To me, summer means turning off technology and reading in the sunshine instead. Whether it’s at a park, on the dock, in a hammock, by the beach or sitting on a patio with a crisp glass of rosé, one of my favourite ways to spend the summer is with my nose in a book.
With that in mind, here are ten of the most memorable books that I’ve read recently; ones that you may want to borrow from my bookshelf or pack in your beach bag for a few hours by the pool.
Fiction:
1. The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
– the kind of book that you find yourself reading from cover to cover, The Last Mrs. Parrish is a dark, addictive story about two women dangerously in love with the same man.
2. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
– unsurprisingly similar to the book above (but with it’s own twists and turns), this novel makes for an easy and enjoyable beach read.
3. The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
– if you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life? Chloe Benjamin paints a powerful picture for four very different siblings, who carry this knowledge with them throughout the chapters of their lives.
4. Origin by Dan Brown
– Dan Brown is back with an eerily relevant story about the possibilities of A.I. Honestly, Origin wasn’t one of my favourite Brown books, but the plot was enough to keep me moving through its pages.
Fact:
5. You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
– I opted to read this book because two of my wildly different friends were reading it at the same time. A solid read, You Are a Badass didn’t change my world view by any means, but did encourage me to pick up a few positive habits (which is certainly worth something.)
6. Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Geopolitics
by Tim Marshall
– Marshall discusses complex issues with ease and explains how each nation’s borders have shaped their world history, and in turn, ours.
Fluff:
7. Whiskey & Ribbons by Leesa Cross-Smith
– categorized as “fluff” only because of it’s hearfelt plot, there’s actually nothing fluffy about Cross’s poetic writing. Instead, Whiskey & Ribbons tells the story of three memorable narrators; the things that bring them together and the things that tear them apart.
Forgettable:
8. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
– Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine. Not great, not overly memorable, but fine. That’s exactly how I felt, when I turned the last page on Eleanor.
9. Panchinko by Min Jin Lee
– a slow-moving story that spans generations, I found myself disappointed, and often bored, while reading Lee’s National Book Award winner.
10. The Girl in the Window by A.J. Finn
– honestly, this book didn’t get good until I was about 70% through it. But when it did, it did; twisting and turning until it arrived at a rather satisfying finish.
“Today, she felt especially comforted by the books that climbed the walls. They were a reminder that any knowledge she desired was hers for the asking.” – The Last Mrs. Parrish
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