The Short Version: See the entire list on Bookshop.
We officially closed the books on our school year today! Between the girls’ school books, three book clubs, and the books I picked up on my own, I read 100 books since August 2024. It has been an incredible year of learning. And now I’m ready for a few months of reading lazily on the beach or by the pool. Here’s a look at what I’m hoping to enjoy this summer:
The Splendid and the Vile — Erik Larson writes nonfiction that reads like a thriller so I can’t wait to read this account of Winston Churchill’s life during 1940-41.
Babylonia — I devoured Cleopatra and have been waiting for my library copy of this one since it’s release day. I picked it up last week and am thrilled!
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent — I read Before We Were Free last month and now I want to read everything Julia Alvarez has ever written.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell — Years ago, David read Piranesi to me out loud and I loved every word of it. A friend recommended this one last summer, so when I found a beautiful copy at Barnes and Noble a couple of months ago, I knew it was perfect for summer. It’s a brick though, so this one will have to be read during rainy days at home.
Lila — This has been on my TBR list since I read Jack in 2020. A book club friend gave me just the nudge I needed to bump this one up and actually read it this month.
Homeseeking — The reviews of this one make me think of The Covenant of Water, which looks so big and long but reads like the wind. I hope this one lives up to its hype, because I’m really looking forward to reading it.
Lolly Willowes — If I don’t read this one this summer, I’m getting rid of it. It’s been on my shelf for YEARS and every time I pick it up, I can’t get into it. It’s this summer or never.
Ragtime — feels like the perfect fun read for summer.
Travels with Charley — John Steinbeck is at the top of the list of my favorite writers. This is his nonfiction account of traveling the country with his dog. A quintessential summer read, for sure.
Gift From the Sea — While at the beach, why not read about the ocean?
From Scratch — I read (and loved) the introduction of this book for a writing assignment this year and haven’t had time to get back to it, so I’m really looking forward to reading it this summer.
I assigned our homeschool co-op kids summer reading, so I’ll be doing my fair share of reading kid lit. To encourage them to actually read the books, I’ve invited them for a book talk at the beach in June and a pizza party at my house in July. Kids will do anything for a beach day and pizza!
On the list:
Inside Out and Back Again (6th-9th grades)
The Outsiders (7th-12th grades)
I Capture the Castle (10th-12th grades)
The Silver Donkey (6th grade)
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (6th grade)
Their Eyes Were Watching God (10th-12th grade)
And I also have a stack of books that need to be read so that I can teach them in the Fall. One of the very best things about homeschooling is all the books I get to read. My pre-reading stack is much longer than this, but these are the priorities for summer.
So, basically, don’t expect me to do anything but read this summer. 😜
What’s on your summer reading list??
Love Travels with Charley! The best. And Animal Farm was last week— incredible. Don’t know how I missed reading it in my younger years.
My family listened to Travels With Charley on a roadtrip a few months ago, and we all loved it!