Summer Reads for 2023

Summer vacation is right around the corner and I personally feel like Summer is a great time to get some reading done. Whether you find yourself enjoying some time at the lake, whisked away on a dreamy holiday or just find yourself sitting through yet another youth baseball game, Summer has countless opportunities to get some reading in. Here’s a list of some great Summer reads for any type of reader. Bring on the sunshine!

For the Romance Fans:

Summer is such a great time to just sit by the pool and read a cheesy romance. There are hundreds of options that would be great but here are two of my recent favorites.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Emily Henry has been blowing up on TikTok and I understand why. She is able to create such great banter between the characters and fills it with spice and loveable moments. Nora and Charlie’s love story is deeply entertaining and makes your heart happy after reading. Can’t help but grin as you read this. Plus finding love in a bookstore is like the ultimate dream.

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

Abby Jimenez is quickly becoming one of my comfort authors. The amount of serotonin I get when I read her books, is how I feel when reading a TJ Klune book. Part of Your World and Yours Truly are easily some of my favorite books I’ve read this year. A major plus when you add a dog in a book especially if it is an Old English Sheep Dog or a Bernese Mountain Dog. She does such a great job of not having that perfect romance you sometimes see. The characters often have real-life problems and you find yourself being able to relate to them so much easier.

For the Mystery/Thriller Fans:

The Inheritance Game Series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This series is deeply entertaining for anyone even if you are not a young adult. It’s filled with puzzles and riddles that have you trying to solve them along with the rest of the characters. Kind of feels like Nancy Drew reading these books. It’s an incredibly fast face series, that has you flying through the books. If you want a cozy mystery, this is the perfect book to pick up.

His & Hers by Alice Feeney

I haven’t had the best of luck with Alice’s books but this one got me. This is perfect for fans of Alex Michaelides’ The Silent Patient as it is filled with the same kind of cliffhanger chapter endings with the ultimate twist at the end. A perfect book to read during a summer afternoon as you just can’t put it down.

For the Nonfiction Fans:

The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger

I don’t often find myself reading nonfiction or memoirs in the summer as they tend to be too deep and not as light-hearted as what I like to read in the summer, but Iger’s book is the perfect amount of lightness you would expect from someone who has helped shape Disney for over 15 years. It doesn’t have the extreme business lingo I often see in books like this. He writes it like he is talking to a friend.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

I’ve talked about this book a lot on this channel but for good reason. Noah does such a great job of being able to have the audience laughing from tears one second to reflecting on their own life the next. If you are looking for a memoir from a comedian to read, this is the one you should pick up.

For the Fiction Fans:

In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner

This book is classified as a Young Adult but it’s one of those reads that anyone can enjoy. It’s a great coming-of-age story that doesn’t have you wanting to bawl your eyes out. It’s a very poetic book that goes well with the lightness of summer. Even if you don’t read this book during the summer, I think this is something that should be read by all.

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand

It wouldn’t be a summer reading list without a book from Queen of the Summer reads, Elin Hilderbrand has taken off, and for very good reason. This is the absolute best summer read book in my opinion. Light-hearted, fuzzy feeling emotion, loveable characters, and fast-paced. It has you transported to Nantucket wishing you were reading it while sitting on the beach taking in the coast.

For the Historical Fans:

The Bohemians by Jasmin Darznik

Historical fiction isn’t often the type of book I am wanting in the summer but I find if it is set in a fun area, I may end up picking it up. The Bohemians is a fascinating book that takes place in San Francisco during the 1920s. It follows the life of famed photographer Dorothy Lange and what might it have been like during the Jazz Age in The City by the Bay.

Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

Chanel Cleeton does such a great job of transporting you to the streets of Havana and making you feel like you are walking along with the characters. It is a series that can be read individually but can also be read straight from the first book. A lot of her books are set in the 1950s which was the start of a very interesting time for Cuba and its citizens.

For the Fantasy Fans:

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

I can’t create a reading list and not have my comfort author, TJ Klune. This past year I have become Klune’s biggest cheerleader and I am constantly telling others to read his books. They are feel-good books that just leave you happy afterward. He just came out with a new book called In the Lives of Puppets and I can’t wait to read that this summer. It’s also not overly Fantasy if fantasy isn’t your cup of tea.

Circe by Madeline Miller

If you can tell me reading a book set in Greece doesn’t give you summer vibes, will strongly disagree with you. A Greek Mythology book is the perfect addition to your summer reading list if you have not read this already. If you were a Percy Jackson junkie growing up, this is the book you need to pick up.

Until Next Time, The Library Abroad