Yay, it’s that time of year again. I’m joining Cathy’s Books of Summer challenge in which I hope to draw from the list of 15 novels below to read over the next three months from June 15 to Sept. 15 (since I’m late) and I’ll see how many I get to.
It took me a while to choose which books I wanted to pick up — a number of them were recommended by other bloggers — and I think all of these are novels from this year that slipped by me. So now I hope to rectify that. I tried to choose novels that would make for well-paced summer reading — ones that can be read at the beach or on the back deck and can be tossed into a sandy, suntan oily bag. We will see if these hold my attention.
So what about my list — have you read any of these and what did you think? I have listed a brief synopses of each novel below if you are curious about any that was compiled from publisher listings and other sources. The novels are in no particular order.
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue — A college student in County Cork gets caught in the middle of a friend’s romance in this novel about friends, lovers, Ireland in chaos, and a young woman desperately trying to manage all three.
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor — A poor boy in India joins up with a ruthless rich family in this fast-paced thriller. Equal parts crime thriller and family saga, Age of Vice transports readers from the dusty villages of Uttar Pradesh to the urban energy of New Delhi.
The Lost Americans by Christopher Bollen — A young woman finds herself in the crosshairs of powerful and very dangerous enemies when she travels to Cairo to uncover the truth about her brother’s mysterious death in this propulsive thriller.
Lone Women by Victor LaValle — A Black woman in 1915 heads to Big Sky Country with some unusual baggage in this haunting historical horror novel.
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang — A struggling novelist passes off a manuscript left by her dead college friend as her own in this satire that grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation.
Maame by Jessica George — After a loss, a young British woman from a Ghanaian family reassesses her responsibilities. The novel captures the uncertainty, freedom, and anxiety of a mid-20s woman in London.
All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay — A woman vanishes, leaving her kids to wonder whether their father is a murderer in this tale about family secrets, vengeance, and love.
The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel — After the death of their father, two teens accompany their scientist mom on a globe-trotting expedition and discover themselves in the process.
Go As a River by Shelley Read — Set amid Colorado’s rural beauty, this debut novel is a coming-of-age story of a resilient young woman whose life is changed forever by one chance encounter with a drifter.
Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane — Set against the tumultuous months in 1974 when the city’s desegregation of its public schools exploded in violence, the novel is a thriller, a brutal depiction of criminality and power, and an unflinching portrait of the dark heart of American racism.
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah — A debut novel set in a dystopian alternate U.S. where people incarcerated in an expansive private prison system have the option to fight for their freedom in gladiator-style death matches.
Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb — A music scholar discovers his favorite composer may have stolen compositions from a Black Jazz Age prodigy in this simmering thriller by the author of The Violin Conspiracy.
The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane — The search for a missing boy in the Australian outback in 1883 casts lights on the tensions roiling beneath the surface of the English colony in this novel shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction.
The Postcard by Anne Berest — When the protagonist of this novel finds an anonymous postcard among the usual holiday cards from her maternal great-grandparents who died in Auschwitz, she sets off to discover who sent it and why. Her journey leads her through the history of her family and exposes the secrets her ancestors hid for generations.
Biography of X by Catherine Lacy — A widow sets out to uncover the truth about her late wife, a mercurial artist who adopted many personas, in this novel of an alternate America.
Ha! That’s pretty much Barnes and Noble’s list of best books of the year thus far. I wish I could read most of them. Yellowface is outstanding and a quick read. The Biography of X is over 600 pages; I still have to get to it. LaValle reads well, at least his previous one did. Happy reading, Susan, regardless of what you choose to start with!
Ha. Thanks Carmen. I’m embarrassed I missed all these earlier in the year. I’m glad you recommended Yellowface. I’m slightly wondering if Biography of X is hard reading? It sounds a bit complex. What I need for summer is easy reads, LoL. I haven’t picked which will be my first yet. Stay tuned. Enjoy your reads.
I’ve just read Yellowface and am taking Maame on my vacation to Alaska when I go tomorrow.
Happy reading!
Yay Helen. Maame looks fun. And I hope you have a great vacation! Alaska will be beautiful. Happy reading to you as well.
Hi Susan, All of these books sound well worth reading. The Dennis Lehane book sounds very good. I think he is writing about the busing issue in Boston in the 1970’s and it definitely has something to say about today and the rise of extremist hate groups and racism. I have never read Dennis Lehane before but this one I am putting on my list. I am glad for this challenge because I was lost wondering what to read and the Summer Challenge gives us a focus and we get ideas from fellow bloggers about the books that are out there. Have a great summer!
Thanks Kathy. The Lehane book sounds intense but good, especially if you know anything about Boston, which I don’t really but still have been there a couple times. I read Lehane’s 2017 novel Since We Fell which I felt was a bit uneven and had a protagonist not really likable but he is a good writer.
