Summer reading recs
If you like strong women
Hey there, here’s a list of what I’ve read so far this summer that I would recommend, based on your reading mood. Contains affiliate links. The only “order” they’re in is what I remembered. If I don’t remember it, it’s probably not recommendable. By vibe:
Wanna curl up with something where the mystery never gets too stressful?
Raiders of the Lost Hex by Tara Lush, a world of witches and fantasy travel and merfolk
Absolute Zero by Margaret Lashley, for anyone who’s ever dreamed of running away
Love a good, character-driven story?
What Alice Forgot, Liane Moriarty—another life-affirming read
Everything We Thought Was True, Lisa Montanaro—a heartbreaking but also affirming look at what it would have been like to grow up in a family and discover your father had been concealing his sexuality
Six Days in Bombay, Alka Joshi, an enjoyable tour through India where the MC pieced together her life by inhabiting a very different person’s point of view
Or do you like it twisty? A little dark? Sexy? Unpredictable…
Verity (I know!)—read out of curiosity, stayed for the page turning
The Midnight Feast—classic Lucy Foley
A Bitter Veil —ok, expected NOT to like because it’s about an American woman trapped in Iran after the Shah takes over but Hellman nailed it!
Home is Where the Bodies Are—whodunnit fun!
Hate Follow—an enjoyable trashing of influencer culture
And of course… Florida Girls! For that immersive, can’t put it down historical suspense you love, plus twisting the mafia narrative on its pointy little head.
You can tell what I lean into, but this emphasis is also because of what I’m writing next (The Critic, a twisted psychological suspense novel that takes place in 1996 and set in the worlds of theater and alt weekly newspapers. Book 1 in the Steel City Mysteries.).
One category I avoid is horror. Now, when I say horror I mean what most people think of as thriller. In other words, if the book opens with an imperiled woman in chains smelling blood, that’s an automatic stop read for me. At any point where that’s the scene I’m done, but that’s usually page one because it’s the new cold open. Sorry, too
I also like a good sci fi, because those often specialize in the morally complex.
Got any recs for me?