Last week I gave you a summer reading list. It was full of books that I personally think just give the vibes of summer. However, it is not my summer reading list because, well, I’ve already read them. That’s how I knew they would give off the perfect vibes for summer.
So, this time I am going to give you my summer reading list, which if you want, could also be yours. I turned 31 in January and because I am a January baby I put off making goals for the year until then because the beginning of the new year and the beginning of a new year for me are almost one and the same. This year I narrowed my goals for the year down to a reading list.
31 books that I want to read in the year I am 31. We are now in July and I have not read a single book on this list, so this season seems like the perfect time to try and cross some of them off this list.
As before, this might cut off if you are reading via email and this is the Bookshop link.
Divine Might - Natalie Hynes
I am a Greek mythology girlie (I have a Hades/Persephone story in me, I just know it). I have quite a few books within that genre on the TBR list at the moment, but this is the one that I am prioritising. I cannot wait to get into this and annotate to my hearts content.
Powerless - Lauren Roberts
I have heard mixed things about this book, but I bought it on a whim and so I am committed to reading it. And if I end up not vibing with it then onto the Etsy shop it goes and I will not read any further books from the series.
Silver Nitrate - Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Mexican Gothic is one of my faves. The atmosphere created in that book is just *chef’s kiss*. I have the whole back catalogue of Moreno-Garcia to get through, but her most current release is the one that I am prioritising here.
The Atlas Complex - Olivie Blake
Here’s the thing about this book. It’s the last in a trilogy and I have only read the first one and it was so long ago that I will need to do a re-read. So when I say The Atlas Complex what I really mean is the whole damn series…
The First to Die at The End - Adam Silvera
They Both Die at The End did exactly what it said on the tin and I still read it in the hope that maybe, just maybe, they would find a way to cheat death. Why I want to relive that journey through a different narrative is beyond me, but Silvera just has a way with words that makes me want to feel that kind of pain all over again
I Kissed Shara Wheeler - Casey McQuiston
The concept of this book is interesting to me. And the cover is a thing of beauty. I’ll be honest, the latter drove the purchase and the former will be what I am drawn to in the end.
City of Nightmares - Rebecca Schaeffer
The common theme on this list is that there are a fair few ‘first books of a series’. This is the second one of them. The premise is interesting although it seems more autumn than summer so I might save it for the tail end.
Will They or Won’t They - Ava Wilder
I saw a piece of artwork for this book that was so sexy it almost made me feel unwell. I enjoyed Wilder’s How to Fake It In Hollywood and the premise of Will They sounds as equally sexy as the artwork that I saw.
Once Upon a Broken Heart - Stephanie Garber
Another first book of a series. This one I have heard a lot of great things about and so I am excited to dive in (because the final book is now out in paperback, which means in theory, I can read straight through).
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into The Waters of the World - Benjamin Alire Saenz
The first Aristotle and Dante book was so sweet and nearly broke my heart. I am both excited and a little scared for what could happen in this book. It’s a thick one as well.
One for My Enemy - Olivie Blake
Olivie Blake is the only author I have specified two books (although as I mentioned, it will end up being more) for. This one has vampires.
The Whispering Dark - Kelly Andrew
The premise of this book is so intriguing and sounds oh so very good that I can’t wait to slip into the pages of it.
Divine Rivals - Rebecca Ross
I very much gave into the Bookstagram hype with this one. Although I will also say that I love any book that at its core is also about words.
Better Hate Than Never - Chloe Liese
It’s a Shakespeare retelling. Need I say more than that?
Foul Lady Fortune - Chloe Gong
This is also a Shakespeare retelling and a companion to These Violent Delights which is another one of my favourite duets. Gong has such a gorgeous way of writing that I can’t wait to get back to it (again, this is a duet, although there are a couple of novellas that slot in between the books).
Last to Leave the Room - Caitlin Starling
This is a horror book. Which doesn’t necessarily scream ‘summer’, but I think with all the long daylight hours it is probably wiser to read it then.
