Hello my darlings. Summer is finally here and I have been wanting to spend more time reading in the sun. I wanted to speak on a few books that I look forward to reading in the summer and maybe you can add to your book list or to be read pile. I have created a list of 10 books ranging from different genres to give you a little bit of a variety. Summer can bring out a new mood and why not add a new book that was just recently released or will soon be released. Some of these books you can find physically or you can choose to download an e-book version.
Title: The Taking Of Jake Livingston
Author: Ryan Douglass
Genre: YA Fiction
Availability: July 13, 2021
Synopsis: "Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston sees dead people everywhere. But he can't decide what's worse: being a medium forced to watch the dead play out their last moments on a loop or being at the mercy of racist teachers as one of the few Black students at St. Clair Prep. Both are a living nightmare he wishes he could wake up from. But things at St. Clair start looking up with the arrival of another Black student--the handsome Allister--and for the first time, romance is on the horizon for Jake. Unfortunately, life as a medium is getting worse."
Between the romance and mediumship, I can't wait to get my hands on this book. I love the diversity aspect as well as the splash of psychic and mediumship abilities. Is The Taking Of Jake Livingston on your book radar?
Title: One Last Stop
Author: Casey McQuiston
Genre: Romance
Availability: Available
Synopsis: "For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.
But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train."
This adorable book that uncovers a romance between two women in NYC already has me intrigued and excited to see how things develop. I have been missing NYC lately and this book will help me live through a few characters in one of my favorite cities.
Title: Afterparties: Stories
Author: Anthony Veasna So
Genre: Stories
Availability: August 5, 2021
Synopsis: "Seamlessly transitioning between the absurd and the tenderhearted, balancing acerbic humor with sharp emotional depth, Afterparties offers an expansive portrait of the lives of Cambodian-Americans. As the children of refugees carve out radical new paths for themselves in California, they shoulder the inherited weight of the Khmer Rouge genocide and grapple with the complexities of race, sexuality, friendship, and family."
Afterparties seems like a great book filled with multiple books wrapped up into one. This book will tell the stories of different lives and what they went through in their lives. I can't wait to see how this book develops.
Title: The Guncle
Author: Steven Rowley
Genre: LGBTQ+ Literary Fiction
Availability: Available May 4, 2021
Synopsis: "Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. But in terms of caretaking and relating to two children, no matter how adorable, Patrick is, honestly, overwhelmed.
So when tragedy strikes and Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick's brother has a health crisis of his own, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian."
The Guncle sounds like an adorable story where a new guardian will bring joy to their niece and nephew. I can't wait to see how Patrick helps the main characters through a terrible crisis.
Title: The Other Black Girl
Author: Zakiya Dalila
Genre: Literary Fiction
Availability: Available
Synopsis: "Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust."
I have been seeing The Other Black Girl everywhere on Bookstagram and can't wait to read it. I am interested in hearing more about this editorial assistant and how she handles being the only Black employee there. This seems like as a reader will be a fly on the wall.
Title: The Break Up Book Club
Author: Wendy Wax
Genre: Fantasy
Availability: Available
Synopsis: "On paper, Jazmine, Judith, Erin and Sara have little in common – they’re very different people leading very different lives. And yet at book club meetings in an historic carriage house turned bookstore, they bond over a shared love of reading (and more than a little wine) as well as the growing realization that their lives are not turning out like they expected."
I just recently joined a book club and this book feels like the right book to read to get ready to chat with other readers. This seems like a fun book to read for the summer and even though it is already released I still wanted to count this as a fun summer read.
Title: Ace Of Spades
Author: Faridah Abike-Iyimide
Genre: Thriller
Availability: Available
Synopsis: "When two Niveus Private Academy students, Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, are selected to be part of the elite school’s senior class prefects, it looks like their year is off to an amazing start. After all, not only does it look great on college applications, but it officially puts each of them in the running for valedictorian, too.
Shortly after the announcement is made, though, someone who goes by Aces begins using anonymous text messages to reveal secrets about the two of them that turn their lives upside down and threaten every aspect of their carefully planned futures."
Between the anonymous text messages, the secrets and the plot having me on the edge of my seat -- I can't wait to read Ace Of Spades and see what drama this newly available book will bring me.
Title: The Husbands
Author: Chandler Baker
Genre: Thriller
Availability: August 3, 2021
Synopsis: "Nora Spangler is a successful attorney but when it comes to domestic life, she packs the lunches, schedules the doctor appointments, knows where the extra paper towel rolls are, and designs and orders the holiday cards. Her husband works hard, too… but why does it seem like she is always working so much harder?
When the Spanglers go house hunting in Dynasty Ranch, an exclusive suburban neighborhood, Nora meets a group of high-powered women—a tech CEO, a neurosurgeon, an award-winning therapist, a bestselling author—with enviably supportive husbands. When she agrees to help with a resident’s wrongful death case, she is pulled into the lives of the women there. She finds the air is different in Dynasty Ranch. The women aren’t hanging on by a thread."
I have been craving a thriller and The Husbands seems like a book I need to have. It is a nice twist to the Stepford Wives theme and I am curious to know how Chandler Baker will write this story.
Title: While We Were Dating
Author: Jasmine Guillory
Genre: Romance
Availability: Available July, 13 2021
Synopsis: "Ben Stephens has never bothered with serious relationships. He has plenty of casual dates to keep him busy, family drama he’s trying to ignore and his advertising job to focus on. When Ben lands a huge ad campaign featuring movie star, Anna Gardiner, however, it’s hard to keep it purely professional. Anna is not just gorgeous and sexy, she’s also down to earth and considerate, and he can’t help flirting a little."
Jasmine Guillory is a go to author for everything romance! I had to add her to this list for her book that is coming out in July. I can't wait to see her new romance plot come to life.
Title: The Last Thing He Told Me
Author: Laura Dave
Genre: Mystery
Availability: Available
Synopsis: "Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.
As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared."
I had to add another thriller or mystery to grab my soul. The Last Thing He Told Me has me guessing multiple things that happened to husband or who he truly is. I can't wait to find out the truth in this new mystery. I figured a mystery for the summer will bring even more drama to my life.
This Summer season has a lot of books that will help get you into the summer mood. Some of the books above will either make you want to dive into a magical realm, spark romance or send you on a fun adventure. I hope that you were able to find something that you want to read and enjoy every minute of your reading session during this Summer season. Happy Summer Reading!
