Susie Boutry (@NovelVisits) and I share our favorite books that missed last year’s Summer Reading Guides, some nonfiction books we think are great for summer reading, and our #1 picks for four categories, including what I have featured in my 2023 Summer Reading Guide.
This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).
Get Even More Summer Reading Recommendations with Summer Shelves:
- In addition to my annual 2023 Summer Reading Guide, I’m once again offering Superstars Patrons ($7/mo) exclusive access to Summer Shelves, featuring even more recommendations for the season.
- Summer Shelves features BACKLIST summer reading recommendations from 17 former podcast guests, our team members, and — for the first time — 20 Superstars patrons!
- The Summer Shelves design is clean, crisp, and unique and you’ll receive it in a PDF file format via Patreon.
- If you’d like to get the Summer Shelves companion guide, you can sign up to be a Superstars patron here. You’ll also get access to a monthly bonus podcast series called Double Booked (where Catherine or Susie and I share our own book recommendations in the same format as the big show) and my Rock Your Reading Tracker.
Summer Reading [4:33]
Books That Missed Last Year’s Summer Reading Guides [5:29]
Sarah
- Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister | Amazon
| Bookshop.org [5:53]
- Red Widow by Alma Katsu | Amazon
- Like a House on Fire by Lauren McBrayer | Amazon | Bookshop.org
Susie
- The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark | Amazon
- Dinosaurs
by Lydia Millet | Amazon | Bookshop.org
- Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson | Amazon | Bookshop.org
Nonfiction Books That Are Great for Summer Reading [22:35]
Sarah
- True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa by Michael Finkel | Amazon
- Memorial Drive by Natasha Tretheway | Amazon | Bookshop.org [28:31]
- Still Points North by Leigh Newman | Amazon | [34:44]
Susie
- Provence, 1970: M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American Taste by Luke Barr | Amazon
- Stash: My Life in Hiding by Laura Cathcart Robbins | Amazon | Bookshop.org [30:27]
- Daring to Drive: A Saudi Woman’s Awakening by Manal al-Sharif | Amazon | Bookshop.org [37:00]
Our #1 Summer Picks by Category [40:16]
Something Light / Fun
- Sarah: A Likely Story by Leigh McMullan Abramson | Amazon
- Susie: Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld | Amazon
Something Fast-Paced / Intense
- Sarah: Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421 by T. J. Newman (May 30, 2023) | Amazon
- Susie: I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai | Amazon
Something With Substance
- Sarah: Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan | Amazon
- Susie: Rootless by Krystle Zara Appiah | Amazon
Something Different
- Sarah: Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man’s World by Lauren Fleshman | Amazon
- Susie: Big Swiss by Jen Beagin | Amazon
Other Books Mentioned
- The Only Plane in the Sky
- Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett [4:01]
- Cover Story by Susan Rigetti [9:11]
- The Hunger by Alma Katsu [10:43]
- Red London by Alma Katsu [12:47]
- The Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet [14:45]
- Untamed by Glennon Doyle [18:15]
- Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson [20:52]
- The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel [23:13]
- In Cold Blood by Truman Capote [23:57]
- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls [35:57]
- Wild by Cheryl Strayed [36:13]
- Falling by T. J. Newman [47:05]
- Miracle on the Hudson by William Prochnau and Laura Parker [48:04]
- Raven Rock by Garrett M. Graff [48:38]
- The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai [51:14]
- All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay [52:59]
- Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano [53:54]
- Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner [56:32]
Other Links
About Susie Boutry
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Susie has loved reading for as long as she can remember. Some of her fondest childhood memories involve long afternoons at the library and then reading late into the night. More than ten years ago, she began journaling about the books she read and turned that passion into writing about books. Her first forays were as a guest reviewer on a friend’s blog, but she soon realized she wanted to be reviewing and talking about books on a blog of her own. From there, Novel Visits was born. That was in 2016 and, though the learning curve was steep, she loves being a part of the book community. Novel Visits focuses on new novel reviews (print and audio), previews of upcoming releases, and musings on all things bookish.
Next Episodes
Next Wednesday (May 24), Catherine (@gilmoreguide) will be joining me for the Spring 2023 Circle Back episode. And the following week (May 31), Catherine and I are back with the Summer 2023 Book Preview.
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