Hey there,

Who here likes to read a little bit extra in the summer? I know I do. There’s something about being able to sit outside under a tree, by the water, or on my three-season porch that feels extra cozy and conducive to uninterrupted and relaxing reading. And don’t forget the coffee with extra creamer. French Vanilla is my favorite, but in the summer I like to mix it up and go a little cuckoo for coconuts and taste the beach if that makes any sense at all. The smell and taste of coconut screams summer to me. I like to sit and hear the sound of the birds, the crashing of the water, or the normal neighborhood goings on like lawn mowing, kids biking up and down the street, and the smell of a bonfire that someone is having in their backyard. Summertime in the Midwest is truly a gift, and I utilize it by taking my books outside, on the porch, and checking out cozy summer themed books from the library. That’s one thing about me. Even though I’m bookish, I almost ALWAYS utilize the library instead of buying books. I go through them so fast and generally never read a book twice, so I put everything on hold and check it out at the library. And I think we’re in a bit of an unspoken predicament here about my love for libraries. So I’ll share some of my favorites that I’ve read in the past; recent and far off.

1. The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand

Two words: Elin Hilderbrand. She is hands down my favorite author; so I pretty much love all of her books, and one or two of them will always make it onto my summer reading list. She also has some cozy winter ones too that I have yet to explore. Maybe this winter… I’m sure they’re wonderful. She is the coziest author I have ever had the chance to read. It takes true talent to capture the cozy essence in a book and not every author can master it. It’s not about the words on the page, it’s about a feeling. I think Elin Hildebrand has some kind of special magic Nantucket dust or something, because I just can’t get enough. The Hotel Nantucket follows a series of people on Nantucket Island; per usual, since Elin is in fact the “Queen of Nantucket.” There’s a bit of mystery, romance, drama, and suspense. This is typical of her novels. It’s an easy read and it’s fun to quietly escape into the world of Nantucket for a while. Bonus points if you can read it on the beach. I didn’t do that, but I imagine that would make the reading experience 10x better. I HIGHLY recommend this one. After all, it is on my top 5 summer reading list.

2. The Wedding People by Alison Espach

I actually read this one before summer this year, but i would say it’s worthy of being a summertime read. It’s fairly new and it took me a while to get it from holding it at the library, so when I finally got it I dove right in. It’s one of those I wish would have taken longer to come in at the library so I could’ve cracked it in the warm sunshine. Right off the bat this one started to surprise me. I’m not about spoilers with this reading list, so you’ll have to find out for yourself. Just know that this book had me actually laughing out loud at some points. It’s sort of ridiculous, but has a great storyline. There’s a lot of drama, but the drama is happening near the water, so that’s what makes it worthy of a summer read. I don’t know about you, but water = summer to me. I guess maybe because in the Midwest water = frozen in the winter, so it’s not exactly nice and beachy. This one I would recommend buying since it’s so popular at the library. By the time you would get it, it might be winter and then you can’t enjoy the summery vibes, which would be just terrible. Unless you live somewhere where it feels like summer all the time, then by all means; check it out in December and I will stay up here in the Arctic silently begrudging you.

3. Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

This one got me in the feels along with the next one by Emily Henry. Both of these gals know how to write, and they know how to get you hooked on the characters; which is everything we should be looking for in a book right? My heart bleeds for the main characters in both this book and Happy Place below. This one here is the ultimate ” The One Who Got Away” novel. It makes your heart hurt in all sorts of ways, and guess what? You got it, the setting is placed near the water. It gives a lot of feel-good young love vibes, and also tremendous heartbreak and grieving vibes. I read this one a few summers ago, and I think I read it in 3 days. Which is pretty fast considering I had an 18 month old running around at the time. I’ve said this before, I like to get up well before anyone should be awake to sit in my special reading chair like an old lady and do the things that fill my cup before my daughter wakes up. It just makes sense. So, if you’re looking for an unputdownable, heart-wrenching summertime love story, then this one’s for you.

4. Happy Place by Emily Henry

Oof. That’s it. That’s all I’m going to say.

Just kidding, but seriously- oof. This one punched me in the gut. I was choked up and tearing up at times too. I don’t know if this was because I was a little extra emotional due to being freshly post-partum, but I’m guessing that’s not the only reason. I’m pretty emotional and sentimental anyway, and it doesn’t take a whole lot to make me cry. Emily Henry has a knack for punching you with all the feels and she makes you feel the uncomfortable and complicated feelings that we all feel, but we generally push down in our own lives. So when we read it (or see it on the big screen, because yes, she’s THAT good), it forces us to feel those feelings up close and raw, and leaves us crying and shedding tears on the pages (or the popcorn). Emily Henry has a few books that are still on my TBR, but if they’re anything like this one, I’m bound to be a changed person after I read them. So read this one. It’s like free therapy, or $20 therapy. Just depends on how you obtain the book.

5. Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand

I chose another Elin Hilderbrand novel because she is my favorite summertime lady. I. LOVE. HER. BOOKS. I haven’t read one yet that I haven’t liked, and I still have a few to go. She’s an inspiration to me as a novice author. I take notes from her style of writing to incorporate into my own. She transfers from character to character over various time periods with ease. Sometimes I imagine myself attempting her level of character development and my brain goes haywire. I think everyone would be confused about the spiderweb I created. It’s not easy to keep track of so many characters and how they interplay. This book has a bit more drama than The Hotel Nantucket and it ended up being a faster read for me. So I highly suggest you read this one too. It’s a great summer read.

So there you have it. 5 of my favorite summertime reads. I know I didn’t explain these books in depth; that’s what the back cover is for. But I did explain how they made me feel and why they made it to my list. I do know that Every Summer After and Happy Place are being adapted to either movies or T.V. shows, I’m just not exactly sure when. But I do know that they will be on my watch list. My watch list isn’t long, since I prefer books to T.V. and movies, but if I’ve read it and it becomes adapted, I WILL watch it. My love for reading will continue to be shared throughout other blog posts, and my hope is that I can encourage others to become readers too. Whether you’re reading a comic book, historical literature, or pure smut, you’re still reading, and that’s what matters more than anything. So I hope you read at least one of these, trust me you won’t regret it. And happy reading!

Talk soon,

Corrah