Today we’re welcoming you to Book Camp with the release of the THIRTEENTH annual Summer Reading Guide! This is our version of summer camp, book-lover style: the imaginary destination of our dreams where we spend all day reading books, talking about books, and deciding what books to read next—with breaks to eat, stare at the sky, and dip our toes into a beautiful body of water. Wouldn’t that be the life?
Book Camp may not be a place on the map but we’re bringing it to life in the pages of the 2024 MMD Summer Reading Guide. The guide went out to our member communities and a la carte purchasers at 9:00am EDT this morning, kicking off my favorite reading time of the year. (If you don’t see it in your inbox, please visit the help section on modernmrsdarcy.com/SRG.)
We always say that summer’s too short to squander on books that aren’t right for you, or aren’t right for you right now. The guide includes books I personally adore, though that doesn’t mean they’re right for every reader. That’s why in every description I give you the information you need to help you decide if that book sounds like a good fit for you.
This year’s guide includes 42 titles. That’s a lot of books—and that’s why every year since 2014, I’ve narrowed the choices down to five or six for my fellow minimalists and decision haters.
It’s never easy to whittle down the list to so few titles to spotlight. For years the Minimalist Guide had five titles, but a few years ago I couldn’t narrow it down to just five selections so I went with six for the 2021 Minimalist Summer Reading Guide, and I did the same for 2022. There were a dozen titles in the 2023 Minimalist Summer Reading Guide. (Maximalists, rejoice!) This year’s new 2024 Minimalist Summer Reading Guide features eight selections, a number we’ve never seen here before.
For each minimalist edition, I strive to select a variety of titles across many genres that keep you turning the pages but also have serious substance. You could inhale these titles quickly but find yourself thinking about them for weeks, months, or even years to come. And while easy to read, these titles are wonderfully thought-provoking and discussable.
I hope you enjoy this short and sweet summer list!
Want the full 2024 MMD Summer Reading Guide?
Visit the Summer Reading Guide HQ page to sign up and get the 2024 guide delivered to your inbox, along with Unboxing access (if you hurry!).
Our two Unboxing Parties are today at 1:00pm and 8:30pm Eastern time. In our 90+ minute live sessions, I share every title in the guide and why I chose it. Our conversation is casual and unscripted, filled with real talk about great books, in the presence of people who love books and reading. We’ll share the replay tomorrow for anyone who can’t attend live (or anyone who just wants to watch again and again); that recorded video event will be included with purchase for anyone who accesses the Guide beginning May 17.
I am at the exact stage of life for this pitch-perfect midlife tale to resonate deeply. For what may be the last time, fifty-something Rocky and her husband cram into a tiny Cape Cod beach house for one glorious week, along with their two kids, one girlfriend, and Rocky’s aging parents. Emotions are running high, as Rocky, nostalgic and menopausal, wants to relish every moment with her adult children and increasingly fragile parents. Their time together is precious, and also turbulent, as it is revealed that various family members have been hiding shattering truths for decades—out of love, yes, but hiding them all the same. I read it in two days and put it straight on my Best of the Year list.
