Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved a good book. My obsession with books began when my dad would read to me every night before I went to bed. Any book I wanted, he would read it. It was our special time together. Back then I was set on collecting all the Berenstainn Bears Books there were… I can proudly say that I was successful in obtaining that goal (such lofty goals I had!). I remember family vacations to Hawaii where my mom and I would hit the local thrift stores for paperback versions of our “Summer Reading List” novels… the more worn and used the better, since they were typically read within a day (hey, 8 hours on a lounge chair… you can get through a lot of pages…), and left for the next guest to read, should they prefer. So, summer reading lists have become a tradition. I don’t necessarily have more time on my hands (still have to 9-5…daily…), there is just something about a Saturday spent, poolside, with a good book in my hand that is the sheer sign of relaxation. Below you can find my 2015 “Summer Reading List.” Some of these books I have already moved through, and some I am hoping to get to in the next few months of summer! Whatever the case, I can’t wait to escape in the pages 🙂

1. The Vacationers: This one was on my list from last year, but I didn’t quite get to it… so it is making another appearance. It’s about a family that goes on a European trip together, only to discover secrets upon secrets within. Intrigued? I am…

2. Finding Audrey: I instantly purchase any novel by Sophie Kinsella. There is a lightness to her writing, and a laugh out loud quality that always has me coming back. Her novels typically revolve around female heroines and this one is no exception. It’s about a 14 year old, anxiety ridden teenager who finds her brother’s teammate intriguing… what happens from there impacts her anxiety. You’ll just have to read to find out what happens next…

3. The Girl on the Train: I picked this one up to read on the plane and train (so, I guess I was the girl on the train…) in Europe. It was so good, I finished it on the plane. If you liked “Gone Girl” this one is right up your ally. Personally, it wasn’t as suspenseful… but it still kept me wanting more… so much so that I finished it in 8 hours. If love, deceit, and murder ring a fancy (in your fantasy land… not in real life…) this one is for YOU!

4. All The Light We Cannot See: Recommended to me by my mom… who read it for her book club. A little deeper than the previous three (which is always a good thing). It’s set in France (sigh) during WWII (which has always intrigued me…). The novel follows the lives of two young children, as they grow up during the war. One child, a blind girl living in Paris with her father, the other, a german boy, living in an orphan in Germany. How their lives become intimately intertwined is played out beautifully in the ensuing pages.

5. Leaving Time: Jodi Piccoult is another favorite author. Her novels rarely leave me with a dry eye. Most of them center around controversial topics set in real life situations. Her writing is so well done, that you can’t help but see the truth in both sides. This book has me intrigued. It’s about a mother, who for years studied grief among elephants… and then she simply vanished, and everyone assumed she abandoned her family. Yet, as her younger daughter grows up, she refuses to believe this “truth,” and seeks out to find what really happened…

6. The One & Only: I loved Emily Griffin’s “Something Borrowed” series and this is another one that has been on my list for a couple of years now. This novel is about a small town girl, a sudden tragedy, and a questioning of life choices… can we all relate to this in one way or another??

7. Go Set a Watchman: True Confession. I loved “To Kill A Mockingbird.” When I saw my older cousin reading it, during her summer break, I couldn’t wait to get into high school to have my chance at the book. I was mesmerized. When I heard that Harper Lee had written this novel, years ago, I got a little too excited. It picks up, 20 years later, where the novel left off…. I wonder what little Scout is up to now?? I’ll find out soon. It comes out in July.

8. Woman With a Secret: Another “for fans of Girl on a Train and Gone Girl” novel… and this one, well, it sounds like a stay-up-all-night one. A woman, with secrets, accused of a murder she didn’t commit… and now all the secrets come out…

9. In The Unlikely Event: Yes… Judy Bloom has an adult novel!! Set in the 1980’s, it’s all about loss, remembering the good times, and finding reasons within to have joy…

10. Paper Towns: Another Euro read for me. It follows the adventures of two childhood friends, who drifted apart in the middle school and high school years, but come back together for one last “senior” revenge. It’s intriguing… but I recommend all the other ones first 🙂

11. The Knockoff: I’m in the middle of this one right now. So far? I’m loving it. Think “Devil Wears Prada…” It follows the journey of fashion magazine editor-in-chief as she returns from a medical leave, only to find a “knock off” taking over…