Shhhhh, We’re Reading
Our summer reading list is back by popular demand, to keep you off that damn phone and enjoying some no-screen time … unless you read by Kindle. If your eyeballs hate you, at least they can’t blame us.
For When You Need Excitement
The Love Haters by Katherine Center
Imagine a rom-com and a mental breakthrough had a baby. It’s set in Key West, so yes there are palm trees and salty breezes and hot guys who literally dive out of helicopters. But the real star? Katie Vaughn. She’s a stressed-out video producer clinging to her job by a thread, and her next assignment just happens to be a profile on a Coast Guard rescue swimmer named Hutch. Minor problem: She can’t swim. At all. She decides to jump in anyway, physically and emotionally, learning to love herself, make new friends and get out of her comfort zone. In the process she gets close to Hutch, who doesn’t “do relationships,” and … well, you’ll just have to ~sea~.
If You Want a Cowboy to Taaaaake You Away
Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage
First, a moment for having the ultimate cool girl western retro cover. The story follows an interior designer named Ada as she takes on her next project at one of the largest ranches in Wyoming. She doesn’t need a man. But her first night in town she meets a cowboy at a bar and does something she never does: make out with a stranger. The next day she realizes that stranger is her boss, Wes, and she shuts it down. Ada is fully in her healing era but so is Wes, in his own way. As his family welcomes her in as more than an employee, Wes can’t stop thinking about her as more. If sneaking around, close-proximity and cowboy romances are your thing, saddle up.
- Bonus: If you love this book, it’s part of the Rebel Blue Ranch Series. Don’t worry, they can be read as standalones.
For When You Need Motivation
Who Better Than You?: The Art of Healthy Arrogance & Dreaming Big by Will Packer
Yes, humility is admirable but you know what? Sometimes being humble goes so far we don’t let ourselves reach our full potential. More of us need to own our sh*t and do what the heck we want to do. It also gets into how to keep on keeping on even in our messy and unpredictable world. This motivational book is humorous and engaging, with some choice words to really keep your attention. Thanks for coming to our Ted Talk. Kidding, but this book isn’t.
For When Politics are Overwhelming
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Yes, even as fully grown adults, we will be reading a teenage dystopian for the sole fact that The Hunger Games series had us all in a chokehold in the 2010s. And no, we aren’t ashamed about it. Sixteen year old Haymich Abernathy won the games, but lost everything. For the non-Hunger Games superfans, this book is the second prequel (he’s got more backstory, y’all) to the original Hunger Games trilogy. In this universe, every year the nation puts on a brawl to the death between 12 teens to remind the districts of the war they lost. Haymich, who you may remember, is a past winner turned coach, who might just win us over even more in the latest book. A brooding young Haymitch ready to take on a whole government while figuring out how to stay alive? If you decide to subject yourself to more tragedy, may the odds be ever in your favor.
For Something Sappy
Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez
Samantha didn’t expect to fall head-over-heels for a ridiculously gorgeous veterinarian while trying to market mustard, but enter Xavier Rush, a “Greek-god-level hot” man, cradling a kitten without a butthole. Yeah, there’s a lot to unpack there. The aura is immediately ruined when he says the worst thing possible and acts like a jerk. Samantha, queen of calling out nonsense, isn’t about to let it slide. But when he actually owns up to it, one perfect date later leaves them both questioning everything. Samantha is dealing with family crises, financial pressure and a parent with dementia. Yet they just can’t seem to forget each other. This book deals with some heavy stuff but has plenty of humorous moments to keep you going. You may encounter dust while reading this book, so keep tissues nearby, you know, just in case.
If You Loved the Parent Trap (But You’re a Grown-Up Now)
Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein
We didn’t just pick this because the title is a play on words, but that fact didn’t hurt. Vivian is a chic New Yorker, Lucy is a small-town teacher. Every year they spend a month with their father at their lake house in Maine — separately. They’ve never met. While Lucy envied her half-sister from afar, their father kept Vivian in the dark. It’s somewhat like a parent trap situation except with adult sisters and way more drama. The sisters get into it while they’re figuring out how to navigate uncovered secrets. The setting is charming and summery and best read near a body of water. While we won’t spoil the ending, we will say things were tied up well with no loose ends.
