5 books to read this July….poolside reading, anyone?
I always say I prefer reading in the winter, but I just love grabbing a book and reading poolside. Well, to be honest, I prefer to read at the beach….but I live in Atlanta. That means no beaches. Whatsoever. Well, they exist, but they’re 4ish hours away. Yikes.
So while I’m wallowing in my beachy sadness, at least I have the pool at our place to fall back on. And, poolside reading it is for July. Here are my picks for the month – what’s on your list?
5 Books to read this July
In The Woods
A friend here in Atlanta recommended Tana French (I had never heard of her!), and now I’ve been seeing her books EVERYWHERE. I think it’s one of those things, right? Once you’re looking for something, you see it everywhere.
In The Woods is the first installment of the Dublin Murder Squad series….suspense for summer anyone?
Gingerbread
Straight from Goodreads: “Influenced by the mysterious place gingerbread holds in classic children’s stories–equal parts wholesome and uncanny, from the tantalizing witch’s house in “Hansel and Gretel” to the man-shaped confection who one day decides to run as fast as he can–beloved novelist Helen Oyeyemi invites readers into a delightful tale of a surprising family legacy, in which the inheritance is a recipe.”
I’ll be frank with you. I didn’t love Mr. Fox by Oyeyemi. Her writing wasn’t exactly for me, so we’ll see how this one turns out. The synopsis alone is a little confusing, but I’m willing to give it a try!
Cape May
What starts out as a simple read quickly reveals its true nature – exploring socializing and sex on Cape May in the 1950s. I’ve heard from some bookish friends that this one gets pretty steamy, so we’ll see what we’re in for!
I picked this one up as soon as I spotted it; a few years back I spent a week in Cape May with my family and couldn’t believe what a colorful little oasis it was…and in New Jersey! Who knew!? I suppose people who live in Jersey do, ha!
How Not To Die Alone
I know, I know, the title of this one sounds bleak. How Not To Die Alone throws you into Andrew’s grim and lonesome day-to-day life, as he visits the homes of those who die alone in search of next of kin. And, working in such a field means support is necessary. Andrew tells his coworkers that he has a loving family to come home to at the end of the day, and they believe him. Soon enough, as you can imagine, he finds himself in a pickle when he befriends a new colleague.
Eek, this one may not be the best suited for summer, but I’ll say that sometimes I need the sunny days to read something so….dark.
The Summer Demands
Stephanie Danler, author of Sweetbitter, writes “Shapiro’s prose is elegant, effortless, but it’s her characters that will keep you up late into the night, hoping you can save them.” Now how good does that sound?
The Summer Demands follows Emily as she inherits an abandoned summer camp in Massachusetts (love that it’s set in MA!) on the verge of her fortieth birthday and following a recent miscarriage. Sounds like quite the beginning, right?
ps. This one was c/o Catapault.
What are YOU reading this July? Did any of these catch your eye?
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