Summer Reading Recommendations

Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog! 

Happy Summer, everyone! I know I say often that I rather hate Summer, and while that's still true, even I can recognize the benefits of it. More sun means a healthier outlook on life (for regular people. Unfortunately, I have reversed Seasonal Affective Disorder, which means that instead of getting depressed in the wintertime with less sun, I get depressed in the summertime when there's too much sun). It's a time for beach days and swimming, eating fresh fruit and ice-cold popsicles, and reading by the poolside.

Which of course is what I'm here to talk about. Today I have eight book recommendations that are perfect to read in the Summer. To me, a Summer book usually means something light and fun, or something that really leans into the warmth and sunshine of Summer. I also associate sports books with Summer, because to me that's the time where I always played a bunch of sports with friends or on a team. All of these books are rather short (with one exception) and all have to do with Summer or sun in one way or another. I hope you find at least one new book to pick up this season!

Alright, let's get into the books.

---

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

I know that a 900 page fantasy novel doesn't really seem to fit in with what I described as a Summer book, but hear me out. This a loose retelling of the legend Saint George and the Dragon, with a sapphic romance at the heart. There are two kingdoms, East and West, and dragons are at the center of each, but with very different connotations. In the West, the dragons are gods, meant to be revered and respected, while in the East, dragons are the bane of the kingdom, a demon sent to destroy. We follow multiple characters from both kingdoms as the oldest dragon reawakens and comes for the humans.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

This is the latest book from Noble Prize Winning author, which came out back in 2020. It's a sort of sci-fi, magical realism novel that follows an AI named Klara. Klara was made with one purpose and one purpose only: to be a child's friend. When a sick child claims Klara as her own, the AI learns truly what friendship and love mean. The book was a little hard to follow for me, but I enjoyed it nonetheless! 

Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadano

Kiki's Delivery Service is the quintessential Summer Ghibli movie, and the book is equally summery. This is a middle-grade novel translated from Japanese, following a novice witch named Kiki as she leaves home for the first time and travels to find a town that doesn't yet have the service of a witch. She ends up at a seaside city and offers her services as a delivery woman, where she quickly becomes a beloved member of the community. Extra points if you watch the movie once you're done with the book!

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

If you like some spoop in your stories, then The Wicked Deep is a perfect book to pick up this Summer. Set in a small coastal Oregon town, there's a legend that every year, the ghosts of three women wrongfully drowned return to take the lives of three boys. We follow the point of view of a young girl trying to stop this from happening to a visitor who arrived just days before the witches' return. It's incredibly atmospheric and has a love story to die for, and it's short enough to read in a day.

Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno

Summer of Salt is an extremely atmospheric, witchy read that reminds me a lot of the classic Hallmark movie, The Good Witch. On an island called By-The-Sea, there is a family with incredible powers. The youngest of the family, Georgia, is worried that her magic won't come before her 18th birthday, and she will be powerless forever. When the annual birdwatching party arrives at the island to capture pictures of Georgia's ancestor (who is an immortal bird), a series of heartbreaking events begin to unfold. Trigger warning for rape and sexual assault.

The Drowning Summer by Christine Lynn Herman

Christine Lynn Herman is great at really establishing the atmosphere, and her newest book, The Drowning Summer, is no different. I actually have a full spoiler-free review of this book here if you want to check it out. This book follows two young girls as they try to solve the mystery of the Drowning Summer, which happened when they were tweens. Three teenagers were found dead in a cove by the town, with sand-dollars over their eyes. The girls used witchcraft to keep the prime suspect from going to jail, and now they must use it again to find the killer once and for all, before the witchcraft consumes them.

We Are the Wildcats by Siobhan Vivian

If you like books with strong female friendships and comradery, along with a "down with the patriarchy" subplot, then I highly recommend We Are the Wildcats. It follows a high school girl's field hockey team as they have their yearly team-bonding sleepover. Friendships are formed and dissolved, secrets are revealed, and we get a night that no one on this team will ever forget. It really reminded me of my high school sports days, and I was really attached to the characters by the end of the novel.

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry

This is basically We Are the Wildcats, but make it adult and throw in some witchy, cultish stuff in there. I read this book earlier this year and it quickly became one of my favorites. Again, we follow a high school girl's field hockey team in the 80s, who are very much the worst of the worst. But during their summer training camp, they decide to change that by any means necessary, including (but not limited to) signing their names away in an improvised Black Book. There is a lot of reference to the Salem Witch Trials (because this book is set in Massachusetts, rather close to Salem) so if you've ever researched that time, I think you'll enjoy all of the subtle nods included in this book.

---

Alright, that's all I have for you today! I hope you found at least one book to add to your Summer TBR here! Tell me, what is your perfect Summer read? Let me know in the comments or tweet at me @AllyEmReads. 

Until next time!