Funny Feelings - Tarah DeWitt
I am still very much not done with telling people to read Savor It. But as it stands, it is the only DeWitt book I have read which gets even funnier when you consider that I own every book she’s ever published. I have heard so many good things about Funny Feelings and so that is the one that I am selecting to read on this list.
The City of Dusk - Tara Sim
And we have another first book in a series, honestly I have a problem when it comes to things like this (I had read so many first books only to never return to the whole series). But the second one of these is also due to be published in paperback imminently and so the chances of me reading straight through are both.
With Love, From Cold World - Alicia Thompson
Random fact, should I ever end up an author who has her books in a bookshop (because I will be a published one come December) but I would sit on a shelf quite close, if not sometimes next to, Alicia Thompson. Whenever I go and visualise that I tend to look for the spine of this book because it was up until a couple of weeks ago her most recent release (The Art of Catching Feelings is her most recent).
Ink Blood Sister Scribe - Emma Torzs
Another books about books. And magic. And family. And high stakes. One might say it has everything (including a stunning cover and sprayed edges)
People Person - Candice Carty-Williams
I think Queenie should be mandatory reading. It is just that good. This has been on my TBR for a while (since it was published) and it’s on this list because I need a good kick up the backside to finally read and list pressure is as good a kick as any.
Lady Macbethad - Isabelle Schuler
This is one of three books about Lady Macbeth I have on the slate for this year (Lady Macbeth - Ava Reid and Queen Macbeth - Val McDermid are the the two). Macbeth is my favourite Shakespeare for the Lady alone (amongst other things, like the witches) and so I will always devour anything that highlights her in some way.
Memphis - Tara Stringfellow
I don’t what it is about this cover, but it gives off the vibe that it should be read on a sticky hot day in the shade while drinking a cold drink of your choosing (mine would be an iced coffee) and I think that might be how I choose to consume it this summer.
The Last of the Flower Bride - Roshani Chokshi
I actually started this book last year around when it was published, but it was very much just not the right time for me to get into it and so I pushed pause and now I wait for the pull towards to return.
The Court of Miracles - Kester Grant
So, the second book of this series was due to be published this year which I think is why I included it on the list so that I can read straight through. However the publication date of this book was pushed to next year and so I don’t quite feel the same sense of urgency with it. There is a chance I let this one go this year…
Funny Story - Emily Henry
I am behind on my Emily Henry books (by that I just mean that I haven’t read the last two) and so I need to read both this and Happy Place, but we will start with Funny Story.
Burning Questions - Margaret Atwood
I have quite a few non-fiction books on my TBR, even though I am not really a huge non-fiction reader at this stage of my life. However, I can see the merits of reading non-fiction and if I only read one this year then who better than Margaret Atwood.
Yellowface - R.F Kuang
I don’t know why I keep putting this one off. I am so interested by the premise and I really enjoyed Babel. I guess I haven’t been in the literary fiction mood so far this year, and maybe it will come to me this summer into autumn.
The Library of the Unwritten - A.J Hackwith
This is another first book in a series. I don’t even really remember how it ended up on my radar, I guess it has something to do with the fact that it is about books and words in some way…
The Shadow of the Glass - J.J.A Harwood
This is a Cinderella retelling and if there is one thing about me, I love a Cinderella story. This one seems interesting and kind of gothic. I’ll be honest, part of me bought purely because the cover really drew me in
The Game Changer - Lana Ferguson
Would it even be me if I didn’t have some kind of sports (hockey) romance on my list? I am feral for this one as I loved The Fake Mate by Ferguson and the teasers I have seen for this one sound So. Good.
Title Inspiration - It’s not a song lyric this week. It is literally just a statement of fact.
Yellowface was one of my favorite reads this past year! I too kept putting it off, and my advice is 1) don't but also 2) maybe listen to it on audiobook instead. I kept picking it up and reading it in bookstores and then putting it back down ,but when I finally decided to listen on audiobook I DEVOURED it. The narration is really good and brings it to life.
Anecdotally, I then raved about it to my husband, who bought the book and had a hard time keeping up with it. I do think it comes across slightly more literary in written form but in audiobook all the humor and cleverness really shine. So that might be worth a try!