Summer Book Club: Week 1

Everything I'm reading this July + What You Can Read

The kids have started sailing camp, I’m all moved into the beach house, and summer is officially upon us. This means I’ll sneak in a little bit of reading time in between camp drop off and pick up, and I’ll do a TON of reading on our screened porch at night. I’m also about to read 330 pages of my reworked version of ALL THE SUMMERS IN BETWEEN so I can assess if I pulled off everything my editor and readers suggested. Also, I’ve been seeing On Gin Lane everywhere, so yay…please help me spread the word about my lovely little paperback!

My first novel Summer Darlings as seen in my beach house this week.

Before we get to the Dear Fiction summer book club…First, a few personal notes: I’m thrilled to report that I’m feeling quite rested since my husband and I celebrated our anniversary this past weekend in Amagansett, which may be the sleepiest of all of the Hamptons—and the most beautiful. Our inn, the Roundtree, was a quick bike ride to the quietest stretch of the Atlantic ocean south of 27. Plus, we were a few doors down from the legendary music hall Stephen Talkhouse where we saw an awesome British rock band named The Heavy Heavy. And (AND!!) we spent a rather relaxing morning at the new Seawater Spa at Gurney’s in Montauk. After wrapping a school year and working my tail off these last few weeks on my third novel, the time together was verrrry needed. (Thank you to my mom for keeping our crazies for the weekend.)

Back to the book club.

I thought it would be fun to spend the next several weeks on Dear Fiction talking about my summer reading list. Meet the DF Summer Book Club. I’m going to give you my reading schedule for the first four or five weeks of July in case you want to read along with me. I’ll devote an issue to the book, and then you can leave notes in the comments about what you thought of the book, too. Also, if you’re reading your own books, let’s talk about what you’re reading, what you think of it, etc. Don’t be shy.

I just finished The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, which I’m very late to the game to since it came out in 2017, so I will not spend any time reviewing it. But what I will say is that if you haven’t read any historical fiction by Kate Quinn, like The Rose Code (another gem), you should definitely pick up one of her books. Her writing is decadent, even if her plots are action-packed and sometimes cringeworthy. Even so I love how well she fleshes out the motivations of her characters. I understood exactly why each one of her characters wanted what they did—and in the end, their actions made perfect sense too. Quinn also has incredible story logic in her plots; there wasn’t a single scene that didn’t feel as though it needed to happen next in order for the next to unfold. That is a particular skill. I was enrapt.

A photo of the beach near our house. So pretty at sunset.

I cannot read another Emily Henry book, not because she isn’t amazing, but because I’ve already read a few of hers; I think I’ll listen to rom-com writer Annabel Monaghan’s new novel Same Time Next Summer instead. I’m also going to listen to Elin Hilderbrand’s The Five Star Weekend because it seems like a good one for audio, too. Remember what I said about audiobooks? You get double the reading in when you listen to one book and read a second book. I’m currently listening to Summer Stage by Meg Mitchell Moore whose last novel Vacationland was a favorite of mine.

Can a summer really be laid out in novels? Yes, it can!

I’m only going to include books I plan to read until the first week in August because at that point I’m sure there will be four more novels I’ll have my eye on, like Jimin Han’s The Apology. If you want to read along with me and hear my reviews, I’ll be covering these books in this exact order. I’m also not promising I’ll read each one in a week but I’m going to try. Let’s do this reading experiment together.

Summer Book Club Schedule:

June 26 to July 3
-The Guest by Emma Cline. I started this one a few weeks ago but I was sidetracked by my own draft. It’s set in the Hamptons and I love Cline, so I have high hopes.

July 3 to July 10
-The Beach at Summerly by Beatriz Williams. She’s my ultimate favorite author so I have to read her next novel! Description: A ravishing summer read from New York Times bestseller Beatriz Williams, sweeping readers back to a mid-century New England rich with secrets and Cold War intrigue.

July 10 to July 17
-The Celebrants by Stephen Rowley. Something about the premise has me hooked, described as…A Big Chill for our times, celebrating decades-long friendships and promises—especially to ourselves—by the bestselling and beloved author of The Guncle.

July 17 to 24th
-Little Monsters by Adrienne Brodeur. Described as: From the author of the bestselling memoir Wild Game comes a riveting novel about Cape Cod, complicated families, and long-buried secrets—for fans of the New York Times bestsellers The Paper Palace and Ask Again, Yes.

July 24th to July 31
-The Guest Book by Sarah Blake. I missed this one when it came out a few years ago so I’m going back in time to read it. Described as: The Guest Book deftly examines the life and legacy of one unforgettable family as they navigate the evolving social and political landscape from Crockett’s Island, their family retreat off the coast of Maine.

July 31 to August 8th
Then it’s time for Ann Patchett’s novel Tom Lake to release. I will be immediately reading that one! Patchett is definitely in my Top 3 favorite novelists.

Also, don’t forget to pick up one of my novels if you’re looking for historical fiction that will keep you turning pages. See below!

But enough about me. Tell me what you’re reading!