Summer is my favorite month. The weather heats up and the days get longer. More time for fun in the sun and relaxing with a great book.What will you be reading this summer? Does a beach read have to be a beach romance? You might not want to crack open War and Peace, but there’s no reason you can’t add a Pulitzer Prize winner to your beach party.
Less by Andrew Sean Greer- a Pulitzer Prize winner about Arthur Less, a gay failed novelist, who attempts to distance himself from his problems by taking a trip around the world. Mayhem and hilarity ensue as Less tries to find himself.
How to Stop Time by Matt Haig – Haig adds his own bittersweet twist it this time traveling tale. Tom Hazard has a secret life that’s spanned generations though he looks like an average 41 year old. Moving every eight years to protect his secret, he settles into his new life in London as a school teacher only to fall in love – the one complication his handlers will not tolerate. Also consider reading The Humans: A Novel and Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig.
Florida by Lauren Groff – The award winning author of Fates and Furies, The Monsters of Templeton, and Arcadia is back with a collection of stories teeming with deeply flawed characters, snakes, sinkholes and secrets under the hot Florida sun.
A Drop in the Ocean by Jenni Ogden – a story about strong women, second chances and love set in isolated islands in Australia and Great Britain. Ogden’s descriptions of the flora and fauna are amazing and her ability to let her characters remain open to new experiences defies stereotypes associated with women of a certain age.
Take off Your Shoes by Ben Feder- a journey of discovery for this busy executive sends Feder and his family to an exotic island for a sabbatical year that changes their lives. Feder is the President of International Partnerships for the U.S. at Tencent. Feder’s honest account of his struggles to rebuild family relationships and his decision to risk his career taking this journey will inspire you. If you liked Eat, Pray, Love, you will really enjoy this book.
The Elizas by Sara Shepard – If you enjoyed Pretty Little Liars, you will enjoy Shepard’s latest work about a troubled novelist, Eliza Fontaine. When Eliza ends up at the bottom of a swimming pool, she claims she was pushed, but her family believes it was a botched suicide attempt. When Eliza tries to investigate, her life begins to mimic the life of the protagonist in her new novel.
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory – its been done, but Guillory offers a fresh take on the fake wedding date scenario. Drew Nicholas needs a date to his ex’s wedding. Instead of hiring an escort, he convinces a woman he’s stuck in a elevator with during a power outage to be his fake girlfriend at the wedding. After a fabulous evening, they fly home to their separate lives, but there’s still unfinished business…could it be love?
The Glitch by Elisabeth Cohen – Silicon Valley CEO and mother of two, Shelley Stone has it all until she meets a young woman who claims to be Shelley’s younger self. Will her perfect life unravel or does her younger self have an important lesson to share?
When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger – this follow up to The Devil Wears Prada finds Prada character, Emily Charelton struggling to save her new career as an image consultant by rebuilding the image of a former supermodel now living in Greenwich Connecticut. Can Emily conquer suburbia or will she need a little help from her new friends and her former boss?
Sex and the City and Us by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong – the written history of the show just in time for it’s 20th anniversary. If you were a fan of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda this might be your perfect summer read.
