Books I'm Grabbing This Summer

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”

C.S. Lewis

I believe C.S. Lewis got it right. There is always more to learn and there is also always more to read. It is beginning to feel like summer in Seattle, which means only one thing. It's time to make our list of summer reads.

If you know a writer, you know they have a list of books they are reading on a regular basis. Or at least a list of books they are searching for on end. In the winter, I was trying to read a particular book every month. It wasn't as successful as I would have liked it to be. But the feel of summer sunshine causes the hunger for reading good books to grow. I wouldn't be a true writer if I didn't share this list with you.

Whether you’re relaxing next to the ocean or in a hammock on your back lawn, your summer reading will be more enjoyable with one of these books in your hand and another in your beach bag. 

Lexie's Summer 2022 Picks:

Where the Crawdads sing

This book has been on my list for awhile. It is highly recommended on Reese Witherspoon's book club (which I follow by the way). You can go to @reesesboksclub to follow her as well and get the latest bestsellers in your hands. With this book now turning into a movie, the desire to read it is even stronger.

Summary: "For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens."*

Gone Girl

Two times I have added this book to my reading list. I am choosing to pick it up and finish it this time. I am a huge fan of mystery novels. I like a good plot twist. I'm also an instant fan when the ending takes a surprising turn I never saw coming. I'm committed to giving this book a turn this summer.

Summary: "On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?" *

The Lifeguards

When I searched the list of summer reads, this was on the list. It peaked my interest. I love a good narrative. But I'm especially interested when you have a book that reveals the different perspectives of the story. Plus, this book seems to be perfect for the summer and we all need a light read every now and then.

Summary: "Combining three mothers’ points of view in a powerful narrative tale with commentary from entertaining neighborhood listservs, secret text messages, and police reports, The Lifeguards is both a story about the secrets we tell to protect the ones we love and a riveting novel of suspense filled with half-truths and betrayals, fierce love and complicated friendships, and the loss of innocence on one hot summer night."*

Book Lovers

It's not a true summer book list if you don't throw a romance novel in there. I picked this one because it feels a bit like a Hallmark movie and I think I'll enjoy how it ends.

Summary: Nora Stephens' life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.
*

You are a badass

This book was on a list of top books women need to read. It has been on the 'want to' list for awhile. I finally bought the book and even started reading it. The first few pages seem to be a great indication of how much I will learn by the end of it. This author wrote another book concerning women managing money. That will be on my list to read next.

Summary: "In this refreshingly entertaining how-to guide, bestselling author and world-traveling success coach, Jen Sincero, serves up 27 bitesized chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, sage advice, easy exercises, and the occasional swear word, helping you to: Identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that stop you from getting what you want, Create a life you totally love. And create it NOW, Make some damn money already. The kind you've never made before.

By the end of You Are a Badass, you'll understand why you are how you are, how to love what you can't change, how to change what you don't love, and how to use The Force to kick some serious ass." *

Along with exploring Seattle for the first time, I will be busy this summer. Maybe this list inspired you to make your own summer reading. But maybe you are intriqued to begin reading by selecting one of these titles. Do it!

What are you grabbing this summer? Which of these books will you be adding to your summer plans?

*All the summaries were taken from amazon.com.

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