Creating a Summer Reading Guide is one of my favorite bookish things to do every year, and for 2024 I decided to step it up a bit and create a guide with 45 books that people can print and pore over. This year, I have read over 90 titles and sampled at least 110 more to find the ones that I really enjoyed and personally recommend, and as always, I have read every book in this guide.
What Is New This Year
The guide is a labor of love for me, and I spend the spring vetting books for it. In the main guide, to help you find the right book at the right time, I have sorted them into nine categories and include a short summary of the book and then share my own thoughts about that particular title. If you are a Patreon member (join here), you have received this year’s guide as part of your membership benefits. It is also for sale on my Patreon site as a one-time purchase with no recurring subscription fees for others who want more recommendations.
For those who want just a few recommendations, I am including a Preview of My Summer Reading Guide here with my favorite title from each category.
What a Thrill
The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby by Ellery Lloyd (June 11, 1024)
This is a twisty mystery involving a cursed wealthy family and a Surrealist painting which holds the key to three suspicious deaths over the course of a century. I thoroughly enjoyed the focus on an artist whose one famous work went missing as well as the strong characters and numerous engaging mysteries. For fans of multiple timelines and art.
Timely Tales
Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy (May 7, 2024)
Over the course of two weeks in a small English town, a reclusive widow discovers an unexpected reason to live. This short novel packs a big punch. I am a huge fan of stories about the importance of community and our need for connection, and Sipsworth is one of the best that I have read in a long while. For fans of tales about found family and stories that are uplifting.
On the Lighter Side
Under Your Spell by Laura Wood (June 25, 2024)
The daughter of an aging rock star finds herself working for the hottest musician on the planet and is shocked when sparks start to fly—especially since she swore she’d never, ever date a celebrity. This book is so much fun, and I adored the focus on music as well as the forced proximity story line. For fans of engaging and sweet romances as well as well-crafted characters.
Fantastical
Extinction by Douglas Preston (April 2, 2024)
This page-turning thriller explores the possible and unintended consequences of resurrecting the woolly mammoth and other long-extinct animals. Extinction is an exciting and suspenseful journey that is filled with fast-paced action and disaster, and Preston seamlessly blends science fiction with ethical issues creating quite a lot for the reader to ponder. For fans of Michael Crichton, John Scalzi or Jurassic Park.
Going Back in Time
The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson (April 23, 2024)
Drawing on the true story of a tragic event that took place at an Ozarks dance hall in 1928, this novel, told in a dual timeline format fifty years apart, explores the unpredictable effect of split-second decisions and the ways family secrets reverberate through generations. Anderson perfectly captures the 1970s in her later timeline, and her commentary on the damaging effects of hiding the truth is engrossing. For fans of well-crafted historical fiction based in fact and lesser-known events.
Finding Community with Family & Friends
The Wedding People by Alison Espach (July 30, 2024)
Phoebe Stone shows up at a hotel and mistakenly gets swept up into wedding festivities right when she is at her lowest. This book is so engaging, heartwarming, and hilarious. I loved everything about it - the characters, the plot, the intergenerational friendship, and the book’s resolution. For fans of well-written books with a lot of humor and heart.
Revisiting the Past with Real People
The Queen of Sugar Hill by ReShonda Tate (January 30, 2024)
This historical fiction book brings to life Hattie McDaniel, one of Hollywood’s most under-appreciated stars who was the first Black person ever to win an Oscar for her role as Mammy in Gone With the Wind. I knew very little about Hattie’s personal life including her struggles with racism, poor health, bad marriages, as well as her role in combating racial housing restrictions. For fans of tales set in Hollywood and those about strong women.
Notable Nonfiction
The Swans of Harlem by Karen Valby (April 30, 2024)
Valby’s exhaustively researched book chronicles the forgotten stories of the main 5 female dancers who danced with the Dance Theater of Harlem long before Misty Copeland became famous. It focuses on racism and discrimination, friendship, resilience, and a beautiful and special sisterhood. For fans of stories about women lost to history.
Backlist Beauts
Shutter by Ramona Emerson (August 2, 2022)
Rita Todacheene sees and speaks with ghosts, many of whom she encounters as a police forensic photographer. When Rita is sent to photograph the scene of a supposed suicide on a highway overpass, the ghost of the victim—who insists she was murdered—latches onto Rita. Each chapter is labeled with a different camera, and it was fun to look up each of them. I also enjoyed the details about Navajo culture that she weaves in. The first chapter is incredibly gruesome, but the rest of the book is not nearly so graphic. The sequel comes out this fall. For fans of Indigenous stories and clever mysteries.
Happy Reading! And if you want the full Summer Reading Guide you can get it here.
