A (mostly) Backlist Summer Reading Guide.

Accessible, lovely, and occasionally creepy.

This is the first a little book-ish series for summer. Enjoy!

A friend texted me last week asking for book recommendations for her summer. I asked what genres she likes, a book she finished and liked, and a book she didn’t finish. We dug a little deeper and I asked her if there were any common themes in the books she enjoyed reading.

This is what I learned. My friend wanted historical fiction, closed-door romances and creepy mysteries that have a strong sense of place and characters to root for, but also move a decent clip.

So, I sat down and went through some of my old reading lists, and started coming up with a list of titles for her. Then I went over it carefully and…

• I weeded out anything that could be described as plodding and quiet.

• I also threw out books that didn’t have at least one character you’d want to have coffee with at the end of it.

• I didn’t want multiple books by the same author.

• On the history front, I wanted to represent at least three time periods. And while this leans WWII heavy (because have you seen the publishing industry?), I hit that goal.

• Finally, I wanted mostly titles that had been out for at least a year, ideally two+ years. I wanted my friend to be able to get these titles in her hands as soon as possible. She could put the newer books on hold, and then start the ones that are older right away if she wanted to.

With all of that said, here is I sent her (almost verbatim, ha!). If you’re reading tastes are anything like my friend’s, there might a title or two that you haven’t read here.

Happy, happy reading!

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The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary // Tight finances lead to an unlikely roommate situation for Tiffy. She moves in with Leon, a night-shift nurse, and she has the flat in the evening, and he occupies it during the day. A friendship slowly burgeons through their post-it notes left for one another. And as Tiffy faces a relationship from her past that’s still in her present, she begins to wonder if Leon might have a place in her future.  

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn  // Based on the true story of female codebreakers at Bletchley Park, the Rose Code follows three women as they use their fierce intelligence to unlock some of Nazis most challenging codes during the war. 

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley // My friend, have a box of tissues READY. This is the story of an abused and physically-disabled girl living in London who is sent to the English Countryside with her brother during the Blitz. In her new, temporary home, she learns what it means to belong, and how that belonging asks for her vulnerability, but also offers her hope. This book is also middle-grade, so super easy to get into. 

The Matchmaker’s Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman // I had so much FUN reading this book. Alternating timelines are tricky to do, but they’re executed beautifully in this book. As Abigail mourns the death of her beloved grandmother in the early 1990s, she’s given a box of her grandma’s diaries and transported back to NYC in the 1920s where she learns about her grandmother’s career as a matchmaker for the Jewish community in an era where women were not permitted in that work. This is a beautiful story about the Jewish community that is centered not on their pain, but their joy.

The Day the World Came to Town by Jim Defede // This is not historical fiction, but a historic telling of what happened in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland on Sept. 11, 2001. Several international planes bound for the United States landed in this town after U.S. airspace shutdown. A town of about 12,000 people had to scramble and figure out how to feed and house 8,000 travelers while they waited to return home. Also excellent on audio.

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriatry // Though there’s a mystery that keeps the book moving, it’s really an intimate look at marriage and what keeps a relationship together. Come for the mystery, stay for the laughs and the moments that Moriarty perfectly describes something in the human experience that you’ve never quite been able to put words to.

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton // At the age of 16, Laurel secretly witnesses her mother commit a crime that shocks her. Fifty years later, Laurel begins to delve into her mother’s history and life in London during WWII. Although this books is a bit slower than the others, Morton’s dual timelines keep it moving nicely.

The It Girl by Ruth Ware // Hannah is married and ready to welcome her first child when the alleged murderer of her best friend from college dies in prison, holding to his innocence. Hannah begins to retrace her college steps in search for the truth and begins to question the reality she’s living in.

Watching You by Lisa Jewell // No one writes a smart mystery with intriguing characters and place quite like Jewell. A small British town and a colorful cast of characters plus a little creepy are my catnip! Suffice it to say, I loved this.

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell // “The Great British Bakeoff” meets Agatha Christie. I thought this would be cute and cozy and a bit shallow. And while it’s far from profound, I found the characters interesting, the resolution satisfying, and just dark enough to be fun.

“You will experience the great happiness of reading this book for the first time, and will go through its countless surprises as in a new dream.”

 —Rainer Maria Rilke—