If you’re looking for books to read this summer, here’s some summer reading inspiration to add to your list.
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Is your Kindle in need of some new material? Or maybe you worked through the pile of books on your bedside table during lockdown.
Usually around now, I put together a list of books that I’m planning to read during the summer. More specifically, they’re the books I’ll be taking to keep me occupied during our family holiday. But with travel outside the UK still difficult and UK options booking up so quickly, I’m mainly going to be holidaying in my back garden this year and that may well apply to you too.
So if you’re looking for reading inspiration, here’s a selection of books to consider. Some will transport you to sunnier climes, while others are based a little closer to home.
An Endless Cornish Summer by Phillipa Ashley
Does a summer in Cornwall sound like bliss to you? You may have struggled to book a Cornish holiday this summer, but Phillipa Ashley’s new book will whisk you away to the fictitious village of Falford.
An Endless Cornish Summer* follows archaeologist Rose as she travels to Cornwall in search of the donor from her life-saving blood marrow transplant. During her long Cornish summer, she is drawn into the village’s close-knit community and grows close to the gorgeous Morvah brothers, Finn and Joey. But will she ever find out who saved her life?
This is a book full of gorgeous scenery, exciting sailing adventures and a little bit of Cornish Magick as well. It’s the perfect novel to read on your own summer holiday.
Sunrise by the Sea by Jenny Colgan
Jenny Colgan is another favourite author for my summer reading list, and I really enjoyed 500 Miles from You last summer.
This summer’s novel is Sunrise by the Sea*:
When she is given the opportunity to move to a remote tidal island off the Cornish Coast, Marisa Rossi decides some peace and quiet might be just what she needs.
Since the death of her beloved grandfather back in Italy, she’s been struggling to find a way out of her grief. Perhaps this will be the perfect place for her to recuperate.
But Mount Polbearne is a far cry from the sleepy little place she was imagining. Between her noisy piano-teaching Russian neighbour and the hustle and bustle of a busy community, Marisa finds solitude is not so easy to come by. Especially when she finds herself somehow involved with a tiny local bakery desperately in need of some new zest to save it . . .
Chasing the Italian Dream by Jo Thomas
And after last summer’s Escape to the French Farmhouse, Jo Thomas has created a feel-good story about making dreams come true in Chasing the Italian Dream*:
Lucia has worked hard as a lawyer in Wales, aiming for a big promotion she hopes will shortly come her way. Finally taking a well-earned break at her grandparents’ house in southern Italy, the sunshine, lemon trees and her nonna’s mouth-watering cooking make her instantly feel at home.
But she’s shocked to learn that her grandfather is retiring from the beloved family pizzeria and will need to sell. Lucia can’t bear the thought of the place changing hands – especially when she discovers her not-quite-ex-husband Giacomo wants to take it over!
Then bad news from home forces Lucia to re-evaluate what she wants from life. Is this her chance to carry on the family tradition and finally follow her dreams?
The Greek Holiday by Maeve Haran
This novel will whisk you off to a sun-kissed Greek island, with a plotline that’s full of romance, drama and intrigue.
Penny, Nell, Dora and Moira are four university friends who headed off several decades ago for a holiday on the fictional Greek Island of Zanthos. Penny receives a small legacy from her father, and arranges for the foursome to meet up again, in an attempt to relive the excitement of their youth. But the island has changed over the years, and isn’t the quiet, idyllic place of their memories.
A medical emergency during a boat trip sees the four friends wind up on the tiny island of Kyri. There they fall in love with the island, the community and yes, with some of the men. But not all of the island’s inhabitants are friendly and welcoming, and the four friends find themselves caught up in the murky world of international antique smuggling!
The Greek Holiday* is full of sunshine, good food and romance!
The Staycation by Michele Gorman
This novel from Michele Gorman is the perfect entertainment while you’re enjoying your own holiday this summer!
Harriet is at Heathrow airport preparing to fly out to Italy for a much-needed family holiday, when an Icelandic volcano erupts. Her flight is postponed and while waiting for news, she starts chatting to Sophie, who is also preparing to board the same flight with her own family.
The flight is cancelled – which probably sounds familiar to anyone who was caught up in the 2010 ash cloud. But rather than giving up and go home, the two women agree to a house-swap staycation. Harriet heads to Sophie’s London house with her husband and teenage daughter, while Sophie will be spending two weeks in Harriet’s Cotswolds cottage with her husband and their two children.
Over the course of the two week staycation, both women learn a lot about themselves as well as their husbands. And that’s going to have an effect that lasts longer than the ash cloud!
From Venice with Love by Rosanna Ley
Is the beautiful city of Venice is where you’d like to be heading this summer? Then this book will transport you there from the comfort of your own home!
Joanna’s marriage is in danger of breaking down, and she heads to rural Dorset to help her sister keep their mother’s farm afloat.
She discovers a bundle of love letters in the farm’s attic, which were written by an artist named Emmy. Intrigued by the letters, she discovers a love story which transports her to Lisbon, Prague and Venice
In this novel, there’s mystery, love and the re-discovery of a lost sisterly bond.
Five Hundred Miles from You by Jenny Colgan
Be transported to the bustling streets of London and the beautiful Scottish countryside in this fantastic read from Jenny Colgan.
A teenage boy is the victim of a hit and run on a London street, in front of Lissa, a nurse who is unable to save him. Meanwhile in rural Scotland, community nurse Cormac is left emotionally drained after caring for a young heart transplant patient.
So when they are offered a three month job swap, both Lissa and Cormac seize the opportunity. Maybe a change of scenery will help with the stress they are under?
500 Miles From You* follows Lissa as she tries to adjust to a community where everyone knows your business, while Cormac struggles with the insular nature of city life. As they swap notes and advice over email, they start to grow closer – but can they really be falling for each other?
If you fancy a little escapism mixed with a very modern romance, this is the book for you!
Escape to the French Farmhouse by Jo Thomas
And if the sunshine and lavender of southern France is more your thing, then this is the book for your summer reading list.
Del and her husband Ollie move to Provence, hoping that their new life will bring a fresh start after years of infertility struggles. Just six short weeks later, Ollie is on his way back to England, and Del comes to realise that what she really needs is a new life in France, without Ollie!
But the farmhouse needs work and the bills need paying, and Del needs to find a way to pay them. An old recipe book might hold the key to her new life, if she can really let go of the past.
This is a warm, uplifting book that is perfect summer reading!
More summer favourites…
These are some of the books that I’ve enjoyed in recent summers, for you to add to your summer reading list:
- Summer at Shell Cottage* by Lucy Diamond
- I Let You Go* by Clare Mackintosh
- The Girl on the Train* by Paula Hawkins
- The A-Z of Everything* by Debbie Johnson
- The Queen of Wishful Thinking* by Milly Johnson
- Doesn’t Everyone Have a Secret?* by Sue Shepherd