Technically, summer won’t be over until mid-September. But since school began last week, it certainly feels like it’s time to wrap summer up and prepare for autumn. As part of my summer wrap up, I’m reviewing my favorite best books read this summer.
My reading goal for the year is 50 books. As of today, I’ve hit the 48 mark. I always try to get ahead on my reading during summer vacation because once school starts again, my schedule gets busy and my reading rate drops. Since early June, I’ve read nineteen books. Here are a few of my favorite reads from the past three months.
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9 Favorite Books From Summer 2018
1. The Metropolitans by Carol Goodman
3.7 stars on Goodreads/5 stars on Amazon
This is my latest summer book and I loved it. Written for a middle grade audience, I’d recommend it for ages 9+. The main characters are four kids living in New York City during World War II. Two boys and two girls who come from very different backgrounds, but find themselves working together as a team to save the city. The story line incorporates a mystery involving a Nazi plot, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Arthurian legend, and a large dose of magic. What more could you want?
2.Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead
4.11 stars on Goodreads/4.5 stars on Amazon
This is a book from early summer. It is one of my favorite books of the year so far. I loved this book and have been recommending it to all my teacher and mom friends. It made me laugh out loud. Written for a middle grade audience, but a great read for anyone who loves a funny, touching, magical mystery story. It will keep you guessing and laughing to the end. I also highly recommend two other books by Stead: When You Reach Me (Yearling Newbery)
3. Something Like Happy by Eva Woods
4.12 stars on Goodreads/4.5 stars on Amazon
Have some tissue handy and prepare to stay up late to finish this one. Annie Hebden is stuck in a life that is sad, dull, and going in the wrong direction. Her marriage ended after her husband falls in love with her best friend. Her mother has dementia and is in hospital. And she works in a soul-sucking office filled with unhappy and bitter people. Then she meets Polly. Polly is determine to squeeze every bit of living out of her life. She’s vibrant, fun, and outgoing. In short, everything Annie isn’t. But Polly is also dying. She has an inoperable brain tumor. This is the story of how they become the best of friends and what both of them learn from that friendship.
4. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
4.35 stars on Goodreads/4.5 stars on Amazon
This is a story about family in crisis, the strength of community, and survival despite all odds. Set in the 1970s in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, the story is told through the eyes of Leni who is 13 when the novel begins. Her family moves to Alaska to start over after her father returns from being a POW in Vietnam. They struggle to survive the unforgiving climate, the isolation, and, most of all, the demons Leni’s father has brought with him. The story can be violent at times and contains a lot of brutality and tragedy, but ultimately is about love, forgiveness, and community. I found myself thinking about it for days and days after I finished.
5. Music of the Ghosts by Vaddey Ratner
3.83 stars on Goodreads/4.5 stars on Amazon
A moving story about a young woman’s return to her native Cambodia, the country she fled as a child. Teera returns to Cambodia after the death of her beloved aunt. In the aftermath of this loss, Teera receives a letter signed by “the old musician” who claims he knew her father in a prison camp during the Khmer Rouge regime. The story is one of family, forgiveness, love, and what is means to be a survivor. If you don’t know a lot about this turbulent time in Cambodian history, this novel is an interesting and personal way to learn more.
6. The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston
3.91 stars on Goodreads/4.5 stars on Amazon
The true account of the search for a lost city in Central America, this true story reads like fiction. You may have heard of this one because it’s a New York Times bestseller, among many other accolades. The story has interesting historical background, suspense, and fantastic adventure. If you thought there were no more lost civilizations to be discovered, think again and read this book.
7. The Little Book of Lykke: Secrets of the World’s Happiest People by Meik Wiking
4.02 stars on Goodreads/4.0 stars on Amazon
If you read My Cup of Cocoa regularly, you’ll remember this book. I wrote about it in July. In fact, I wrote two posts about it. One recommending the book and one sharing some happiness tips I learned while reading it. You can see those posts here and here. And now I’m recommending it again! Have you ever heard that the Danish people are consistently ranked some of the happiest on the planet? This book explains why and also how to add happiness to your life, regardless of where you live.
8. The Long-Lost Home by Maryrose Wood
4.22 stars on Goodreads/ 4.5 stars on Amazon
This is the latest and last book in the “Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place” series by Maryrose Woods. It’s a great series for elementary school readers. I’d recommend it for 3rd grade and above. The story has humor, adventure, a mystery (or two or three) and a family curse. If you haven’t read any of the series, start with the first book The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling
9. Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young
4.08 stars on Goodreads/ 4.5 stars on Amazon
The tagline for this New York Times bestseller is “Part Wonder Woman, part Vikings, and all heart.” This is definitely a young adult story. Not for younger kids. The main character is a young norse clans woman named Aska. She fighting against a neighboring tribe with whom her people have been warring for generations and sees the brother she thought was killed several years before in a similar battle. This time, however, he is fighting alongside the enemy! She follows him, is taken captive, and learns her brother’s fate as well as finding her own. The story considers the complexities of family and tribal bonds, what makes a community, the desire for revenge, and what happens when everything you believe in is turned on its head. I will warn you, there is substantial violence in this story. It is about Vikings after all.
You can also see check out some of my other summer reads in the Amazon boxes below. They didn’t make the top 9, but they’re still good reads.
Thanks for reading and please share!
