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WSIRN Ep 79: The books we can’t wait to read this Summer

WARNING: today’s episode might make you long for a warm sandy beach, a cozy cabin, or a French villa… wherever your heart longs to vacation, that’s where you’ll want to be. That’s right, we’re talking SUMMER READING today with the help of my friend Melissa Klassen! Melissa makes the magic happen behind the scenes for WSIRN and Modern Mrs Darcy, and is one of my favorite people to chat with about books.

In this episode, we discuss what’s so great about summer reading — no matter which hemisphere you’re in. We talk about summer’s big releases, the ones getting all the love from publishers and critics. We’re covering the summer books we’ve already read and loved, and the books coming out later this Summer that we’re eagerly awaiting. I also give you a peek behind the scenes of the SIXTH annual Modern Mrs Darcy summer reading guide, coming out May 17, and share a few of my favorite titles you’ll find there.

What Should I Read Next #79: The books we can't wait to read this Summer

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Feels like May 17th is just too far away? Tide yourself over with some throwback reading guides from the past 3 years of Modern Mrs. Darcy:

2016 | 2015 | 2014

Books mentioned in this episode:

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•  The Story of a Brief Marriage, by Anuk Arudpragasam
•  This is How it Always Is, by Laurie Frankel
•  A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman
•  Beartown, by Fredrik Backman
•  Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town, by Jon Krakauer
•  You Will Know Me, by Megan Abbott
•  Into The Water, by Paula Hawkins
•  The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins
•  The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion
•  The Rosie Effect, by Graeme Simsion
•  The Best of Adam Sharp, by Graeme Simsion
•  Men Without Women, Haruki Murakami
•  What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, by Haruki Murakami
•  1Q84, by Haruki Murakami
•  Anything Is Possible, by Elizabeth Strout
•  My Name is Lucy Barton, by Elizabeth Strout
•  The Address, by Fiona Davis
•  The Dollhouse, by Fiona Davis
•  The Dry, by Jane Harper
•  Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage, by Dani Shapiro
•  I Found You, by Lisa Jewell
•  The Fall of Lisa Bellow, by Susan Perabo
•  He Said/She Said, by Erin Kelly
•  How To Eat A Cupcake, by Meg Donohue
•  All The Summer Girls, by Meg Donohue
•  Every Wild Heart, by Meg Donohue
•  Where The Light Falls, by Allison Pataki
•  The Accidental Empress, by Allison Pataki
•  The Traitor’s Wife, by Allison Pataki
•  The Knockoff, by Lucy Sykes
•  Fitness Junkie, by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza
•  Glass Houses, by Louise Penny
•  The Brothers K, by David James Duncan
•  Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh
•  The Burgess Boys, Elizabeth Strout
•  Olive Kitteredge, by Elizabeth Strout•  When We were Worthy, Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
•  Lie To Me, by J.T. Ellison
•  Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood, by Lisa Damour
•  Passenger, by Alexandra Bracken
•  Common Sense Parenting: Using Your Head as Well as Your Heart to Raise School Age Children, by Ray, PH.D. Burke, Bridget, & MS Barnes
•  Hum If You Don’t Know The Words, by Bianca Marais

21 comments

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  1. Stephanie says:

    I need a recommendation! Of the books that are already out from the summer reading guide, which ones would any of you recommend for a good audiobook. I have been doing a lot more walks as the weather has been getting warmer and I’d love to have one or two of these on audio. Thanks!

  2. Wonderful podcast this morning!
    At this moment I am reading Anita Shreve’s ( one of my favorite writers) newest novel, “The Stars are Fire”. It is based on the real coastal fires of Maine in 1947. A young mother saves herself & her 2 very young children by going in the ocean. Everything is lost & she has no money or knows where her husband is. It is her chance to reinvent herself, as she was unhappy in her marriage. I’m really enjoying it, though my favorite of her novels are “Fortune’s Rocks”, “Seaglass”, “The Last Time They Met”, & “The Weight of Water”, which is based n a real murder on an island off of Maine. Has anyone read any of these?
    On my TBR is “The Dry”, “Beartown”, The Four Swans”, “I Found You”, The Kitchen House” & an older nonfiction, “The Princes in the Tower” by Alison Weir, just to name a few!
    Would love to learn what others are reading!

  3. Holli Petersen says:

    So I’m reading The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso as my #diversebooks reading challenge pick. (It could also qualify as immigrant story.) I’m not quite done, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised, particularly for a debut author. There’s these little nuggets of wisdom hidden in the prose that I love and it delves into so many topics – marriage, racism, culture, history, family relationships. The reviews are mixed, but it’s a 4 star in my book.

  4. Susan King says:

    I am so glad to hear your views on Beartown by Fredrik Backman. I finished the audio version last week and am begging friends to read it so we can talk about it. So far no takers ? Maybe its inclusion on The Summer Reading Guide will remedy this situation! ?