As editor Jenny Jackson says, “if there is one truth universally acknowledged within the Kevin Kwan universe, it is that a single man without possession of a fortune must be in want of a rich wife.” The single man in this comedy of manners is the Viscount St. Ives, known internationally as “Viscount St. Abs” after a photo of him ironing shirtless went viral. He’s not particularly concerned with the family’s money problems; he’d happily live out his days surfing in Hawaii instead of moving through high society. But his mother needs him to marry up. English major types will recognize this as a reimagining of Anthony Trollope’s Doctor Thorne, but zero experience with the 19th century novel is required to drink down this plotty, binge-worthy, completely-over-the-top delight. More info →
Bradley’s gripping debut unfolds in a near future where the British government employs time travel, as administered by a clunky bureaucracy. Our unnamed narrator takes a position as companion to the devastatingly handsome Commander Graham Gore, of the lost 1845 Royal Navy Arctic Expedition. She’s hired largely because her mother was a refugee from Cambodia, as her charge is also a refugee of sorts—not from another country, but from history. At once fast-paced and deeply philosophical, Bradley weaves together a spy plot, a love story, and heaps of droll British humor as her characters converse on race, gender, inherited trauma, and imperial legacy. This is one of the weirdest, most original books I’ve read in a long time. More info →
Moore’s latest is a family saga, missing persons tale, and 1970s summer camp story rolled into one. One August morning in 1975, a camper vanishes without a trace. But not just any camper: she’s the daughter of the wealthy family who owns this camp, and fourteen years before, her older brother similarly disappeared. As the family, the campers themselves, and the neighboring blue-collar town residents gather to search for the girl, everyone suspects the two missing children must be linked, but how? The mystery is a driving force, but Moore’s story is complex and carefully layered, with a large cast of believably drawn characters who add texture and nuance. A character-driven, compulsively readable literary mystery. More info →
Piecing Me Together author Watson wows with her adult debut. Things are finally going well for forty-year-old Lena: she has a good job, loving relationships with her parents and daughter, and a handsome fiancé she’s set to marry in just a few weeks. But his shocking confession the morning of her would-be wedding sends her reeling, and destabilizes the once-firm foundation she’s carefully built. Close female friendships and familial relationships feature prominently as Watson unpacks the beliefs surrounding beauty, love, fatness, and faith handed down from each generation to the next. Lyrical and kaleidoscopic, Watson compassionately explores what it means to love yourself, love your body, and love others, while showcasing Portland’s rich Black history. More info →
I almost put this down in the early chapters when the dark premise (involving suicide) was revealed, but this tragicomedy turned out to be profound, compassionate, and deeply life-affirming. When Phoebe checks into her swanky Newport, Rhode Island inn, she finds out that she’s the only guest who’s not there for the weeklong wedding. Phoebe is hitting bottom; she doesn’t care about a wedding. But to her surprise, she finds herself absorbed by the drama unfolding around her and pulled into the action. And—because she has nothing left to lose—she finds herself telling the truth for the first time in ages, to herself and to others. Though grim in parts, this story is bursting with insight, sharp humor, and a pervasive humanity. I can’t wait to read what Espach writes next. More info →
Two estranged sisters reunite for one last con in this darkly comic Gothic historical set in 1866 Paris. As children, Sylvie and Charlotte were essential participants in the family business, posing as spiritists and pretending to connect people with their deceased loved ones. Two years after Sylvie promised to never contact her sister again, Charlotte begs her to take a final job for a wealthy family, as she desperately needs the money. But nothing about the job goes to plan. Sylvie is stunned by the very real paranormal activity she observes, while Charlotte is too busy falling in love with their client’s daughter to pay her sister much mind. This confident debut boasts good pacing, a moody atmosphere, and a dual-POV structure that serves the story. More info →
Basketball isn't really my thing, or so I thought—but in Abdurraqib’s hands, I couldn’t get enough of Columbus, the Cavaliers, and LeBron James. Who knew? In this inventive, far-reaching work, the poet and music critic shares riveting anecdotes and fascinating details about the game itself. He also uses the ball as a jumping off point to explore a wide (wide!) variety of topics, including heroes and role models, the passage of time, the fragility of life, and the joy of rooting for the underdog. I can’t begin to capture his stupendous storytelling skills, but know this: this is my first read from the author and I’m hooked. Now I can’t wait to explore his backlist this summer. More info →
What are you most excited to read this summer?
If you find something great in this Minimalist Guide or our full Summer Reading Guide, would you spread the book love? Our hashtag is #MMDSummerReading. (Follow me on Instagram at @annebogel, the podcast at @whatshouldireadnext, and Book Club at @mmdbookclub for summer reading goodness all season long.)
Happy summer, and happy reading!
Anne
P.S. If you don’t yet have the full 2024 MMD Summer Reading Guide and you’re either a Book Club or Patreon member or you purchased a la carte, don’t leave a comment here. Please visit modernmrsdarcy.com/SRG and check out our help section.
If you loved Sandwich you should definitely read Newman’s “we all want impossible things,” it felt to me like a perfect book on grief and friendship. I devoured it. A book about dying that includes humor and felt so real.
