Five Books I Want to Read For an Exciting Summer

Please see this post on A Little Break Bookstore’s website that has an important retrospective update to this list. :)

Maybe you haven’t heard, but I love to read.

So far this year, I haven’t had as much mental energy to dedicate to reading as I would normally like, but that should be shifting now that summer is coming around! With more time to spend by the pool, one of my recent major life stressors eliminated and my bookstore fully launched, I’ll be able to prioritize reading a bit more.

So far, I’ve read 7 books this year (though I DNF’d one on top of that.) As of writing this, I’m reading two books but I am still technically ‘behind’ based on my numbers from 2023.

I read 30 books last year, which means if I were to take the same track then I will need to finish 8 more books between now and the end of June. I don’t anticipate that happening, but I guess you never know lol. I don’t beat myself up over not hitting the same numbers as I try to just read for fun, but it’s also interesting to see what the months and years look like in comparison.

All this to say that I very rarely work off a set TBR. I am very much a mood reader and any time I’ve ever given myself a strict list to work through, I quickly give up on it and pick other books. But the below five books have been on my mind for so long that I am almost positive I’ll get to them this summer (as long as life doesn’t beat me up in fun, new ways lol.)

I do think it’s fascinating to hear what other people want to read, so I figured I would join the fun! Check out my small TBR for summer 2024 below. :)

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

I bought Lessons in Chemistry what feels like a million years ago, and it’s been staring me in the face from my bookshelf since. I’ve heard so many good things about it, and I am invested in the story. A woman advocating for herself! A chemist! (I was once a chemistry major, so I always have a small soft spot for it.) A little romance! A shade of pink on the cover that I don’t hate!

Recently, I’ve been in a heavy fantasy mood but it’s taken me a while to find one that actually hits (currently reading When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A Parker.) So that would partly explain why I haven’t picked this one up yet. But for the other parts…I am honestly not sure.

I’m also trying to work through at least a solid chunk of my bookshelf at home before I go out of my way to buy more books, so reading this one will make a dent in that goal. Hey, one book counts!

Funny Story by Emily Henry

I can’t claim to be a huge Emily Henry fan who’s read every single one of her books. I’ve only read two - Book Lovers and Happy Place - but I enjoyed them both. I’ve heard mixed things about her other two books, People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read. I do think I’ll read them eventually, but I’m not in a rush to do that.

I will admit that I am a sucker for a good romance novel. When I read Happy Place last summer, Emily Henry very quickly became an author I looked forward to seeing publish again. Happy Place was a 5/5 for me. (Though, I’ll say that my rating system is loose, at best.)

Funny Story, of course, represents the classic Emily Henry charm just from the cover, and it’s PURPLE?! I want that on my shelf; it would be the perfect addition. I have my books organized in rainbow order, no matter how many people say it’s a horrible way to do it lol. Books are not published with purple covers very often, so honestly that alone has me immediately itching to pick it up.

Summertime feels like the best time to read romance, too, so why not throw it in the next few months?

Due to my temporary book-buying-ban, I am not buying Funny Story. Yet! I currently have it on hold at my library, and on Libby. I’m just seeing which one comes in first. But as long as I enjoy it, I will likely buy it later on to have on my shelves.

Soul Boom by Rainn Wilson

I don’t read a ton of non-fiction, just because I really try to learn as much as I can from those books and that takes time. But I usually have at least a few sprinkled in throughout the year! Soul Boom is one that is highly ranked as I-am-looking-forward-to-this on my non-fiction list, so I think reading it by the pool this summer would be really nice.

Soul Boom is all about spirituality and reinstating it in our lives on a global scale. Truthfully, I’ve never considered myself very spiritual but I do have interest in it. If nothing else, I think it would be fascinating to hear someone else’s perspective on it.

As I’ve gotten older (”older” is relative; I’m 25 lol) I’ve started to understand the separation between religion and spirituality, and the latter is growing on me. But I also admit that I’m rather overwhelmed by it!

Seeing someone like Rainn Wilson, who’s overall career is so far removed from spirituality, talk about it makes it feel way more digestible to me. And I enjoy Rainn’s humor so I feel like it is inevitably written into his book.

Soul Boom is one of those books that I really want to tab and take notes on because I feel like there is going to be SO much information to absorb. So I want to take my time with it and what better time to do that than the summer?

The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn

Last spring, I read Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn in one day and I absolutely LOVED it. I immediately subscribed to her newsletter and when she announced another book was coming I got SO excited. (I actually have a database in my Notion where I specifically track upcoming releases I’m excited about, and you know I added this one as soon as I could.)

I adore Kate’s writing: the way she makes characters multi-dimensional without tying ALL of those dimensions to the romance she’s writing. It makes for beautiful character arcs and more intrigue into the entirety of the story. I want to be entranced by that writing again!

I also have to say that the title of this book seems fascinating. Honestly if someone said that title without the author next to it, I would have first guessed that it was a fantasy novel. BUT maybe it will make perfect sense once I read it!

This is another one that I have on hold at the library, but it appears as though I won’t have nearly as long a wait as I do for Funny Story, so it maaaaayyyyy be coming up pretty soon!

The Stand by Stephen King

Oh goodness, I am beyond excited about this one.

I have not, admittedly, read a whole lot of Stephen King. The Dark Tower series is actually the only set of his books that I’ve read but it’s one of my most favorite series of all time.

I haven’t read anything else by him because I just don’t have a big tolerance for horror. I know that’s a pretty sad reason to NOT read his genius but….I can’t help it lol.

One of my brothers, though, has been hounding me to read The Stand for YEARS, I’ve had friends recommend it to me, and one Book-Tuber I really like read The Stand in 24 hours and inspired me to get my own copy. (I will not be reading it in just 24 hours, though. I could never lol)

My boyfriend bought me a GORGEOUS copy of The Stand last month (this one!), and it’s been staring me in the face since then. It’s a chunker, so I didn’t want to add it to my bookshelves because I knew it would basically erase all the progress I’ve made on my physical TBR lol. So it’s just been sitting there, face out, glaring at me and taunting me for not reading it yet.

I won’t be reading it right away, because When the Moon Hatched is already a fairly hefty fantasy and I will need a genre shift first, but it’s definitely going to be read this summer. And I can’t wait.

P.S. I will filming a YouTube video about reading The Stand in particular. Make sure you’re subscribed to my channel to get notified when I upload it. :)

What Are You Reading This Summer?

Have you read any of these books? Without spoilers, what did you think of them?!

And please share what you’re planning on reading this summer in the comments! Or, if you’re like me and you (tend to) lean away from planned TBRs, let me know what you’re currently reading!