted by Abir Mukherjee (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [35:51]
Susie
- The Most by Jessica Anthony (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [27:10]
- The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [31:52]
- Blue Light Hours by Bruna Dantas Lobato (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:01]
Other Books Mentioned
- The Measure by Nikki Erlick (2022) [30:13]
Our #1 Summer Picks by Category [40:37]
Something Light / Fun
- Sarah: The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [41:23]
- Susie: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:36]
- Other Books Mentioned
- Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett (2022) [41:35]
Something Fast-Paced / Intense
- Sarah: Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:27]
Slow-Burn Suspense
- Susie: The Death of Us by Abigail Dean (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [52:40]
Something With a Bit More Substance
- Sarah: Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [55:54]
- Susie: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [58:46]
- Other Books Mentioned
- Dream State by Eric Puchner (2025) [1:00:00]
Something Different
- Sarah: Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:01:33]
- Susie: Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:03:47]
- Other Books Mentioned
- Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (2005) [1:02:59]
- Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2019) [1:06:24]
About Susie Boutry
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Susie has loved reading for as long as she can remember. Some of her fondest childhood memories involve long afternoons at the library and then reading late into the night. More than ten years ago, she began journaling about the books she read and turned that passion into writing about books. Her first forays were as a guest reviewer on a friend’s blog, but she soon realized she wanted to be reviewing and talking about books on a blog of her own. From there, Novel Visits was born. That was in 2016 and, though the learning curve was steep, she loves being a part of the book community. Novel Visits focuses on new novel reviews (print and audio), previews of upcoming releases, and musings on all things bookish.
Next Episodes
Next Wednesday (May 21), Catherine (@GilmoreGuide) will be joining Sarah for the Spring 2025 Circle Back episode. And the following week (May 28), Catherine and Sarah are back with the Summer 2025 Book Preview.
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