Yeah this challenge I hope will help me read books I missed earlier in the year. We will see how it goes. I look forward to seeing what you’re reading. Cheers.
I’ve read a couple of these and have some of the others on my “want to read” list. Good luck with your summer reading.
Thanks Dorothy. I’ll check to see your reviews. I need to get cracking on these. Happy summer & reading to you.
Nice selection here. So far, I am doing well with my list. I am almost done wit book #3. Haven’t hit the classics yet though.
Wow Ti, you’re off to a great start with Book 3 already. I had to skew the dates a bit since I’m behind. But I plan to start soon. Enjoy your books!
I like your list, but haven’t read any of them! Just bought a copy of The Postcard and have the Yellowface ebook from the library… can I read it before it disappears? Maame is on my list and I’m interested in several other. Good luck!
Thanks JoAnn. Something tells me we will both have read many of these by year’s end … as we seem often to be drawn to the same ones. The Postcard looks very good (I’m looking for an ebook or print copy) and I think I might try the audio of Yellowface. Hmm. Maame looks good as an audio too. I need to get cracking. Enjoy your reads!
Susan – I don’t remember if your library provides access to hoopla, but The Postcard ebook is there if it does.
Thanks so much for telling me. I recently joined the rural town library here and they might have hoopla. I will investigate and see. That will help a lot! So far their regular stock on Libby seems to have long waits. I have yet to try Hoopla, so perhaps I can get it.
This is a great time of the year to review all those newspaper “Best of the Year So Far” lists to see what has risen to the top of the stack. I always find myself regretting that I can’t read most of them, but being able to have someone else sift through all of them really makes it easy to find the new books that most appeal to me. And then it’s off to the races again…
Hi Sam, great hearing from you. Yes I’ve done much sifting and it took me awhile to pick a summer list. Then it’ll be off to the races again once fall descends. I hope you enjoy some summer reads during these months. Enjoy.
This is such a great list, Susan. I haven’t read any of the books on your list, but several are on my wish list. I have heard such great things about Maame. And I really want to read Small Mercies. Yellowface is also on my radar. I hope you enjoy all of these–or whichever ones you are able to get to!
Thanks LF. I tried my best to find easily readable novels for summer and some of these are quite popular. Maame might be one of my first along with Yellowface. Let me know if you get to any of these. Cheers. Enjoy your week.
I haven’t read any of these but I’ve had my eye on Age of Vice – such a great cover, title and just sounds like a good story. You’ve chosen quite a few others I’d love to read! Hope you a great time with your TBR and can’t wait to hear which ones you end up recommending!
Thanks Iliana. Glad to hear from you. Age of Vice was a popular at the start of the year … and I hear it’s fast-paced. I can’t wait to read it. Sounds a bit like a mafia family story. Hope you enjoy your summer reads!
Good luck with your challenge, it looks like a good selection of books. Interested in your views on Yellowface, I’ve heard so many diverging views on it, even regarding what kind of book it is. I never participate in 20 books of summer. Being too much of a mood reader, it doesn’t really make sense to make lists.
Ah ha Stargazer. Virgos like me always seem to make lists … lists about one thing or another. I enjoy doing them LoL. Whether I get to a lot of these during the dates is another story, but I will try. I might listen to Yellowface on audio soon. There seems to be quite a bit of buzz surrounding it. I have read a similar novel called The Plot a couple summers ago, which I thought was slow until the end. Happy reading.
Hi Susan,
After browsing your list, and searching for info about The Postcard, I have ordered it, and it’s on the way to my door! I have not seen it among the “new book lists.” Or maybe I’ve mistakenly overlooked it. Definitely on my Summer List.
We have been having terrible smoke from wildfires in Quebec Province, here in the Adirondacks. No dog walks, air hazard alerts, and I’ve been feeling quite sick from it. I now know what you were going through earlier this season. How is it now for you?
And you mentioned you read on the beach, I think? Where do you go for that?
Best wishes to you,
Judith
Hi Judith, great to hear from you, and I’m really sorry about all that smoke from Quebec. It looks devastating there and the smoke I’m sure is impossible. We are still begging for rain in Alberta. It’s so dry and today we have 73 active wildfires in the north of the province and 24 out of control, ugh. Luckily the wind lately is from the south and is pushing the smoke away from us into & beyond the north. I check our air quality daily and the wildfire update. I hope you will get air relief soon.
And I had to laugh about the mention of reading at the “beach” … I think I say that dreamily. Though I usually get to Southern Calif in August for a week and we go to Newport Beach and my skin regardless of suntan lotion seems to fry. LoL. We will see which book I have going then. Happy reading & I hope your book list goes well.
I loved Lone Women. It was my third or fourth LaValle. He’s such a wonderful author.
Thanks Mike. This is good to know. I am a LaValle newbie so if I enjoy this I will read his other ones too. Great to find your site. Happy summer reading.
