I asked, you answered: What book would you put on the Summer Reading Guide?

No One’s Coming by Kevin Hazzard
I love a good nonfiction that read like a novel, and I have heard this one reads like a thriller! This highly recommended book tells the incredible true story of the daring mission to rescue two Americans infected with Ebola during the 2014 outbreak. Filled with impossible odds, high-stakes decisions, and a race against the clock, it sounds absolutely fascinating.

The Women by Kristin Hannah
Not only is this such a great suggestion for a summer reading book, it was one of my favorite books in 2024 too! It really is that good! I’ve always been fascinated with the Vietnam War (this is one of my favorite historical fiction books about it, if you want a great book on the topic) and I was compelled by this book from the first pages. Kristin Hannah is such a great storyteller and this might be my favorite of her books so far (I also loved The Great Alone). After this one, I went on to read two more Vietnam War books which were also excellent – If I Don’t Laugh I’ll Cry (about growing up with a mom who was a nurse in Vietnam and wrote a book that was one of the research backbones for The Women) and Tap Code.

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
I still regret I never got to finish this one (it was due back at the library right when it was getting good!), but it was really gripping and actually reminded me a lot of Orphan Train, which I loved growing up).

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
I finally read my first Kate Quinn book (The Briar Club) for Everyday Reading Book Club and was so enthralled that I knew I needed to read another one! I immediately downloaded The Rose Code, about three women recruited to be codebreakers during WWII. I was all in on this one. My summer reading list is basically just her whole backlist.

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
This story jumps back and forth between Eva Traube Abram’s life during WWII and now, as an 80 year old woman. Eva, a Jewish woman in Paris during the war, was forced to flee her home to the Free Zone where she began to forge documents for Jewish children. In fear of these children losing their real identities, her and her forging partner, Remy, come up with a code to preserve the children’s names. Jump forward 60 years and Eva sees the Books of Lost Names in a newspaper indicating the book is now in a library in Berlin and the coding system hasn’t been able to be cracked by the researchers. Eva is the only one to have the answers, but she will have to face her past she has buried for all of these years.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I am a big Taylor Jenkins Reid fan, and although this isn’t my favorite by her, I know so many who really loved it. When aging movie icon Evelyn Hugo decides to tell her life story, she shares it all – the juicy truth of her ambition, fame, friendship, and a love she never forgot.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
I already know that The Four Winds is divisive. I LOVED it and couldn’t stop listening – blowing through the 15 hour of audio in just days – but I know other people found it too depressing. I was sucked in to this story of the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression and a woman who will do whatever it takes to protect her children. After growing up in a family that consider her too weak (thanks to a childhood illness) and too homely to ever marry and then a husband who can’t find the happiness he seeks with his family, she knows that the only person she can really rely on is herself. If you love historical fiction and strong characters, this one is a winner. (Full review here)

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
I got The Giver of Stars in my Book of the Month Club subscription and it was a huge hit in the 2021 Everyday Reading Book Club! It follows five women during the Depression who are part of the delivery system for Eleanor Roosevelt’s traveling library program. I mean. . . .how could I resist? (Full review here)

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
Kate Quinn always comes highly recommended for historical fiction novels. Embarrassingly, I haven’t yet gotten around to reading The Alice Network, about two women spies in both World War I and World War II.

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
I love a good historical fiction book. This one had amazing reviews and is living up to the hype. It has a duel storyline, jumping back and forth between different times in history and modern day life. The story follows Alina as she grows up with her family in a Nazi occupied Poland, along with her childhood love, Tomasz. The other side of the story is Alice, a stay-at-home mom, with an autistic son, an incredibly intelligent daughter and a husband who is struggling to come to terms with their son’s diagnosis. This book had me gripped from the first few chapters.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
This was originally slated to be one of our Everyday Reading Book Club picks, but when COVID hit, I made a last-minute switch because it felt like we all needed something a little lighter. It’s still on my TBR, though. The story follows an Auschwitz prisoner during World War II who uses his position as the camp’s tattooist to help others survive while holding onto hope for a future with the woman he loves.

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
The American Library in Paris supported many patrons during the Nazi occupation in WWII including Jews and soldiers. This historical fiction (which follows the very real American Library in Paris) follows the wartime experiences of a young and ambitious librarian, as the library becomes a major target for the Nazis.

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry
This one got SO MUCH buzz when it came out (although I personally didn’t love it. It was fine but not my favorite).  Hazel is a teenager when she and her five-year-old sister, Flora, are evacuated from London during WWII and they make up an imaginary land together, until Flora disappears. Twenty years later, still feeling guilty, Hazel receives a package – a book about the imaginary world she created for her sister. Does this mean Flora is still alive?

The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis
Soline, the owner of a bridal salon in Paris, is proud that the dresses her family has made for generations are supposed to bring a lifetime of joy to those who wear them. But when tragedy strikes during World War II, Soline’s life is forever changed. Decades later, Rory leases the property owned by Soline’s family to open an art gallery. When she finds letters and a dress with special meaning, Soline and Rory’s paths cross in an unexpected way.