Laura says:
These all sound great! Can’t wait to dive in.
Claire Phillips Hill says:
These sound great … note that the link to The God of the Woods doesn’t take you to the correct title! Have you seen the UK cover to Sandwich? A very different vibe but I think it’ll go on my tbr all the same.
Leigh Kramer - MMD Editor says:
I checked all the links for God of the Woods and they’re all correct for me. Maybe try again?
Claire Phillips Hill says:
Maybe it’s an location thing as I’m in the UK? It takes me to Pan: God of the Woods by Lawrence Spencer on Amazon UK!
Melanie says:
Wow that UK cover is a different vibe. That would definitely not attract me the way the US cover does!
Deirdre says:
I’d actually be more attracted by the UK cover! I’ll read anything of hers though.
Claire Phillips Hill says:
I think it attracts me more than the US version!!
Ann M. says:
I always love the UK covers better. The one for Sandwich is so clever.
Joy says:
I’m generally very discerning, and pour over all my possible selections, and then narrow it down to a few SRG picks that I will actually read, and likely love. And nothing gets added to my journal TBR until I’ve completed this rigorous process, which can take weeks. But I’ve broken this rule for Sandwich by Catherine Newman. It’s already been added to my ‘Choosing Wisely’ list, and I’m #6 on the hold list! Can’t wait. This one sounds absolutely perfect for me. Thanks Anne!
Lee says:
I love the idea of a Choosing Wisely list.
Annette says:
It’s nice to hear that someone else is very discerning about what books they will read. I am the same! I’m wondering what your criteria is?
Ann says:
I am on a wait list for The God Of The Woods and The Ministry Of Time. Honestly not sure about either, but I always have FOMO when these new releases start buzzing.
Sandwich sounds more my style. Just checked and I need to pick up Abby Jimenez’s Just For The Summer & Cara Bastone’s Ready Or Not at the library, so I can free up more hold request space. I am always at my limit! So those may start my official Summer reads.
For whatever reason my library has not created The Wedding People wait list yet. I have been looking for it.
I am currently reading Brooklyn by Tóibín in preparation for Long Island and really loving in. On that wait list too, but do not think the library has received the book yet. Brooklyn is so good, it has reminded me: there is just nothing like a well written book. An absolute pleasure to read.
So for now I am most excited about Long Island.
Heidi Iffland says:
The Wedding People doesn’t come out until the end of July. We only have 1 record for it so far with only 2 libraries attached. I’m sure that they’ll get there. You might ask your librarians if they’ve ordered it yet. (I’m a librarian. lol)
Ann says:
Thank you Heidi! You make a good point. July is still some time off. My local library actually does a great job of getting new releases in a timely manner. I think I had not realized this was not coming out till then.
Jess says:
These all sound so good!! I already have so many books on my tbr that the minimalist guide is just the right size.
Molly says:
I think The Wedding People sounds right up my alley. This one is going on my TBR right now.
Meagan says:
Anne and the whole team- well done on this year’s SRG. I am SO excited by these titles!
Dana Earley says:
The God of the Woods and Sandwich are at the top of my Summer TBR! I love a good mystery/thriller and family drama is my favorite genre.
Melissa Schabel says:
I just finished God of the Woods and it’s the perfect summer camp/mystery/touch-of-thriller read! Great choices here and I’ll use this list to spur on my own reading and hopefully get me out of my slump!
I just received The Ministry of Time in BOTM box. I picked it on a whim, so I’m happy to see it was worth it.
Rebekah in SoCal says:
I’m 2/3s of the way through the Liz Moore book and I’m really enjoying it. I really appreciate the restraint of her writing.
kathy duffy says:
Of this batch, The Ministry of Time is at the top of my list. PS I am loving the Full Summer Book Club List — and I have watched the unboxing video twice.. the second time so I could mark my guide..
