Top 10 Books on my Summer TBR
[Roundup post at That Artsy Reader Girl here.]
I can't believe it's summer again. I feel like it was JUST last June -- last May even -- and I was still giddily putting together my warm-weather reading lists. Half of which I rolled around to this year because I didn't get to finish them in season, and I STILL haven't finished them all, even though we're so many weeks into this season's warm weather period. All this to say, I have way more than 10 books even on my immediate/ASAP lists, tbh, so for once I'm going to make the "top" part of Top Ten Tuesday relevant and pick out the ones I'm most excited about right now:
Look at all those less-than-ten-year-old options!
1. The Start of Me & You - Emery Lord
Every day I curse myself for not buying Open Road Summer at that used bookstore on vacation, since the library doesn't have that one, but it does have this one I've been wanting to read too, so HELLO solid contemporary.
2. Save the Date - Morgan Matson
I've read/enjoyed her first 4 and am VERY intrigued by the 5-siblings-at-the-fancy-family-home setting, but struggled to be interested in the wedding aspect. I'm hoping now that I've been through one myself, she will be able to work her usual magic on me with this one.
3. Gem & Dixie - Sara Zarr
Defying all odds, Zarr has shown improvement with nearly everything I've read from her (after starting in the sub-basement with her debut), and this novel about 2 sisters looks like her best yet. Reviews are mixed and I fear my reaction will be as well, but I'm willing to risk it.
4. Girl out of Water - Laura Silverman
This is Summer Cover Love like nobody's business. I'm also definitely here for a Nebraska + babysitting your 3 cousins kind of setting.
5. The Trail - Meika Hashimoto
Remember talking last week about how much I love backpacking stories? Here's a middle grade one my library has.
6. Lessons: A Novel - Lee Zacharias
This comes courtesy of TTT just last week, at Hopewell's Library. I'm sorry, did somebody say I MIGHT FINALLY GET MY AGE APPROPRIATE STUDENT/(FORMER) TEACHER ROMANCE??? Although I'm also interested in the themes of a college student w/ professional musician ambitions, since this is obviously more Literature than romance. There is very little info about this available on the internet, but every scrap I turn up intrigues me more.
7. Unexpected Pleasures - Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
On the same age-difference theme, this 2-year-old thread on What's The Name of That Book? was just solved, and when the answer was revealed I was like "are you kidding me, MY GIRL PHYLLIS??" I am here for an 80s-published concept of "16-year-old orphan needs a home, well-meaning adult tries to take her in platonically but busybody community thinks it's Improper for her to live with an unrelated man so they get a marriage of convenience, but ultimately fall in love." And this is an author I can trust to do solid work no matter what.
8. Twice Shy - Sarah Hogle
Y'ALL, I could not BE more excited. One of my friends recommended it to me as "the sweetest romance" and everything about it looks PERFECT for me to cast Ned/Chuck of Pushing Daisies fame.
9. The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls - Jessica Spotswood
I'm half excited, half nervous. On the one hand, it has all the hallmarks of being a solid contemporary, and I love the character premise -- I can't wait to meet these four sisters. On the other, I have the persistent worry I'll spend the whole time wishing I was reading about them in the summer (or at least school year) before the one in this book where "everything changes." Where they start out seems perfectly fine!
10. A Walk in the Sun - Michelle Zink
Left over from last year, but now that ILL is back I really do want to get to it this summer!
copy of my previous blurb: I'm not sure what "Bridges of Madison County for teens" means, but in lieu of looking it up, I'll just say I'm kinda here for the working-farm-in-summer setting, especially this time of year, even if both characters want to get away from it ASAP. Also, I see "slow burn" in the reviews and now I'm doubly here for it.
P.S. While I was adding links, I ran across the "contemporary YA of 2016" list on Goodreads and I am currently overwhelmed by how many amazing-sounding titles I've never heard of were published in just one year, let alone all the other years of the 2010s. Ahhhh! Now I absolutely want to spend an entire day voting on these lists and then maybe regularly curating those votes as long as Goodreads exists and making sure my votes are kept in order of preference (so they're properly weighted) as I read more and more.
Note: Anonymous comments and/or those with URLs are screened and will be unscreened at my earliest opportunity. I apologize if it says you've been banned from commenting when you try to use an outside account; I don't know how or why it does that and I can't fix it. You can also create a free LJ account for ease of commenting.
