Riley’s Summer Reading List
Warm weather is officially here and we’re bringing back the beloved summer reading list! In celebration of pool and beach season, and sticky, stormy afternoons, Riley put together a list of her must-reads for you to bring with you wherever this season takes you.
A note from Riley -
I love to read! In no particular order- here is a list of ten books- a combination of recent reads and books that have stuck with me over the years- to add to your own summer reading list. Full disclosure- I usually gravitate toward thriller-esque books, so if that’s not your genre, these might not all be for you, but I did try to include a little bit of a mix!
Did you know that we also have a bit of a reading list in the shop? From “The Secret Garden” art print to Riley’s illustrated “Little Women”, we have all your favorite classics in the form of art (don’t forget our Little Women ribbon!).
Riley’s Summer Reading List
This was fantastic- five people are waiting for a London train- by the time it arrives, one of them will die. The narrator breaks the fourth wall, sharing each of their life stories first, so that we (the readers) can develop our own judgements/etc. ahead of the ending.
Published in the 1970s, but felt like it could have been yesterday (I have been living under a rock, as I only just found out about it through Yesteryear author Caro Claire Burke). Dana, a Black woman living in 1970s California, is pulled back in time to early 1800s Maryland, where she saves the life of a plantation owner’s son, who turns out to be her ancestor. As said ancestor grows up, she is pulled back and forth between his timeline and hers.
The House in the Pines- Ana Reyes
Picked this up at the airport bookstore en route to my friend’s bachelorette in Mexico, and didn’t speak to anyone on the trip until I finished it. Could have very easily read another 100 pages!
One of my all-time favorite books. Whenever I re-read Jodi Picoult’s old books, it feels like I am catching up with an old friend- warning, though, that this one is very, very sad.
The Love of My Life- Rosie Walsh
Read this a few years back and while I have the bad habit of forgetting a lot of what I read, I remember this one (and the ending!) so well! Emma’s perfect life begins to unravel when her husband starts to look into her past, revealing she is not who she says she is.
Written by a former Vogue editor and set in the early 2000s New York fashion magazine world, this book follows the career trajectory of a young, morally ambiguous editorial assistant. A little black comedy, a little thriller- this book hooked me from the get-go!
When We Were Bright And Beautiful- Jillian Medoff
I could not put this down. So many trigger warnings, as this dealt with very disturbing subject matter, but it was SO well-written with a huge twist I did not see coming. A 20-something goes home to Manhattan when her younger brother is accused by a college classmate of sexual assault, but nothing is as it seems in her wealthy, seemingly perfect family.
A young woman named Alex spends the week before Labor Day drifting in and out of the lives and homes of the elite in the Hamptons, pretending to be someone she is not. I found myself anxiously rushing to the end as Alex’s behavior became increasingly erratic, and then running to Google/Reddit as soon as it was over!
Strange Sally Diamond- Liz Nugent
An offbeat, reclusive woman’s life is turned upside down after her father dies, and she’s forced to confront a past she doesn’t remember. Thrilling and unique and every time you think you know where it’s going, it surprises you- I wish the author would write a sequel, as I didn’t want this one to end!
The Interestings- Meg Wolitzer
One of my all-time favorite books- I first read this over a decade ago, and the story, which follows a group of six teenagers from their meeting at summer camp in the 1970s to the early 2010s, is one that has stuck with me. The only book on this list that couldn’t be described as a thriller, so that says something!
Happy reading!