Books To Read This Summer


These long summer nights require a long summer book to go with it. So apply that sun cream and get lounging with our top picks of classic and contemporary fiction that will take up a spot in your suitcase, and your heart this summer.

 The Beekeeper of Aleppo

The Beekeeper of Allepo by Christy Lefteri 

Christy Lefteri has produced a provocative and heart wrenching novel about the suffering and loss felt through emigration and the feelings of displacement felt in becoming a refugee. Nuri is a beekeeper whose wife, Afra is an artist who sells her work at the open-air market on weekends. They live a simple yet rich and happy life in the scenic hills of the Syrian city Aleppo. However, when war destroys their way of life, they have no choice but to escape Syria towards an unknown life in Britain. Lefteri’s novel is courageous yet beautiful in its ability to create a sense of hope and belonging as the family must make the difficult journey back to each other to find what was lost to them.

 Speaking of Summer

Speaking of Summer by Kalisha Buckhanon

If a thriller is your thing whilst lazing on a sunny beach, then Kalisha Buckhanon’s Speaking of Summer is the thriller for you. Follow Autumn Spencer as she seeks to find her twin sister, Summer, who went missing one December night after walking to the roof of their shared Harlem brownstone. Autumn must unravel the mystery surrounding her sister’s disappearance and must fight to find truth at any cost.

 Heatburn by Nora Ephron

Heartburn by Nora Ephron 

The screenwriter, Nora Ephron, of ‘When Harry Met Sally’ brings you Heartburn. This semi-autobiographical story takes the pains of marriage and divorce to give some honest and often hilarious truths. The story follows Rachel, who, at seven months pregnant has found out her husband is in love with another woman. Rachel is a cookery writer and food acts as a consolation- as does revenge! Ephron’s only novel provides quotable one liners and truly captures the feelings of love, loss, betrayal and revenge. Bittersweet and hilarious!

 The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale  by Margaret Atwood 

You are probably all too aware of this classic by Margaret Atwood published in 1985. Now with a hit series on Channel 4, this classic dystopian novel has had a resurgence. Whether you’ve read it before or not, read it again or buy a copy now, because Atwood’s follow up novel, ‘The Testaments’ is set for release on the 10th September 2019. Set in America, The Handmaid’s Tale is a portrayal of defiance and authoritarian rule in a dystopian world. It puts the spotlight on female oppression as Atwood pushes the prejudices and experiences of the 21st century to the extreme.

 The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo

The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo 

This debut novel by Claire Lombardo tells the story of Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson who fall in love during the 1970s. Go forward to 2016 and the couple have four daughters, all radically different in their quest to find themselves and fall in love. The novel spans half a century to explore the triumphs and burdens of love and family and those special moments of joy that make the pain worthwhile.

Related Posts

What to read next
What to read next
We are kicking off the first journal post of the year with our latest book picks. It has very much been hunker-down w...
Read More
A Review | Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
A Review | Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
  What is it about? Nora Hamilton knows the formula for the perfect romance. As a screenwriter for the romance channe...
Read More
A Review | On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
A Review | On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
  What is it about? This is the brilliant and heart-breaking story of Little Dog. Through letters to his mother who c...
Read More