These are books that I want to read this summer — that's June to August for peeps in the Southern Hemisphere. Forget Hot Girl Summer; it's Smart Girl Summer.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
When four classmates — Willem, JB, Malcolm, and Jude — from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they’re broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition.
Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realise is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented lawyer yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by a degree of trauma that he fears he will not only be unable to overcome — but that will define his life forever.
The Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn
1. The Duke and I
In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. Daphne Bridgerton, the fourth of her eight siblings in her close-knit family, has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London, but no one truly desires her. Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, recently returned to England from abroad and intends to shun both marriage and society. However, society can't let them off that easily.
When Simon and Daphne meet, they are given an option to get what they both want. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Meanwhile, Daphne will see her prospects and her reputation soar.
The plan works like a charm — at first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule.
2. The Viscount Who Loved Me
This time the gossip columnists have it wrong. London's most elusive bachelor Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry — he's even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended's older sister, Kate Sheffield, the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with determination to stop the bethrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate's the woman haunting his dreams.
Kate is quite sure that, contrary to popular belief, reformed rakes do not make the best hubands, and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate's determined to protect her sister, but she fears her own heart is vulnerable when Anthony's lips touches hers. She's suddenly afraid she may not be able to resist the reprehensible rake himself.
3. An Offer From A Gentleman
Sophie Beckett never dreamed she'd be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball — or that "Prince Charming" would be waiting there for her! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.
Ever since that magical night, a radiant vision in silver has blinded Benedict to the attractions of any other — except, perhaps this alluring and oddly familiar beauty dressed in housemaid's garb whom he feels compelled to rescue from a most disagreeable situation. He has sworn to find and wed his mystery miss, but this breathtaking maid makes him weak with wanting her. Yet, if he offers his heart, will Benedict sacrifice his only chance for a fairy tale love?
4. Romancing Mister Bridgerton
Everyone knows that Colin Bridgerton is the most charming man in London. Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend's brother for ages. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him until she stumbles across his deepest secret.
Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought of nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of everyone's preoccupation with the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can't seem to publish an edition without mentioning him in the first paragraph. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same — especially Penelope Featherington! The girl haunting his dreams. But when he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decide... is she his biggest threat, or his promise of a happy ending?
5. To Sir Phillip, With Love
Sir Phillip knew from his correspondence with his dead wife's distant cousin that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her.
Eloise Bridgerton couldn't marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking... and wondering... and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except... he wasn't. Her perfect husband wouldn't be so moody and ill-mannered. And he certainly should have mentioned that he had two young — and decidedly unruly — children, as much in need of a mother as Phillip is in need of a wife.
6. When He Was Wicked
In every life there is a turning point. A moment so tremendous, so sharp and breathtaking, that one knows their life will never be the same. For Michael Stirling, London's most infamous rake, that moment came the first time he laid eyes on Francesca Bridgerton.
After a lifetime of chasing women, he took one look at Francesca Bridgerton and fell so fast and hard into love it was a wonder he managed to remain standing. Unfortunately for Michael, however, the occasion of their meeting was, lamentably, a supper celebrating her imminent wedding to his cousin.
But that was then... Now Michael is the earl and Francesca is free, but still she thinks of him as nothing other than her dear friend and confidant. Michael dares not speak to her of his love... until one dangerous night, when she steps innocently into his arms, and passion proves stronger than even the most wicked of secrets.
7. It's In His Kiss
Gareth St. Clair is in a bind. His father, who detests him, is determined to beggar the St. Clair estates and ruin his inheritance. Gareth's sole bequest is an old family diary, which may or may not contain the secrets of his past and the key to his future. The problem is — it's written in Italian, of which Gareth speaks not a word.
All the ton agreed: there was no one quite like Hyacinth Bridgerton. She's fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken, and according to Gareth, probably best in small doses. But there's something about her, something charming and vexing, that grabs him and won't quite let go.
To Hyacinth, Gareth's every word seems a dare, and she offers to translate his diary, even though her Italian is slightly less than perfect. But as they delve into the mysterious text, they discover that the answers they seek lie not in the diary, but in each other... and that there is nothing as simple — or as complicated — as a single, perfect kiss.
8. On The Way To The Wedding
Unlike most men of his acquaintance, Gregory Bridgerton believes in true love. And he is convinced that when he finds the woman of his dreams, he will know in an instant that she is the one. And that is exactly what happened. Except she wasn't the one.
In fact, the ravishing Miss Hermione Watson is in love with another. But her best friend, Lady Lucinda Abernathy, wants to save Hermione from a disastrous alliance, so she offers to help Gregory win her over. But in the process, Lucy falls in love. With Gregory!
Lucy is engaged. And her uncle is not inclined to let her back out of the betrothal, even once Gregory comes to his senses and realises that it is Lucy, with her sharp wit and sunny smile, who makes his heart sing. And now, on the way to the wedding, Gregory must risk everything to ensure that when it comes time to kiss the bride, he is the only man standing at the altar.
Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney
Frances is twenty-one years old, cool-headed and observant. A student in Dublin and an aspiring writer, at night she performs spoken word with her best friend Bobbi, who used to be her girlfriend. When they are interviewed and then befriended by Melissa, a well-known journalist, who is married to Nick, an actor, they enter into a world of beautiful houses, raucous dinner parties and holidays in Brittany. But when Frances and Nick get unexpectedly closer, the sharply witty and emotion-averse Frances is forced to honestly confront her vulnerabilities for the first time.
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go-Go. Her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.
Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend, Camila, finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.
Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realised that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
Reese almost had it all: a loving relationship with Amy, an apartment in New York City, a job she didn’t hate. She had scraped together what previous generations of trans women could only dream of: a life of mundane, bourgeois comforts. The only thing missing was a child. But then her girlfriend, Amy detransitioned and became Ames, and everything fell apart. Now Reese is caught in a self-destructive pattern: avoiding her loneliness by sleeping with married men.
Ames isn’t happy either. He thought detransitioning to live as a man would make life easier, but that decision cost him his relationship with Reese — and losing her meant losing his only family. Even though their romance is over, he longs to find a way back to her. When Ames’s boss and lover, Katrina, reveals that she’s pregnant with his baby — and that she’s not sure if she wants to keep it — Ames wonders if this is the chance he’s been waiting for. Could the three of them form some kind of unconventional family - and raise the baby together?
The Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman
1. Heartstopper: Volume One
Charlie and Nick are at the same school, but they’ve never met... until one day when they’re made to sit together. They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn’t think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is more interested in Charlie than either of them realised.
2. Heartstopper: Volume Two
Nick and Charlie are best friends. Nick knows Charlie's gay, and Charlie is sure that Nick isn't. As the pair navigate love, Nick is discovering all kinds of things about his friends, his family and himself.
3. Heartstopper: Volume Three
Charlie didn't think Nick could ever like him back, but now they're officially boyfriends. Nick's even found the courage to come out to his mum. But coming out isn't just something that happens once — there's Nick's older brother, and a school trip to Paris, not to mention all the other friends and family — and life can be hard, even with someone who loves you by your side. As their feelings for each other get more serious, Charlie and Nick will need each other more than ever before.
4. Heartstopper: Volume Four
Charlie's beginning to feel ready to say those three little words: I love you. Nick's been feeling the same, but he's got a lot on his mind — not least coming out to his dad, and the fact that Charlie might have an eating disorder. As summer turns to autumn and a new school year begins, Charlie and Nick are about to learn a lot about what love means.
My Policeman by Bethan Roberts
It is in the 1950s’ Brigton that Marion first catches sight of Tom. He teaches her to swim in the shadow of the pier and Marion is smitten — determined her love will be enough for them both.
A few years later in Brighton Museum, Patrick meets Tom. Patrick is besotted with Tom and opens his eyes to a glamorous, sophisticated new world.
Tom is their policeman, and in this age it is safer for him to marry Marion. The two lovers must share him, until one of them breaks and three lives are destroyed.
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
Frances Janvier spends most of her time studying. When she's not studying, she's up in her room making fan art for her favourite podcast, Universe City. Everyone knows Aled Last as that quiet boy who gets straight As. But no one knows he's the creator of Universe City, who goes by the name Radio Silence.
When Frances gets a message from Radio Silence asking if she'll collaborate with him, everything changes. Frances and Aled spend an entire summer working together and becoming best friends. They get each other when no one else does.
But when Aled's identity as Radio Silences is revealed, Frances fears that the future of Universe City — and their friendship — is at risk. Aled helped her find her voice. Without him, will she have the courage to show the world who she really is? Or will she be met with radio silence?
Sapiens: A Brief History Of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
100,000 years ago, at least six human species inhabited earth. Today there is just one. Us.
How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Sapiens challenges everything we thought we knew about being human — our thoughts, actions, power and our future.
The Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo
1. Six of Crows
A convict with a thirst for revenge. A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager. A runaway with a privileged past. A spy known as the Wraith. A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.
Kaz Brekker and his crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction — if they don't kill each other first.
2. Crooked Kingdom
Kaz Brekker and his crew of outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties.
A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets — a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.
The Cousins by Karen M. McManus
The Story family are the envy of their neighbours: rich, beautiful and glamorous. Until it all falls apart. The four children are suddenly dropped by their mother with a single sentence: YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID. They never hear from her again.
Years later, when cousins Aubrey, Milly and Jonah Story receive a mysterious invitation to spend the summer at their grandmother’s resort, they have no choice but to follow their curiosity and meet the woman who’s been such an enigma their entire lives. The teenagers are determined to discover the truth. But some secrets are better left alone.
The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami
When a man’s favourite elephant vanishes, the balance of his whole life is subtly upset. A couple’s midnight hunger pangs drive them to hold up a McDonald’s. A short story collection, Murakami crosses the border across alternate realities and makes the abnormal normal.
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman has hated each other’s guts since the day they met. Trapped together under the fluorescent lights, the two become entrenched in an addictive office rivalry. When a huge promotion comes up for grabs, Lucy is finally given the opportunity to destroy her nemesis.
The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements & Onjuli Datta
The relationship of an international movie star and the son of a millionaire writes headlines. Whitman ‘Win’ Tagore knows that Hollywood demands perfection, while Leo Milanowski just wants to enjoy life and shift the attention away from his family. Nobody needs to know that their relationship is a scam. They control the narrative.
However, Leo is keeping a secret that could turn Win’s world upside down. Now they must finally confront the many truths and lies of their relationship, and Win is forced to consider what is more important: a rising career, or a risky shot at real love?
Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M. McManus
Echo Ridge is reeling. This picturesque town, nestled near the Canadian border, experienced its first tragic loss in 1996 when high-school senior Sarah Corcoran vanished while walking home from the library. Then five years ago, homecoming queen Lacey Kilduff was found dead in the aptly named Murderland Halloween park.
Now the killer claims to be back. A small town that keeps losing its homecoming queens. Two murders, still unsolved.
Considering I usually only finish three books per month, 26 books in three months (9 per month!) is very ambitious to say the least. It's funny I'm even making this list because if I tell myself I'm going to read a book, the chances of me picking up that book is close to zero! But I would like to challenge myself and see how this goes.
Drop the books you are reading this summer in the comments!
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