The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden
Between a family diner, lemon meringue pie, and the chance to revisit life’s biggest “what ifs,” this sounds like a delightful read. When Lolly gets a glimpse of three alternate futures, she’s forced to decide whether the life she wants is actually the one she already has.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
I picked this one up on a whim more than a decade ago and ended up reading it in two days. Following an ordinary man who impulsively decides to walk across England to visit a dying friend, it’s an unforgettable story that proves it’s never too late to change the course of your life.

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Set in the English countryside Major is very traditional Englishmen, but receives a serious shock when his brother passes away unexpectedly. Because of his death, he frequents the town bookshop and becomes friends with the Pakistani shopkeeper, Mrs. Ali. Their friendship turns into something more and they have to decide as a couple if they want to continue forward even though the village people crave culture.

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
This epistolary novel (all written in letters) is a delightful WWII novel about a group of book lovers thrown together by the war and their letters to each other that often end up being about their favorite books – my mom gave me a copy years ago when it first came out and I’ve read it multiple times. The audiobook version has a full cast that really brings it to life because the characters are SUCH big parts of the story! (Full review here)

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Eleanor (a similar lead character to The Maid) is friendless, and has an inability to pick up on social cues. When she and a coworker end up in the right place at the right time to help an elderly man who’s fallen, a friendship is slowly formed.

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
I read this in 2022 for Everyday Reading Book Club and I loved reading it again! AJ Fikry is a grumpy bookshop owner who is losing money, has his rarest book stolen, and then finds a baby left on his doorstep. This book is a reader’s DELIGHT. (Full review here)

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
This book is wildly popular, especially after becoming a major motion picture. Ove is a grumpy old man, but behind his cranky exterior there is a story of sadness. When a chatty young family moves in next door he begins to open up and an unexpected friendship is formed.

My Friends by Fredrik Backman
Another new release that I haven’t read yet, this one was super buzzy and all over tons of bestseller, award, and book club lists! After losing her best friend and aging out of foster care, 18-year-old Louisa is out on her own – until a random encounter with a famous artist leaves her in charge of his most famous painting. She and one of his old friends hit the road to the seaside town where it all started, uncovering the friendship and summer that inspired it all.

Finding Me by Viola Davis
One of my favorite non-fiction genres is memoirs – it’s so engaging to see someone tell their own story in their own words! (And if they read the audiobook version themselves, even better!). This audiobook is read by Viola herself…and it is so eye-opening to read about the life of this critically acclaimed actress and producer!

The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan
This is the only self-help title on the list, and while the concept seems obvious, it’s also the kind of reminder I think many of us need. Instead of focusing on the gap between where you are and where you want to be, it encourages you to look at how far you’ve already come – a mindset shift that sounds both practical and encouraging.

The London House by Katherine Reay
Between the London setting, the Paris fashion scene, and the World War II spy storyline, this book has a lot going for it. When a shocking family secret comes to light, a woman must piece together decades-old letters and diaries to discover what really happened…and whether her great-aunt was a traitor or a hero.

Christy by Catherine Marshall
Even though it was first published more than 50 years ago, readers still recommend this one. Part coming-of-age story, part romance, and part portrait of Appalachian life, it follows a young teacher whose time in a remote mountain community transforms her in unexpected ways.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
This is one of those books with a premise that immediately stands out. A young woman uses the Victorian language of flowers to connect with others after a difficult childhood in foster care, it’s a moving story about healing, forgiveness, and learning to let people into your life.

Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson
The premise of this one sounds fun – a woman living a quiet life on her Tennessee farm discovers she has multiple half-siblings and sets off on a cross-country road trip to find the father who abandoned them all. Quirky characters, family secrets, and plenty of heart, it sounds like the perfect blend of humor and found-family charm.

Love and Saffron by Kim Fay
This epistolary novel (all written in letters) is set in the 1960s about two women who connect over a shared interest in cooking. They become fast friends after exchanging letters about food, troubles, and triumphs in their personal lives. 

The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera
I can never say no to a book about books, and this one sounds especially charming. When a highly educated young librarian takes a position in an eccentric village determined to resist modern life, she finds friendship, unexpected romance, and plenty of lively literary debate along the way.

Crow Mary by Kathleen Grissom
Based on a real person, this historical novel follows a young Crow woman as she navigates love, loss, and cultural conflict on the Canadian frontier. When tragedy strikes, Mary’s bold actions set off a chain of events that test both her courage and her marriage.

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Seventeen-year-old Cassie has a gift for reading people, a talent the FBI recruits for a program that uses extraordinary teens to solve cold cases. But when a new killer emerges, Cassie and her fellow “Naturals” find themselves in a deadly game where trusting the wrong person could be fatal.

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