Summer is almost gone, and I am not here to mourn that. I’m a winter/ autumn girlie, with a touch of early spring, when I can enjoy the sweet scent of air and greenery without the oppressive heat. This year I had especially prolific summer reading plans, but big TBRs really only exist as lulz for my future self – I rarely manage to stick to a rigid reading list. Below, though, are the books that made it out of my ten foot ancient scroll of questionable summer joys to a reality of “I ought to read these before the leaves fully turn.”
Dandelion Wine, by Ray Bradbury
Last year I tried to finish this book in the autumn months, and I just couldn’t. This is indeed summer joys distilled, and I want to read the story during the season. Gentle summer nights just EMANATE from this book’s pages. Plus, I really want to get to Something Wicked this Way Comes and Farewell Summer come October, and I’d rather read this one first.
I made a whole-ass list of summer romances I wanted to read during the scalding months of May, June, July, and August, but hardly got around to any of them, because I’m always distracted by the next thing. The full list would have to wait until next year, Lord willing, but I do want to cross out at least some reads off of it this summer, even if the season is heavily on the wane.
Problematic Summer Romance, by Ali Hazelwood
I chose Hazelwood from the list mentioned above, because I’ll be reading this one fresh in the footsteps of Not In Love, the first one in the series. You can’t really get any more summery than this title. And it’s set in Sicily. Plus I don’t want to wait a year to read the follow-up to Not In Love, even if the follow-up involves a different couple, and the tropes mentioned aren’t really my thing.
Just for the Summer, by Abby Jimenez
Another romance book on this list. I haven’t read anything Abby Jimenez yet – why not choose a summer book for my inaugural one? Plus I hear this one is good, so hopefully it will be a proper introduction to the author.
The Amalfi Curse, by Sarah Penner
Water witches, dual timeline, set in Italy — this book just screams ‘summer’ to me. I started reading The Amalfi Curse in late June or early July, but have yet to finish it. If not now, then when?
Day Boy, by Trent Jamieson
While Day Boy is not explicitly posed as a summer book, its setting is post-apocalyptic Australia overtaken by vampires. Something about this book says ‘scorching heat’ – apart from some mentions of surroundings and climate. Plus *minor spoiler* the vamps in this one are obsessed with the sun.
bonus:
Book Lovers, by Emily Henry
And bonus book #1, Emily Henry’s Book Lovers, about two New York editors vacationing in a small town. I won’t be mad at myself if I don’t finish this one before autumn is fully here, because oddly enough this book doesn’t scream SUMMER at me, but I would like to finish this one sooner rather than later – simply because I really enjoyed what I’ve read so far, so we’re putting it on the ‘goodbye summer’ list.
bonus #2:
The Running Grave, by Robert Galbraith
The last published installment in Cormoran Strike series, I really want to pick it up and finish soon, because The Hallmarked Man is coming out on the 2nd of September (omg that’s literally days from now), and I don’t want to wait too long to read it, because then I’d have to wait even longer to read the next. So the simple solution is to read it ASAP.
Any books you’re in a rush to finish before the season is over? Do tell, do tell.
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