Happy Memorial Day, Y’all! Summer is non-officially here (summer starts Memorial Day in my head) and that means my 2019 Summer Reading Guide is also here! I’ve got 26 awesome beach reads in 4 categories and will continue adding new books throughout the summer.
And, since my Summer Reading Guide is done, I’m now doing some free range reading. I’m working on July books and have a couple books that should come in from the library soon.
Podcast
Episode 20, Top 10 All-Time Favorite Summer Reads with Susie of Novel Visits, aired last week!
Episode 21, featuring Mary Laura Philpott (author of I Miss You When I Blink), will air on Wednesday!
New on the Blog
- The 2019 Summer Reading Guide…26 books in 4 categories (Something Light, Something Intense / Fast-Paced, Something With a Bit of Substance, and Something Different).
- 2019 Rock Your Reading Tracker – I used my “Rock Your Reading Tracker” this year to track all my reading stats in real time and figure out who my best recommendation sources are…and, my reading QUALITY improved 42% from last year! The new and improved 2019 tracker is now available for $14.99…get more details here!
Hosted by The Book Date.
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I finished reading…
Lifelines by Heidi Diehl (June 18, 2019)
I liked this novel alright, but it doesn’t measure up to other family dramas I’ve read this year. Mini review coming.
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Girls Like Us by Cristina Alger (July 2, 2019)
I’m not sure I liked this police procedural quite as much as The Banker’s Wife (her last novel), but it was still a solid 4 star suspense read! Plus, I enjoyed the Montauk setting.
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I’m currently reading…
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert (June 4, 2019)
I wasn’t planning to read this novel by the author of Eat, Pray, Love because it’s set in a New York theater and theater isn’t really my thing. But, after a bunch of my best recommendation sources raved about it over the past few days, I decided to give it a try. I’m 40% in and loving it so far! It’s unexpectedly funny and I love the voice.
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I tried, but wasn’t feeling…
Places and Names: On War, Revolution, and Returning
DNF at 23%
I think this memoir is well-done, but it was too war-focused for me. In Waiting for Eden, he focused more on the personal impact of war once you got home, which was more appealing.
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Upcoming reading plans…
We Came Here to Forget
This story of an Olympic skier partially set in Buenos Aires has me super excited since you know how much I love the Olympics. Plus, the Goodreads reviews are great!
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How was your reading week?
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I finished reading and liked “The Favorite Daughter” by Kaira Rouda. This was a solid 4 star read for me. The main character was very unreliable and unlikeable even so it was a entertaining read lets just say Jane was over the top!
I haven’t tried any of Gilbert’s work yet and I’m not sure why. I’m looking forward to your thoughts on this one.
Like you and for the same reasons, I passed on City of Girls. Obviously a mistake. I went ahead and put in library holds for both print and audio. I’ll read it when one of those comes in.
I feel better about letting go of Places and Names since you also DNF’d it. I wanted more of the personal and less of the history lesson.
I kicked off summer reading today with Dani Shapiro’s Inheritance from your 2019 guide. I’m going to try to make it through as many titles off the list as possible till I go back to school at the end of July!
In thriller mode and read Emma in the Night from your recommendation and then Dark Matter. Enjoyed both although had a hard time caring about the characters in Emma….maybe until the end. Blew through a Dark Matter and found it to be wildly entertaining.
So a 4 start for Girls Like Us from you definitely makes me want to read it!
I read Girls Like Us this week too. I did enjoy it. I think I liked it better than The Banker’s Wife. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
Oh interesting! I liked Banker’s Wife better, but still really liked Girls.
I passed on Gilbert’s, I’ll be interested to see what you think though.
Have a great reading week
Finished it now and LOVED!
Lots of variety. I haven’t been a Gilbert fan, so I passed. Girls Like us is on my list.
I didn’t realize Elizabeth Gilbert wrote a novel. I like the theatre so it sounds like one I should try.
I’ve finished it now – LOVED!
I read The Inheritance by Dani Shapiro. I had read her book Devotion but had been left unsatisfied. Now having read Inheritance I realize why – she was still searching for something and at last found it . It’s a remarkable journey which she so aptly conveys.
I’m currently reading The Book of Dreams by Nina George which is positively delightful. A wonderful go to book when you want to forget just about anything. It’s warm and inviting and you are immediately drawn to the characters.
I haven’t read any other Shapiro, but now want to!