I’ve read the William Landay book and liked it very much. After I finished I reread the opening chapter. Glad to see some other titles you mentioned and will give them a whirl.
Sounds good Tina. Good to know about the Landay book. It looks captivating and I enjoyed his novel Defending Jacob years ago, which was fairly creepy, right? This new one has quite a plot too. Thanks for your thoughts. & Happy reading.
Several of these books appeal to me, especially Lone Women. That’s one I’m planning on reading this summer, too. Happy summer reading! 😀
Hi thanks Lark. Yes I must try LaValle as many say he has some good reads. And this one looks eerie right? I don’t normally read the horror genre but it’s now or never, ha! Enjoy your books too.
There are some interesting books here that I will need to consider for my own list. In particular, Go as a River – there aren’t too many books set in CO, so I am always on the lookout for promising ones. The Sun Walks Down and The Postcard are also intriguing.
Happy reading and happy summer.
Thanks Jane. Yes those three books you note interest me quite a bit too. Anything set in Colorado usually is worth reading. I simply must find out what all the good hype is about surrounding these titles. We will see. I will stop by your site to see what you pick. Enjoy your garden & books!
This is a better list than I have seen — thanks for providing inspiration for the summer! I listened to the new Brendan Slocumb and liked it as well as I liked his first. Good plot, snappy pace and entertaining — a good listen after some heavier reading I’ve done to clear off the bedside table. I especially like the sidekick character, Eboni, who is smart & sassy. I had The Last Animal on my list already and have added Yellowface, Maame and The Postcard. I am trying to ramp up my reading and these are sure to help ;-).
Oh good. Thanks Sarah. & Good to hear about the new Slocumb book – being entertaining like the first. I hope all these novels will be snappy. I finally finished Demon Copperhead this morning and it took me a month! I kid you not. But summer is busy. So I need quick reads now. I need to ramp it up as well.
Enjoy your books! Hopefully I won’t need to throw any of these books against a wall but time will tell. 🙂
I liked Go As a River, but LOVED Maame. You have some good picks ahead of you.
We’re still talking about how wonderful it was to meet you and Robert the other night. So glad we were able to make it happen!
Thanks Lesley. Yeah it was really fun to meet up. We hope to meet again sometime. And I think Robert will email Rod about his research. It sounds like his new book topic about the ship wreck is very interesting — and it’s in Canada so perhaps you will be here more. Yay.
Today is smoky here ugh. The wind is from the North — not good. All the smoke is descending on us. Stay well.
Yellowface and Maame are two books that I’d like to read this year, too. I read Babel by Kuang, the author of Yellowface, earlier this year, and I thought that novel was very well done. I think I’ll wait to see what you think about these two before I try them.
I’m so sorry that you are struggling with wildfires and smoke in the north. Wildfires are not generally a concern here. Instead, we struggle with hurricanes. As hot as it has been here, I am anticipating a busy hurricane season.
Thanks Deb. We might get some thunderstorms and rain this week, which I hope will help with the fires. Today’s count 77 fires in the north of Alberta, 23 out of control. Quebec is also having a terrible fire season. ugh.
I’ve just started Maame so that is the first on my list. Yellowface seems quite the talk this summer. I will let you know.
Stay clear of the hurricanes!
These are some very interesting books. Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor and The Lost Americans by Christopher Bollen are totally new to me. Maybe too thrillerish for me but they sound very appealing.
I hope you review some of these books, so I can see how you liked them.
Thanks Tracy for stopping by. Yes I agree, some on my list seem thriller-ish and the odd thing is I limited my reading of thrillers years ago since I didn’t care for most of them. So I’m going out on a limb with a few of these. I’m hoping they add a bit more than just being thriller, which I think they do. We will see. & I plan to review them. Happy reading to you.
What a terrific list! There seems to be something for everyone here. I definitely need to read Yellowface. I just reviewed a newly released historical novel, Return to Valleto, which would also make a great vacation read.
I wish we could share our cold rain with Canada. Your wildfires are horrific. So far smoke has bypassed Maine due to our low pressure system. I hope you get some relief soon!
Thanks Sarah & great to hear from you! That’s good Maine has stayed clear from smoke. The Quebec fires are really spewing smoke throughout the east and the Alberta fires throughout the west. Sigh it is a bad situation. But this morning we had rain!! And we might have more this week, which will help big (I hope).
I’m listening to Maame now but might get to Yellowface second on the list.
I will stop by your site to see what you’ve read. Cheers. Have a great summer.
Hurrah for rain! Happy summer to you too!
Yes we are thankful to get any rain out here! Enjoy your reading.
Great list! From it, I am most excited about Age of Vice!
Thanks Diana, the list I hope will be good. And yes I’m eager to read Age of Vice too. I heard so much about it when it came out, hopefully it’s a great page-turner. But I’m stuck in a couple others at the moment. Happy reading!