I love Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Summer Reading Guide. It has tons of great reading suggestions (50 titles in all) and I trust MMD’s recommendations. I also like the way it organizes and describes the books, so I can tell what I’m most likely to enjoy. There’s a section that describes which books are “awesome on audio” and a “minimalist guide” for people who want to narrow their choices to just a few essential reads. And each recommendation notes a couple of popular books that are similar (for example, Camp Zero is recommended for readers who liked Station Eleven and The Power).
Here are some of the books I read based on last year’s guide:
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
- Memphis by Tara Stringfellow
- Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins Valdez
- Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn
- The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
While I had mixed feelings about Memphis, it was still a good read, and I loved the other four.
I don’t want to share too much of this summer’s Guide, since MMD gives it to supporting members and charges a small fee for non-members. But here are a few books by authors I’ve never heard of before that I’ve added to my TBR:
- Those We Thought We Knew by David Joy (mystery/thriller)
- Talking at Night by Claire Daverly (love stories)
- The Postcard by Anne Berest (historical fiction)
- Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? By Crystal Smith Paul (historical fiction)
- Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling (science fiction)
- The Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan (family novels)
- Brave the Wild River by Melissa L. Sevigny (nonfiction)
Looking for more book recommendations? Check out my book recommendation service here. And please share in the comments a summer read you recommend.