What Great Books Are You Reading This Summer?

What great books are you reading?

I love to read and I love to listen to audio books.

I recently finished The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. It was an instant New York Times hit and was on the Best Seller list for 48 weeks. This thriller kept me engaged. It was about a lying husband and his daughter, Bailey. After only one year of marriage he disappears and leaves Hannah to figure out what he means by a note he leaves that says, “Protect her.”

I loved the book and it held my interest but….I wasn’t thrilled with the ending. It has rave reviews from so many that I have to think that maybe it’s just me. Maybe I just have to have a “Happy ever after” ending. Of course, life doesn’t always have a happy ending either. I’m thinking maybe there will be a sequel.

I decided to ask my friends what great books they were reading and they offered some wonderful suggestions. I plan on reading all of these!

From my friend Debbie….

Last Summer Boys by Bill Rivers.

“This book is about a family of boys in the 1960’s who live in a rural area. The youngest son tries to keep his older brother from going to Vietnam. It will make you laugh and cry.”

From my Aunt Kate

I’m listening to “Priestdaddy” on Audible, an autobiography written and read by Patricia Lockwood. She is the oldest child of several born to a priest who converted to his religion after he was married with children and therefor exempt of the rules against such. It is often funny, often sad, often profane, often beautifully poetic, and always read with the emotion the speaker obviously intends. I haven’t finished it yet, and I dread the prospect of being finished with it. I will probably start over again at the beginning.

More from Kate…

I also loved “This Must Be the Place” the author of my favorite “Hamnet”, Maggie Ferrell. Each chapter you meet a different character, perhaps in a different time and as you puzzle your way through, you figure out the connections. You will be confused, but you will love every word of it!”

From Pam….

I love “The Stolen Marriage” by Diane Chamberlain. I loved the twist and surprises and how WWII affected American life. It also made me think about how one mistake in a persons life can dictate the rest of their life. Other issues came into play; family dynamics, the racial climate during that time, and religious factors in families.

From Teresa P. …I loved “Stolen Marriage” too. It was set in Hickory, North Carolina. I’m very familiar with that area. I also loved “28 Summers” by Elin Hilderbrand.

Tammy…. “The Rose Code” by Kate Quinn. All about three girlfriends who worked at the famous Bletchley Park code breaking institution. One of the girls was Osla Benning the great-grandmother of Kate Middleton who dated Prince Phillip before he married Queen Elizabeth, formerly the Prince Phillip of Greece. These girls changed the course of WWII. Great Read! Same author wrote The Alice Network, which is another female driven WWII historical fiction book. The Alice Network was written first, so I’d start with that one.

Now that we have shared what we are reading we want to hear from you. What great books are you reading this summer? And if you are looking for children’s books check out a previous post about great books for kids!