This summer, Americans have been flocking anywhere but the homes they’ve spent the past year in, and it’s no different for military families. No matter where you’ve been vacationing this summer – a beach, the mountains, in an RV, or even camping in your own backyard – it can be hard to find the time to accomplish that goal of setting more time aside to read! That said, there is still plenty of time before the summer is over. Here are five novels I loved that will carry you into another world (note: I’m not a big fan of “chick lit,” so there’s none on this list):
1. Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland
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USA Today called this “the perfect summer read” and it is! Even though it begins with a tragedy, the book sweeps you into the world of 1930s Atlantic City (where I spent every summer of my childhood) with intricate, pitch-perfect details. My favorite part about this book is the character development – you really do fall in love with these characters. I was sad when this book was over.
2. Send for Me by Lauren Fox
Related: Why you should always have a book on deployment (and on road trips, and in waiting rooms)
Every once in a while a book comes along that I really, really, really wish I had written, and this was one of them. This is a marvel of literary/historic fiction and, above all, it’s about the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters. The novel follows the life of Annelise, a young girl working at her parents’ popular bakery in Feldenheim, Germany, during the rise of the Nazi party. The words are so lyrical, they’re like poetry themselves. The best part? It’s based on the author’s own family history.
3. Temperance Creek by Pamela Royes
If you love the wilderness or dream about wandering the plains and mountains of the wild west, this novel is for you. This memoir beautifully tells the story of Pamela Royes’ romance in the hills of Eastern Oregon in the carefree days of the1970s. When she meets Vietnam veteran Skip Royes, they fall in love and begin a four–year journey into the Oregon wilderness. It’s not a spoiler alert to reveal that they end up married for life – it actually makes the book all the more precious.
4. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
This is the kind of book you’ll want to read if you’re at the beach and it’s storming at night. It fits squarely into the thriller genre, and tells the story of a wedding taking place on an island off the coast of Ireland during a bad storm, complete with the perfect thriller cast of characters. This is a fast-paced, fun read you’ll want to curl up with at night.
5. A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe (released July 20)
Karin Tanabe is one of my favorite writers, and she’s also a friend of mine (and I can give you the inside scoop that this book is already getting a close look from Hollywood). Taking place in 1954 New York City, the glamorous wife of a surgeon and heir to a shipping fortune is desperate to escape the constraints of high-society life. So when she is approached by the FBI and asked to join their ranks as an informant, she seizes the opportunity. You won’t want to miss this – it will be the novel of the summer.
