Books for all interests with Summer in the title
I've got summer on my mind these days, and it appears that I'm in good company! Something about the summertime proves to be an irresistible setting for authors. Today I'm highlighting a quick roundup of books with "summer" in the title.
28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand [Romance Fiction: 2020]
"When Mallory Blessing's son, Link, receives deathbed instructions from his mother to call a number on a slip of paper in her desk drawer, he's not sure what to expect. But he certainly does not expect Jake McCloud to answer. It's the late spring of 2020 and Jake's wife, Ursula DeGournsey, is the frontrunner in the upcoming Presidential election. Based on the classic film Same Time Next Year (which Mallory and Jake watch every summer), 28 Summers explores the agony and romance of a one-weekend-per-year affair and the dramatic ways this relationship complicates and enriches their lives, and the lives of the people they love."
Summer People by Aaron Stander [Mystery Fiction: 2001]
"It is late June in Michigan's gold coast resort area. The summer residents are settling in for the season and the tourists are beginning to flood the highways and beaches. But the idyllic vision of a summer at the shore is suddenly shattered by a shooting. This murder is quickly followed by the deaths of three more summer residents, each taking place under suspicious circumstances. Sheriff Ray Elkins searches for the possible links between the four victims. As he probes into their tangled lives and dark histories, he finds both the motive and the possible murderer."
The Summer Before the Dark by Doris Lessing [Historical Fiction: 1973]
"As the summer begins, Kate Brown -- attractive, intelligent, forty five, happily enough married, with a house in the London suburbs and three grown children -- has no reason to expect anything will change. But when the summer ends, the woman she was -- living behind a protective camouflage of feminine charm and caring -- no longer exists."
Prodigal Summer: a novel by Barbara Kingsolver [Domestic Fiction: 2000]
"Wildlife biologist Deanna is caught off guard by an intrusive young hunter, while bookish city wife Lusa finds herself facing a difficult identity choice, and elderly neighbors find attraction at the height of a long-standing feud."
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That Summer in Paris: Memories of tangled friendships with Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and some others (A New Expanded Edition) by Morley Callaghan [Biography: 2014]
"It was the fabulous summer of 1929 when the literary capital of North America moved to Paris. Ernest Hemingway was reading proofs of "A Farewell to Arms," and a few blocks away F. Scott Fitzgerald was struggling with "Tender Is the Night." As his first published book rose to fame in New York, Morley Callaghan arrived in Paris to share the felicities of literary life, not just with his two friends, Hemingway and Fitzgerald, but also with fellow writers James Joyce, Ford Madox Ford, and Robert McAlmon. Amidst these tangled relations, some friendships flourished while others failed. This tragic and unforgettable story comes to vivid life in Callaghan's lucid, compassionate prose."
An American Summer: Love and death in Chicago by Alex Kotlowitz [Nonfiction: 2019]
"The numbers are staggering: Over the past twenty years in Chicago, 14,033 people have been killed and another roughly 60,000 wounded by gunfire. What does that do to the spirit of individuals and communities? Drawing on his decades of experience, Alex Kotlowitz set out to chronicle one summer in the city, writing of those who have emerged from the violence and whose stories reveal the capacity-- and the breaking point -- of the human heart and soul."
Memories of Summer: When Baseball Was an Art, and Writing about It a Game by Roger Kahn [Memoir: 2004]
"Acclaimed baseball writer Roger Kahn gives us a memoir of his Brooklyn childhood, a recollection of a life in journalism, and a record of personal acquaintance with the greatest ballplayers of several eras. His father had a passion for the Dodgers; his mother’s passion was for poetry. Somehow, young Roger managed to blend both loves in a career that encompassed writing about sports for the New York Herald Tribune, Sports Illustrated, the Saturday Evening Post, Esquire, and Time."
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, Jillian Tamaki [YA Graphic Novel: 2014]
"Rose and her parents have been going to Awago Beach since she was a little girl. It's her summer getaway, her refuge. Her friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had, completing her summer family. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and Rose and Windy have gotten tangled up in a tragedy-in-the-making in the small town of Awago Beach. It's a summer of secrets and heartache, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other."
Summer Sisters by Judy Blume [Fiction: 1998]
"In the summer of 1977, Victoria Leonard’s world changes forever when Caitlin Somers chooses her as a friend. Dazzling, reckless Caitlin welcomes Vix into the heart of her sprawling, eccentric family, opening doors to a world of unimaginable privilege, sweeping her away to vacations on Martha’s Vineyard, an enchanting place where the two friends become “summer sisters.” Now, years later, Vix is working in New York City. Caitlin is getting married on the Vineyard. And the early magic of their long, complicated friendship has faded. But Caitlin begs Vix to come to her wedding, to be her maid of honor. And Vix knows that she will go—because she wants to understand what happened during that last shattering summer. And, after all these years, she needs to know why her best friend—her summer sister—still has the power to break her heart."
This list is by no means exhaustive! Whether you'll be reading poolside, at the beach, or just dreaming of such a summertime getaway, you have plenty of options for a summer-inspired title. What books are you exploring this summer? Be sure to tell me in the comments. Best wishes for further reading!
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