Here's Your Summer Reading List If You're Not Sure What Book To Read Next
Happy reading!
This year I have read over sixty books. How did I achieve this? I joined my local library and downloaded an app.
If you’re looking for some books to read over summer and want recommendations from an anonymous 32-year-old woman who doesn’t like leaving the house on weekends, I’m here to help.
These might not be the latest bestsellers, and they might not be written by anyone you’ve ever heard of. I most likely found them on my library app when I couldn’t borrow the book I actually wanted to read. Also some of them come from Reese Witherspoon’s book club and I am not ashamed of this.
If you liked Gone Girl and The Girl On The Train
The Woman In The Window – A J Finn
Like Hitchcock’s Rear Window, but with a lot more twists. Anna Fox hasn’t left her house in months, but sits and watches her neighbours as they go about their business. Until one day she sees something she wasn’t supposed to see. This one will have you hooked right until the end.
Our House – Louise Candlish
Fi Lawson arrives home one day to discover a family of strangers moving into her house. Her husband is nowhere to be found. The plot moves back and forward between the past and the present as secrets and lies are exposed – and the reader knows way more about what is happening than either of the protagonists.
Something In The Water – Catherine Steadman
Picture perfect couple Erin and Mark head off on their honeymoon in Bora Bora where they make a huge and shocking discovery. Instead of doing the obvious thing and alerting someone to it (because that would be the end of the book), they keep quiet – and then their problems begin.
Try Not To Breathe - Holly Seddon
Amy Stevenson has been lying in a coma for fifteen years. Reporter Alex Dale decides to try and work out what happened to her, while also battling her own issues with alcoholism and a failed relationship. As you can imagine, none of this goes smoothly. You will not be able to stop reading.
The Perfect Stranger – Megan Miranda
After a huge mistake ruins her journalism career, Leah Stevens decides to move to a small town with Emmy, a friend from her past. But when Emmy disappears, Leah begins to wonder if she ever really knew her at all. You will never befriend a stranger after reading this.
If you want to be swept away in a well-written story
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman
This year more people recommended Eleanor Oliphant to me than any other book. I was able to tell them all I’d already read it, proving myself to be the superior reader (an outlook I’m sure Eleanor would approve of). If there is one book on this list that you much read, it’s this one. Eleanor has no social skills, no friends, no hobbies and she really doesn’t care. Until one day a guy in the office decides to befriend her – and everything changes. The book is funny, charming and bittersweet all at the same time.
Erotic Stories For Punjabi Women - Balli Kaur Jaswal
Don’t be scared by the word “erotic” in the title. Nikki takes a creative writing job at her local temple in England, thinking she’ll be uncovering some secret literary geniuses. Instead she find herself with a group of women who can barely read or write, but have a lot of interest in writing erotic stories!
All The Beautiful Girls – Elizabeth J Church
Las Vegas showgirls in the 1960s. Is that enough of a hook to get you interested? But there’s so much more to this story. Lily Decker runs away from a traumatic childhood in small town America to the bright lights of Las Vegas, hoping to become a legitimate dancer. Instead she ends up working as a showgirl, a surprisingly glamorous role at times. Parts of this book will break your heart, especially the descriptions of events that happen during Lily’s childhood.
Lovers At The Chameleon Club – Francine Prose
This could have been in the next section (historical fiction), because this book feels so real that you will be googling non-stop trying to work out if any of it actually happened. It weaves together stories about a number of different charismatic and compelling characters who spend their time at the Chameleon Club in 1930s Paris. But Lou Villars will be the one that stays with you after it all ends.
If you like historical fiction
The Alice Network – Kate Quinn
A former female spy and a young American woman are thrown together in the aftermath of World War II. As they embark on a wild search for a missing girl through the French countryside, we go further back in time to learn what happened in 1915 to turn that female spy from a stuttering but determined young girl into a drunken wreck.
The Dressmaker Of Dachau – Mary Chamberlain
Judging by this list, I clearly find novels about World War Two to be fascinating, and this one is no exception. 18-year-old seamstress Ada follows her wealthy and enigmatic boyfriend Stanislaus from London to Paris just as the war is beginning. This will turn out to be a devastating decision, as she finds herself wrapped up in a series of situations that she cannot escape. She turns to the only skills she has to survive – making clothes.
Just A Girl – Jane Caro
With Mary Queen Of Scots hitting cinemas soon, it’s time to get acquainted with her enemy – Queen Elizabeth I. Just A Girl traces Elizabeth’s childhood and teenage years, when she was constantly in and out of favour with the current monarchs. You should also read the sequel Just A Queen which explores the same time period as the upcoming film.
The Invitation - Belinda Alexandra
The latest from historical fiction extraordinaire Belinda Alexandra, this novel tells the story of young Parisian woman Emma, who travels across the sea to visit her estranged and extremely wealthy sister Caroline in New York. A perfect summer read.
If you just want some pure escapism
The Last Mrs Parrish – Liv Constantine
Amber Patterson would like to be a trophy wife. She moves to a small, exclusive town, befriends a local socialite and then sets out to steal her husband. But then we see things from the other perspective – and it all looks very different.
Kendra Donovan Series – Julie McElwain
Kendra Donovan is an FBI agent who gets transported back in time to 19th century England where she uses her modern-day skills to solve a number of crimes. In the opening chapters of A Murder In Time you will wonder why on earth you are reading this, but as soon as Kendra falls back through time you will not be able to put the book down. There are three books in the series, another one coming out in 2019!
The Tea Rose series - Jennifer Donnelly
I have no idea how these books ended up in my e-book app, but I’m glad they did. They are long and rambling novels about a series of interconnected women in late 19th century and early 20th century London (and New York). They are light and easy to read, and despite each woman getting mixed up in a series of horrible events everything always works out in the end.
Unqualified – Anna Faris
Sometimes there’s nothing better than a celebrity memoir. Anna’s book charts her rise to fame and what she’s learned along the way, in a funny and relatable way. This was written while she was still with Chris Pratt, so there are a lot of references to their relationship throughout.
If you want to read more Australian books
Ladies In Black - Madeleine St John
Also known as The Women In Black, a movie of this Australian book was released earlier this year starring Rachael Taylor. And let me say this: the book is delight. Set in a Sydney department store in the 1960s, it follows a group of women in the lead up to Christmas. Each character is written so clearly that you can hear their voices in your mind – even if you haven’t watched the movie!
The Naturalist’s Daughter – Tea Cooper
Who first studied the platypus? In The Naturalist’s Daughter, it was Charles Winton and his daughter Rose. Their existence is uncovered in 1908 by Tamsin Alleyn, who has her sights on a very important sketchbook that might change the very history of Australian science.
My biggest shame is not reading more Aussie books this year. Australian books on my list for this summer:
Scrublands – Chris Hammer
The Rules Of Backyard Croquet – Sunni Overend
A Week In The Life Of Cassandra Aberline – Glenda Guest
Cedar Valley – Holly Throsby
Happy reading! If you hate any of these books, I've cleverly remained anonymous so you can't complain to me.
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