Whether you’re reading poolside at a resort, towel-bound at the nearest beach, or from the comfort of your own bed, Sarah and Katie have summer book picks that fit any of the above. Though very different, our selections both move quickly and can be picked up and put down easily! Happy Summer Reading!
This blog post accompanies our discussion on the podcast in Episode 215. Listen here (we start the Books Talk segment at 38:55):
What We’ve Been Reading Lately
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Sarah’s been busy reading, and Katie’s been busy…with littles. You know how it goes. Here’s what we’ve read since we last caught up on the podcast:
Sarah:
- Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
- Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
- I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott
- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land
- The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction by Meghan Cox Gurdon
- The Library Book by Susan Orlean
Katie:
I’ve been listening to the audiobook Becoming by Michelle Obama. It’s full of interesting and honest looks inside Michelle’s background, her romantic relationship with Barack, motherhood and friendship when you’re the FLOTUS, and life in the White House.
Beach Reads We Recommend
Sarah’s pick for a not-traditionally-beachy but still great summer read is Catastrophic Happiness: Finding Joy in Childhood’s Messy Years by Catherine Newman (who also wrote Waiting for Birdy). It’s a collection of hilarious and poignant essays about motherhood and parenting during the middle years – ages 4-14 – and it’s easy to pick and put down as you please.
Katie’s choice for a summer beach read is What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. A freak accident on a treadmill lands Alice with a bad case of amnesia – she wakes up thinking it’s ten years earlier and that her life is perfectly happy. This book – Katie’s favorite Moriarty title – is perfect for mothers of any age who might understand Alice’s struggle of reaching for the wrong things in life and unconsciously letting the important things slip through her fingers.
What We’re Reading Next
Up next for Sarah is Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, both of which came up repeatedly in comments on this Instagram post.
Up next for Katie is Voices From Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich, and The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth. The first pick was inspired by the HBO series Chernobyl, and the second was recommended as a good thriller.
What are your go-to beach reads this summer? Drop them below in a comment!
Thank you for the recommendation of Catastrophic Happiness! It’s been on my TBR for a long time and this week’s episode nudged me to take it out from the library! I started it this morning, and Sarah, I can already see the humor and poignancy that you mentioned coming through, right from the prologue.
A couple of reads I’d recommend: Mrs. Everything, Jennifer Weiner’s latest; Red, White, and Royal Blue for a little steamy Prince Harry fan fic; the Maisie Dobbs series if you’d like some “cozy mysteries” with a side of post-WWI England and France; and any of Jenny Colgan’s books. Happy summer reading!
I’ll have to look into some of these titles. Thanks, Michele!
I’m glad to know I wasn’t the only person to go down the Theranos rabbit hole. My book club is discussing Bad Blood next month – I can’t wait to share thoughts. You both sold me on Becoming.
I’d recommend Jessica Strawser’s Not That I Could Tell. The story is similar to something Liane Moriarty would write, but a little less soapy. Also The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin.
THANKS FOR THE SPECIFIC TITLES! CAN’T WAIT TO CHECK THEM OUT!
I’m always on the lookout for titles to add to my TBR list. I’m currently reading World Without End by Ken Follett. It’s the sequel to Pillars of the Earth. He writes villains you HATE but I can’t put it down. Already halfway through the 1000+ pages and I haven’t had to renew it from my library yet!
WOW, 1000 PAGES SOUNDS INTIMIDATING – MUST BE REALLY GOOD IF YOU’RE ALREADY HALFWAY THROUGH!
Katie,
Have you read Barbara Kingsolver? I love her writing so much, and find her books totally gripping and hard to put down. I think “The Poisonwood Bible” was the first one I read, and still absolutely love that book. Her most recent one is “Unsheltered” and it was one of those books that I was literally sad that I was done reading it. I actually think Sarah would really love that one because it feels very historical and kind of non-fiction-y in some ways even though it’s fiction.
Thanks for your recommendations. Can’t wait to read some of them!
I’m going to recommend pretty much anything by Joshilyn Jackson, who writes compulsively readable books about deep subjects. My favorites are A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty, Backseat Saints, and The Almost Sisters (Someone Else’s Love Story never quite grabbed me, to be honest), but I jump at any of her books.
I wanted to suggest the author Kristin Hannah to Kaite. I really enjoyed “Firefly Lane”. Her books are easy reads but the storylines are not predictable. Her books mainly center around female relationships like sisters or best friends.
I loved The Library Book! Thanks you for the recommendation! When I heard Sarah discuss it, it reminded me of this excellent episode of 99% Invisible podcast that I think you would love as a follow up. It discusses so many fascinating stories behind which books get weeded out, etc.
https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/weeding-is-fundamental/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%2099percentinvisible%20%2899%25%20Invisible%29
This episode discusses the necessity of libraries and the purpose they serve in building community.
I hope you enjoy!!