I can't believe it's summer again. I feel like it was JUST last June -- last May even -- and I was still giddily putting together my warm-weather reading lists. Half of which I rolled around to this year because I didn't get to finish them in season, and I STILL haven't finished them all, even though we're so many weeks into this season's warm weather period. All this to say, I have way more than 10 books even on my immediate/ASAP lists, tbh, so for once I'm going to make the "top" part of Top Ten Tuesday relevant and pick out the ones I'm most excited about right now:
Look at all those less-than-ten-year-old options!
1. The Start of Me & You - Emery Lord
Every day I curse myself for not buying Open Road Summer at that used bookstore on vacation, since the library doesn't have that one, but it does have this one I've been wanting to read too, so HELLO solid contemporary.
2. Save the Date - Morgan Matson
I've read/enjoyed her first 4 and am VERY intrigued by the 5-siblings-at-the-fancy-family-home setting, but struggled to be interested in the wedding aspect. I'm hoping now that I've been through one myself, she will be able to work her usual magic on me with this one.
3. Gem & Dixie - Sara Zarr
Defying all odds, Zarr has shown improvement with nearly everything I've read from her (after starting in the sub-basement with her debut), and this novel about 2 sisters looks like her best yet. Reviews are mixed and I fear my reaction will be as well, but I'm willing to risk it.
4. Girl out of Water - Laura Silverman
This is Summer Cover Love like nobody's business. I'm also definitely here for a Nebraska + babysitting your 3 cousins kind of setting.
5. The Trail - Meika Hashimoto
Remember talking last week about how much I love backpacking stories? Here's a middle grade one my library has.
6. Lessons: A Novel - Lee Zacharias
This comes courtesy of TTT just last week, at Hopewell's Library. I'm sorry, did somebody say I MIGHT FINALLY GET MY AGE APPROPRIATE STUDENT/(FORMER) TEACHER ROMANCE??? Although I'm also interested in the themes of a college student w/ professional musician ambitions, since this is obviously more Literature than romance. There is very little info about this available on the internet, but every scrap I turn up intrigues me more.
7. Unexpected Pleasures - Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
On the same age-difference theme, this 2-year-old thread on What's The Name of That Book? was just solved, and when the answer was revealed I was like "are you kidding me, MY GIRL PHYLLIS??" I am here for an 80s-published concept of "16-year-old orphan needs a home, well-meaning adult tries to take her in platonically but busybody community thinks it's Improper for her to live with an unrelated man so they get a marriage of convenience, but ultimately fall in love." And this is an author I can trust to do solid work no matter what.
8. Twice Shy - Sarah Hogle
Y'ALL, I could not BE more excited. One of my friends recommended it to me as "the sweetest romance" and everything about it looks PERFECT for me to cast Ned/Chuck of Pushing Daisies fame.
9. The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls - Jessica Spotswood
I'm half excited, half nervous. On the one hand, it has all the hallmarks of being a solid contemporary, and I love the character premise -- I can't wait to meet these four sisters. On the other, I have the persistent worry I'll spend the whole time wishing I was reading about them in the summer (or at least school year) before the one in this book where "everything changes." Where they start out seems perfectly fine!
10. A Walk in the Sun - Michelle Zink
Left over from last year, but now that ILL is back I really do want to get to it this summer!
copy of my previous blurb: I'm not sure what "Bridges of Madison County for teens" means, but in lieu of looking it up, I'll just say I'm kinda here for the working-farm-in-summer setting, especially this time of year, even if both characters want to get away from it ASAP. Also, I see "slow burn" in the reviews and now I'm doubly here for it.
P.S. While I was adding links, I ran across the "contemporary YA of 2016" list on Goodreads and I am currently overwhelmed by how many amazing-sounding titles I've never heard of were published in just one year, let alone all the other years of the 2010s. Ahhhh! Now I absolutely want to spend an entire day voting on these lists and then maybe regularly curating those votes as long as Goodreads exists and making sure my votes are kept in order of preference (so they're properly weighted) as I read more and more.
Note: Anonymous comments and/or those with URLs are screened and will be unscreened at my earliest opportunity. I apologize if it says you've been banned from commenting when you try to use an outside account; I don't know how or why it does that and I can't fix it. You can also create a free LJ account for ease of commenting.