Summer is here, and I'm excited about going back to Greece with my family. Despite the Greek economic instability, the sea, the mountains, the way of life, and the beauty of Greece is calling my name. And I desperately need a vacation.
While relaxing on the beach, I'm looking forward to catching up on all the books I want to read. What are my picks for the best books to read this summer? There are so many great books you should read! I shared my picks with The Ottawa Citizen, and on CTV Ottawa Morning Live, too.
Here are my picks for the best books to read this summer:
The Girl On The Train, Paula Hawkins: This is a great summer read, and a book you won't be able to put down. It's a page-turner for sure; a murder-mystery that will leave you wondering. The main character, Rachel, is searching for meaning in her life while trying to piece together clues that will help her solve a murder. If you start this book on the plane, you'll be finished by the time you land. And there you go—the perfect book to read if you're scared of flying, because you'll be lost in the story and won't even feel the turbulence!
The Vacationers, Emma Straub: Of course a book called The Vacationers made my list. The story is about a family and friends who are on a two-week vacation to Mallorca, and the struggles they face with one another. Dark secrets, marriage problems, childhood rivalries, and the dynamic of the parent-child relationship are dealt with in a beautiful way. It's a great book to bring to the beach with you.
Hausfrau, Jill Alexander Essbaum: This is one of my favourite books of the year. It's sort of like a modern Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary, and it's a haunting page-turner about a wife and mother living in Zurich. It's a story that will stay with you a long time after you finish reading it.
In The Unlikely Event, Judy Blume: A new novel for adults from my favourite childhood author, Judy Blume absolutely tops my list of books you should read this summer, and I seriously devoured this book in a couple of days. I wanted it to go on forever, though; and when I was finished, I was sad. It's perfectly Judy Blume, and tells the story of three generations of family and friends whose lives are connected and forever changed by a series of plane crashes that take place in the 1950's. The book goes back and forth between characters you will fall in love with, and the story is touching, lovely, and real.
Let Me Die In His Footsteps, Lori Roy: This books is my second favourite book I've read this year. It was a book I couldn't put down from the second I started reading it. It's a coming-of-age story, a book about love, family feuds, evil, and mystery, and takes place in Kentucky, in the 1930's and 1950's. It's a very suspenseful book, a book that will tug at your heart, and a book you'll fall in love with.
To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee: Re-reading a classic is always a good idea, and I recommend To Kill A Mockingbird, in preparation for the new book that's being released on July 14th by author Harper Lee called Go Set A Watchman. Go Set A Watchman was actually the first book Harper Lee submitted to publishers in the 1950's, and it's only now being published. Go Set A Watchman follows an adult Scout Finch, who returns to her hometown of Macomb, Alabama, to visit her father. The book is out July 14th.
Other books you should pick up to read this summer, if you haven't read them yet:
Me Before You
All The Light We Cannot See
Everything I Never Told You
Station Eleven
The Husband's Secret
Happy reading, everyone. I'm sure you'll find a few books here that you'll instantly fall in love with, too.
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