    • Kelly Schultz says:

      I did the same thing… My mom is listening to it now! I absolutely loved that book!!! First 5 star book I have done in a long time!! 🙂

  5. Donna says:

    “Where wouldn’t I want to go for a reading vacation?”-so true! Such a fun podcast today, it made me even more excited for summer reading if that’s possible. The Dry and Anything Is Possible are two of my favorites from this year so I can’t wait to read others from the Summer Reading Guide. With the upcoming eclipse in August I think He Said/She Said will be at the top of my list.

    • Debbi DuBose says:

      HE SAID SHE SAID is a fantastic book. I was fortunate enough to read an ARC of it through St Martin’s Press. It was released today. The other book that YOU MUST READ is: MY SISTER’S BONES by Nuala Ellwood which will be published on July 11th. It’s about a journalist suffering from PTSD after being in Syria. It’s a terrifically suspenseful novel, also, about her family when she gets back home to England. This is a novel not to be missed. I read it straight through, it’s that GOOD! ALSO, REALLY loved: HE SAID SHE SAID. STILL can’t stop thinking about it! ?

  6. Kelly Schultz says:

    Oh my gosh I had to stop mid podcast to leave a comment. I just read (well audio-ed) BEARTOWN last week…. OMGOSH so good!!! You took the words out of my mouth such good writing like Man Called Ove. I also loved “Britt-Marie was Here” and “My Grandmother ask me to tell you she’s Sorry” but that is exactly what I thought the tone was so different. This book is powerful and has amazing insights into human weakness, human strength, and the power to belong to something bigger to yourself! I absolutely loved it!! So glad you enjoyed it to!!

  7. Kimi says:

    So enjoyed this episode! I stumbled upon This Is How It Always Is on the new release shelf at the library and am am loving it so far.
    And I loved the reading vacation question, and I automatically knew where I’d go: Three Pines 😉

  8. Eva says:

    So I’m reading The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso as my #diversebooks reading challenge pick. (It could also qualify as immigrant story.) I’m not quite done, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised, particularly for a debut author
    WOW.. This is Amazing

  9. Loved the episode! But now I can’t remember one of the recommendations you made…which of the books coming out this summer did you recommend if you like Kristin Hannah? My stepmom is on a Kristin Hannah binge and is going to run out of books soon, so I want to have an alternative for her!

    • Anne says:

      Kristen, my first thought was The Alice Network—but I don’t think I actually talked about it in this episode! It might have been Allison Pataki?

      • Kristen says:

        I listened to the middle of the podcast again and Every Wild Heart was the one you said Kristin Hannah fans would enjoy. I’m going to pass the title on to my stepmom!
        Thanks for everything you do!

        • Debbi DuBose says:

          Every Wild Heart is an absolutely delightful book. I enjoyed every minute of it and I, also think Kristin Hannah fans would enjoy it.

      • Debbi DuBose says:

        I loved:THE ALICE NETWORK. A book that will make you cry and laugh!! Please don’t miss reading this genuinely wonderful novel! But, it doesn’t remind me of Kristin Hannah’s books. It’s more like an Alison Pataki book. ?

  10. Amber Backes says:

    After listening to the podcast on a drive to the doctor’s office, I promptly picked my kids up and took them to the library so I could get The Traitor’s Wife. Can’t wait to start it.

  11. Claire says:

    Travelling home from work on a rainy day, this podcast was the perfect summery antidote! Plus I’m just finishing a book I haven’t massively enjoyed so I’m ready to get stuck into something fun and unputdownable that I am confident I will love!

    My fabulous in-laws have blessed me with book vouchers which I can’t wait to get spending – I’m going to print out my WSIRN wish list and hit the book shop. He Said, She Said and Allison Pataki both sound great – but then there are so many great recommendations in this episode, thank goodness for show notes!

    PS My absolute favourite summer reading memory is Cyprus where all I did was read and swim. I especially remember reading Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken. They’re both better Autumn/Winter reads but technically it was Autumn, we were just somewhere gorgeously sunny!

  12. Rachel says:

    Just listened to this podcast (I’m a little behind!) and I love how Anne said that paperbacks feel friendlier than hardcovers. It sounded like it could have come out of “You’ve Got Mail”! 🙂

  13. Andrea says:

    I can’t wait to read The Alice Network. It is waiting for me on my bookshelf. I just finished The Women in The Castle, which I absolutely loved!

  14. Sarah says:

    I was really exciting to read Dreamland Burning when it was described on the podcast. I liked the idea that the boy and girl were just friends–no romance.
    I was super disappointed when I got to chapter 2 or so and found out that the book was not described correctly. The male character is Asexual. I wish the writer would have just given them a real friendship.

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