Books

Summer Reading

I haven’t been doing as much reading as I normally like. I’m lucky if I can squeeze in ten pages before my eyes can’t stay open any longer before I go to bed. Even our vacations have been so go-go-go that it’s not like I’m sitting on a beach with a good book. (Now that I think about it, I think I’m going to head to the beach this weekend and do just that!)

I have checked a few books off my reading list for the summer.

Let’s start with my favorite book so far: The Ramblers. This book had been sitting on my nightstand for a while and I kind of wish I had read it sooner. I was in a bit of a reading rut, and this was the perfect read. Right before I started reading it, I thought the name of the author sounded familiar, and I remembered that I’ve been to one of Aidan Donnelley Rowley’s Happier Hours when I lived in the city! Maybe that made me like the book even more, but I swear it’s a great novel. A fast read without being a “fluffy” read. Each chapter is from a different character’s perspective over the course of a week. I was hooked on the storyline and loved the New York City references. Highly recommend!!!

I also read Modern Lovers and really got into it. I loved Emma Straub’s The Vacationers, so I had high hopes for Modern Lovers. It didn’t disappoint, although I think I liked The Vacationers better. The plot moves slowly, which normally would bother me, but there’s something about the way Straub slowly adds layers to the story and characters that’s a bit mesmerizing. This also follows different characters, and their children, around Brooklyn as they deal with growing up and growing old.

One of my first summer reads was The Madwoman Upstairs. I wasn’t sure that I’d like this and ended up loving it. Sometimes the whole Bronte sisters/Jane Austen thing can come off like an overplayed schtick, but it worked nicely here and felt new and fresh. The book follows the heiress to the Bronte sisters’ “fortune” as she navigates life at Oxford University, lingering family drama, and a scavenger hunt of sorts left by her dad.

I also read The After Party and The Girls. I loved Anton DiSclafani’s The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls but couldn’t get into The After Party as much. It’s about socialites in Dallas and basically their trials and tribulations throughout life. My major problem with it was that the main character bored me, although her best friend Joan’s life was way more interesting. And you don’t really get to the bottom of that until the very end of the book, unfortunately.

I had heard incredible things about The Girls and that it was the book of the summer and everything. (Emma Cline, the author, sold the book for a whopping $2 million.) I listened to it on audiotape, and maybe reading it would have been more enjoyable, but I could not get into it for the life of me. I had (and still have) very little interest in the Charles Manson murders which is the foundation of the entire plot. I get that the book is very well-written, but not everything needs a 15-word descriptor. (I think this is what made the audiobook so unbearable… no skimming through the excessive details.)

Have you read any great books this summer? I’m currently reading, and enjoying, The Singles Game.

PS Here are some other suggestions for summer reading.

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34 Comments

Alexia

Shame about the Girls! I have it on my nightstand and while it’s being doing decently well with critics the Amazon reviews aren’t great… Not sure if I’ll end up reading it.
However I recently finalized You’ll Grow Out of It by Jessi Klein and found it absolutely HILAROUS. Worth a read.
My trick to finding good books is to trust the Amazon reviews. I generally don’t read books that have less than 4 stars, with 4.5-5 being ?. They are normally spot on (I do make exceptions, but the general rule saves me a lot of time and money).

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Jess Zimlich

I’m waiting on Lianne Moriarty’s Truly, Madly, Gulity to come in the mail. I loved both The Husband’s Secret and Big Little Lies from her, so I hope this one is just as great! A few of these are new to me so I’m adding them to my list 🙂

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Kayla

Great list! I added so many of your suggestions to my list. I’m curious, do you purchase, rent or check out your books from the library?

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carly

Mostly buy! Sometimes I get books sent to me too, I borrow from my mom and friends, and I also have a library card. It depends on the book and my mood!

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Lindsay

I can’t believe you didn’t love The After Party. I was so hooked on it. It was so fun and I loved how everything at the end made so much sense!

