When you’re a book lover, every day is a good day to pick up a good hardcover, paperback or your e-reader. But there’s something about lounging with the sand or grass between your toes, and a shimmering lake or tranquil pond just steps away, that makes reading in summer that much more delightful. Need a new book or two to keep you company during the season’s lazy days? We’ve narrowed down our top five reads below. So find a seat, grab a cold beverage and dive into some great stories this summer.
FICTION
The High Season, Judy Blundell
It’s the perfect beach read, aptly set in a seaside town near the idyllic Hamptons. A family takes on new renters just so they can keep up with the Joneses and keep their dream home afloat. But these tenants turn the family’s life—and the whole town—upside down with their shenanigans. The High Season is wicked, indulgent and irreverent, and best devoured with a glass sauvignon blanc and a crisp salad at hand.
The President is Missing, Bill Clinton & James Patterson
It’s not just another James Patterson novel but one that’s co-written by former president Bill Clinton. The mystery-thriller’s action takes place in real time over the course of three days, during which America has come under attack by an unknown enemy with uncertain methods. The mystery of the attack—is it cyberterrorism, espionage or is there a traitor in pulling the strings?—has gripped Washington, D.C. And if that weren’t enough, well, POTUS has gone missing too. Despite its length at over 500 pages, the book is an intense read with a frightening level of realism.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
This is Me: Loving the Person You Are Today, Chrissy Metz
You loved her as Kate Pearson in the critically acclaimed family drama This is Us, and you probably knew it wouldn’t be long until there was going to be a book about her meteoric rise to fame, against the odds. In This is Me, the plus-sized actress lets us in on her life—from growing up with the threat of hunger to her circuitous path to Tinseltown. Her chapters alternate from autobiographical to instructional, all designed to encourage and inspire.
SELF-HELP
Kintsugi Wellness: The Japanese Art of Nourishing Mind, Body & Spirit, Candice Kumai
Kintsugi is the ancient Japanese art of fixing broken pottery with a special lacquer dusted with powdered gold, and it’s the subject of Candice Kumai’s latest book. You won’t be reading about pottery repair here, though; Kumai finds inspiration the notions of seeing the beauty and purpose in life’s imperfections, and accepting change and fate as part of living. The book is beautifully layered with Japanese-infused recipes as well as the author’s travelogues to her mother’s native Japan. It’s Eat, Pray, Love—without the drama.
COFFEE-TABLE BOOKS
125 Nature Hot Spots in Alberta, Leigh McAdam & Debbie Olsen
This coffee-table book isn’t just pretty pictures; it’s educational too. Discover Alberta’s hidden gems in this well researched and beautifully designed guidebook from two Calgary-based travel writers. Organized by regions—southern and northern Alberta, the Rocky Mountains, Calgary and Edmonton, and other places of special interest—this book is very user-friendly and easy to reference. Guaranteed to satisfy your wanderlust!
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