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I haven’t shared my summer reading list. I am a very big reader (I chose our current apartment based on the extra room for our home library after all), but I haven’t been reading as much as I normally do. Well, I am always reading, but just not as many books. I have found myself reading dozens of articles and blogs, but not very many printed books and I am hoping to change that with my summer list. With the pandemic I had a really hard time focusing on a book or anything for long periods of time. I finally got back into my reading groove on vacation this past June where I completed four books. There is nothing that makes me read more than long waits at the airport and flights.
I have found myself reading again before bed and in the mornings before work. I am looking forward to bringing my picnic blanket out to parks and beaches with a good book in my bag. I normally read quite a mix of fiction and non-fiction. My reading list usually has some non-fiction books on a topic that I am obsessed with at the moment and a few contemporary romance novels. This summer I have found myself reading a whole lot more fiction and obsessing over travel memoirs. Still unable to travel internationally, I have included a few summery Greece and Italy based romances on my list. I am also in a vintage 90’s teen book series kick at the moment (hello, Nancy Drew Files) and always wishing that there were more Jane Austen Novels to turn to. Thankfully, with the success of Bridgerton, there are countless regency era romances popping up at the book stores and they are nothing like our mother’s regency romances.
I have linked all of the books listed (simply click on the title). This blog post does contain affiliate links.
This is my summer reading list:
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The Fiction:
The Nancy Drew Files by Carolyn Keene
I love the Nancy Drew series. Even as an adult I find the series wildly entertaining. I resisted reading many of the spin off series for. while because I didn’t think they could measure up, but then I got into a 90’s teen book series kick and picked up the first book in the series. Now I am hooked. This series is a lot darker and more grown up than the original (lots of murder where the original had none), but the plots are fabulous and I enjoy reading them. I’m now on book four in the series.
The plot sounds similar to Bridgerton and I have read mixed reviews. I’m looking forward to deciding for myself if it is worth the read or not.
Mr. Malcom’s List by Suzanne Allain
Another Jane Austen-esque novel that I had to add to my list. I’ll let the cover description fill you in:
“The Honourable Mr. Jeremy Malcolm is searching for a wife, but not just any wife. As the target of matchmaking mothers and desperate debutantes, he’s determined to avoid the fortune hunters and find a near-perfect woman, one who will meet the qualifications on his well-crafted list. But after years of searching, he’s beginning to despair of ever finding this paragon. Until Selina Dalton arrives in town.
Selina, a vicar’s daughter of limited means and a stranger to high society, is thrilled when her friend Julia Thistlewaite invites her to London, until she learns it’s all part of a plot to exact revenge on Mr. Malcolm. Selina is reluctant to participate in Julia’s scheme, especially after meeting the irresistible Mr. Malcolm, who appears to be very different from the arrogant scoundrel of Julia’s description.
But when Mr. Malcolm begins judging Selina against his unattainable standards, Selina decides that she has some qualifications of her own. And if he is to meet them he must reveal the real man behind…Mr. Malcolm’s List.”
My Mamma Mia Summer by Annie Roberston
Mamma Mia is my favorite summer film. It just makes you feel good. Who hasn’t imagined packing up their bags and running off to Greece to live out their Mamma Mia dreams? That is exactly what the main character of this book does. Since I cannot travel right now, I’ll travel into the world of this book instead.
You, Me, and Italy by Sue Roberts
Another girl loses husband, business, and home all in one sweep and runs off to Italy story. But I do love a good come back after disaster strikes. And Italy is the best place for that, wouldn’t you agree?
Truly, Madly, Greekly by Mandy Baggot
Another women loses everything trope and runs off to…. Greece! I know, the tropes are real here. But I love a good running away story, especially in summer, don’t you?
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
This plot sounds so interesting so I’ll just leave it right here for you to read:
“Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s enchanting blockbuster novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.”
The Non-Fiction:
Nala’s World by Dean Nicholson
I cannot wait to read this memoir. I remember seeing Dean and his cat Nala on instagram. I had a cat named Nala that looked just like this one when I was a small child. I get teary eyed just thinking about the story. This book has thousands of reviews and over 94% of them are five stars. U haven’t seen this for a book before so I have high hopes for this story. Here is the description:
“When 30-year-old Dean Nicholson set off from Scotland to cycle around the world, his aim was to learn as much as he could about our troubled planet. But he hadn’t bargained on the lessons he’d learn from his unlikely companion.
Three months after leaving home, on a remote road in the mountains between Montenegro and Bosnia, he came across an abandoned kitten. Something about the piercing eyes and plaintive meowing of the bedraggled little cat proved irresistible. He couldn’t leave her to her fate, so he put her on his bike and then, with the help of local vets, nursed her back to health.
Soon on his travels with the cat he named Nala, they forged an unbreakable bond — both curious, independent, resilient and adventurous. The video of how they met has had 20 million views and their Instagram has grown to almost 750k followers — and still counting!
Experiencing the kindness of strangers, visiting refugee camps, rescuing animals through Europe and Asia, Dean and Nala have already learned that the unexpected can be pretty amazing. Together with Garry Jenkins, writer with James Bowen of the bestselling A Street Cat Named Bob, Dean shares the extraordinary tale of his and Nala’s inspiring and heart-warming adventure together.”
What I was Doing While You Were Breeding by Kristin Newman
I remember seeing this book when I worked at a library several years ago and a friend recommended it to me recently. I’m going to have to read it. The title is pretty self explanatory. Instead of settling down, Kristin travels all over the world. I love a good female empowerment travel memoir.
The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden
Edith Holden was well known in England for her nature drawings and observations. She kept a diary of sketches and her discoveries outdoors and this lovely book is a reproduction. It is popular amongst the Cottage Core community and I have always loves images of the countryside.
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Which books are on your list?