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Meg

I adored The After Party, thought it did take me a few days to get into it. I agree with your assessment of the characters, the development slow and sometimes left one wanting.

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Samantha

This may come off sounding ignorant, but is “The Madwoman Upstairs” based on a true story? And does it have anything to do with a madwoman, because that would make it interesting.

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carly

I think there’s a mix of fiction and truth regarding the details of the Bronte sisters. And not exactly!

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Emily

I just finished The Girls and your review is spot on. Really disappointed considering this book seems to be the book to read this summer.

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carly

I’m literally so relieved it wasn’t just me. I started to think there was something wrong with me hahaha!

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Rory

Count me in as someone who didn’t enjoy The Girls. I can’t remember the last time I’ve hated a main character so much.

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carly

#same Everyone kept saying how the book described how easy it was for a “normal” teen to get caught up in a cult… but she (and her family life) felt far from normal!!!

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Bec

I signed up for the Book of The Month club and ordered The Girls so that is very disappointing to hear. Hoping I can make it through!

I’m in the middle of Before the Fall which is about a private plane that crashes and only 2 passengers survive…it has been a great read I haven’t been able to put it down! My other suggestion is Enchanted Islands about a woman who lived on one of the Galapagos Islands and is based loosely on a true story which was a fun summer read!

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Quinn

That is so funny that you didn’t like The Girls either! I was so excited to pick it up because I heard such amazing things, but I also thought the writing was so pretentious and obnoxious (and I read it in print!). Describing spaghetti as a “moss of noodles and glut of cheese” really didn’t do it for me.

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Bridget

I feel the same way about The Girls. I am reading it now and having a really hard time getting through it. Not sure what all the hype was about!

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Emily M.

I just picked up After You, which I can’t wait to read, The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street (admittedly because of the title and cover) and the Woman in Cabin 10 for a well-reviewed suspense read! Love your book recommendations keep them coming 🙂

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Joyce

I read Vacationers, but haven’t gotten to Modern Lovers yet, but plan to soon. I do like Straub’s writing Style!

A book/series I couldn’t recommend more highly: Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels. The first one is called “My Brilliant Friend” – follows a friendship in Naples. Not fluffy at all. So deep, touching, visceral, violent. They describe the author as an angry Jane Austen – and I’m obsessed. I’m on the third one in the series, and loving every page!

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Nancy

I see Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams, but you didn’t comment on it. She is one of my new favorite authors. I’m reading her current book A Certain Age right now. If you haven’t started her books yet, give her a try.

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Beth

Absolutely LOVED When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. It is both tear jerking and life affirming, and I feel comfortable recommending it to anyone in any stage of their life. I am currently reading the Neapolitan novels by Elena Ferrante, including My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, etc. They are intriguing and not all that uplifting but fairly illuminating with their descriptions of female friendship.

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Alexa

Modern Lovers is on my summer reading list, too! And, like you, I haven’t done as much reading as I would have liked/thought I would this summer. I’m currently reading The Museum of Extraordinary Things and liking it so far, and The Marriage Plot is waiting on the bookshelf for when I’ve finished!

Alexa | theicingontheplaylist.blogspot.com

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Kelly

Thanks for the recommendations! Added a couple to my read list. Currently I’m making my way through ‘Sweetbitter’ – which is definitely a great summer read. The Girls is sitting on my iPad and I have read a few chapters, but haven’t been able to get into it. It may be a read I put off till fall…anywhoo. Thanks for the recs!

xoxo – Kelly
http://www.dreaminlace.com

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Amanda @ Anchored to Sunshine

I totally agree with your thoughts on The After Party! The main character was just such a follower. I wanted to sit her down like a child and say “what on earth are you doing with your life??” haha

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Christina

I popped into Book Culture to get a gift for a friend and I saw The Ramblers on one of their big tables. It ended up being a signed copy, so I decided I had to get it! So worth the impulse buy – such a good recommendation!

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