Are you looking for a new recommendation? We have all the insight on summer reads!
Whether you want fantasy, fiction, slow-burn romance, mystery, or even advice on time management, we have it all! We are celebrating the summer season by curling up with a good book by the water, garden, at home, and the occasional rooftop. Check out what team D&A has added to their summer reading list!
Casey
I discovered a dusty old Sidney Sheldon paperback at our beach rental a few years ago and now he’s my annual beach-read. He was the OG master of the plot-twisty page-turner, and he was prolific. If you’ve never read him, get to a used bookstore pronto. I go every summer before our vacation and greedily stock up.
Lisa
I am a true crime junkie and have always been fascinated by organized crime and the mafia in the US. If you’re a mob aficionado, you must check out the book Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Empires by Selwyn Raab. It is a non-fiction book that includes all the comprehensive history of the mafia from origin to modern times. As I continue to read, I hope they discuss FBI Agent Joe Pistone’s (the real-life Donnie Brasco) infiltration into the Bonnano family. He is an absolute legend. This summer is the perfect time to crank through this 1,800-page book!
Lindsay
I discovered Alexandra Potter last year with her book that inspired the TV show Not Dead Yet. Originally, I was going to save her book One Good Thing for my beach vacation later this summer, but I am running out of books to read at home, and I was eager to start it! The book is about a woman who, at the lowest time in her life, buys an old house in the Yorkshire Dales and adopts a dog. It’s a combination of animals, positivity, and feel-good stories, I can’t imagine a better summer read!
Kolleen
I have always wanted to own a charming little bookshop like you see in the movies where magic is brought into people’s lives. When looking for a summer read, I found The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods, which had exactly that. Opaline, one of the protagonists who happens to be my favorite character, shows her independence when she goes against her family’s view of her future. The book got me hooked from the beginning! Opaline says, “The thing about books is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of,” and I couldn’t have said that better myself!
Katherine
Wanting to get into something more lighthearted and fun for the summer, I dove into my reading list picks Beach Read by Emily Henry and Murdle Volume 1 by G.T. Karber. Having been engrossed in fantasy reads for a while, Beach Read was my switch to a fun read, and matched all my qualifications when scanning for this season’s pick. One of my personal goals this year is to reduce screentime when not at work. Murdle is a book filled with whodunit puzzles you get to solve yourself and it looked like a fun, interactive way to challenge myself, all while keeping off my phone. With these books, I find myself switching from a relaxed daytime read to Agatha Christie at night!
Maddie
This summer, I am reading A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) by Sarah J. Maas and The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. ACOTAR is a very popular series for young adult audiences that is beloved by many. I wanted to hop on the bandwagon and see what makes it so popular, so I picked this as one of my summer reads. The Housemaid was a BookTok recommendation (I can always count on TikTok for a good book rec), and it has me on the edge of my seat. If you’re looking for mystery, thriller, and crime – this one is for you!
Lily
This summer I’ve got it all – romance and magic, Hunger Games lore, dystopian novels, and beach reads! I’m reading A Court of Silver Flames (ACOSF) from the A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series by Sarah J. Maas, A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, and Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I love the ACOTAR series, and this one happens to be the last book that’s published. Who doesn’t love the Hunger Games? I know I do! The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie was so good, so, I am eager to start this book! I loved reading Reid’s books – Daisy Jones and the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – so I am thrilled to read Malibu Risingat the beach this summer!
Meghan
One book down, many to go! Currently, I am reading Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig. I’ve already finished One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig and Just for the Summer by Abby Jimez! My mom suggested Mad Honey and the plot is very captivating (even though I’m only a few pages in). One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns are for all you fantasy lovers out there looking for a good series to follow. Just for the Summer is a slow-burn romance filled with complex family dynamics, mental health topics, and humor. It was the perfect summer find and the exact kind of book I was looking for when in Florida recently.
David
Are you too busy and feel there isn’t enough time in the day? Well, stop procrastinating and read Eat that Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy! This book teaches you the best ways to improve this habit, become better organized, and check off all those “to do’s” you may have on your list. If you need some ideas to get you back on track, pick up this book and it will show you how!
Coco
When I was younger, I was not the biggest fan of reading. It wasn’t until I read Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with Us, that I found a new love of reading! I always look forward to reading a good Colleen Hoover book on the beach, I’m constantly hooked! This summer, I am reading Maybe Someday which follows a young girl, Sydney, who experiences betrayal but finds romance and friendship. I’ve also wanted to read Verity – a tale of mystery and romance that might just leave your bones-chilling – for a while, so I’m hoping to cross that off my list this summer! In addition, my sister gave me the book Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, which follows a revisit of a past romance between Lara and the famous actor Peter Duke. In tune with a good romance novel, this book captures just that!
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