Cori Cusker says:
Anne – I LOVED your use of the term “midlife reckoning,” and I’m 100% borrowing that from you. I am wrapping up what promises to be one of my top books of the year, and I feel rather confident you would love it. And I don’t think it is on anyone’s radar. I picked up the galley from work on whim because I liked the cover and I liked the regionality (I’m in the southwest).
It is Three Keys by Laura Pritchett. Go request a copy from Edelweiss. Like now!
Anne Bogel says:
Downloaded! (Thanks for the rec!)
Karen A Knezevic Gold says:
I read Sandwich in two days and absolutely loved it! I fell in love with the messy, imperfect characters. Such a poignant, funny read! Definitely my favorite so far this year.
Comments are closed.
We appreciate a good conversation in the comments section. Whether we’re talking about books or life, differing opinions can enrich a discussion when they’re offered for the purpose of greater connection and deeper understanding, which we whole-heartedly support. We have begun holding all comments for moderation and manually approving them (learn more). My team and I will not approve comments that are hurtful or intended to shame members of this community, particularly if they are left by first-time commenters. We have zero tolerance for hate speech or bigotry of any kind. Remember that there are real people on the other side of the screen. We’re grateful our community of readers is characterized by kindness, curiosity, and thoughtfulness. Thank you for helping us keep it that way.
a gateway
to reliable joy this summer
Our 15th Summer Reading Guide is coming May 14th. Pre-order now and plan to join us on May 14th for Unboxing—the best book party of the year!
26 comments
If you loved Sandwich you should definitely read Newman’s “we all want impossible things,” it felt to me like a perfect book on grief and friendship. I devoured it. A book about dying that includes humor and felt so real.
These all sound great! Can’t wait to dive in.
These sound great … note that the link to The God of the Woods doesn’t take you to the correct title! Have you seen the UK cover to Sandwich? A very different vibe but I think it’ll go on my tbr all the same.
I checked all the links for God of the Woods and they’re all correct for me. Maybe try again?
Maybe it’s an location thing as I’m in the UK? It takes me to Pan: God of the Woods by Lawrence Spencer on Amazon UK!
Wow that UK cover is a different vibe. That would definitely not attract me the way the US cover does!
I’d actually be more attracted by the UK cover! I’ll read anything of hers though.
I think it attracts me more than the US version!!
I always love the UK covers better. The one for Sandwich is so clever.
I’m generally very discerning, and pour over all my possible selections, and then narrow it down to a few SRG picks that I will actually read, and likely love. And nothing gets added to my journal TBR until I’ve completed this rigorous process, which can take weeks. But I’ve broken this rule for Sandwich by Catherine Newman. It’s already been added to my ‘Choosing Wisely’ list, and I’m #6 on the hold list! Can’t wait. This one sounds absolutely perfect for me. Thanks Anne!
I love the idea of a Choosing Wisely list.
It’s nice to hear that someone else is very discerning about what books they will read. I am the same! I’m wondering what your criteria is?
I am on a wait list for The God Of The Woods and The Ministry Of Time. Honestly not sure about either, but I always have FOMO when these new releases start buzzing.
Sandwich sounds more my style. Just checked and I need to pick up Abby Jimenez’s Just For The Summer & Cara Bastone’s Ready Or Not at the library, so I can free up more hold request space. I am always at my limit! So those may start my official Summer reads.
For whatever reason my library has not created The Wedding People wait list yet. I have been looking for it.
I am currently reading Brooklyn by Tóibín in preparation for Long Island and really loving in. On that wait list too, but do not think the library has received the book yet. Brooklyn is so good, it has reminded me: there is just nothing like a well written book. An absolute pleasure to read.
So for now I am most excited about Long Island.
The Wedding People doesn’t come out until the end of July. We only have 1 record for it so far with only 2 libraries attached. I’m sure that they’ll get there. You might ask your librarians if they’ve ordered it yet. (I’m a librarian. lol)
Thank you Heidi! You make a good point. July is still some time off. My local library actually does a great job of getting new releases in a timely manner. I think I had not realized this was not coming out till then.
These all sound so good!! I already have so many books on my tbr that the minimalist guide is just the right size.
I think The Wedding People sounds right up my alley. This one is going on my TBR right now.
Anne and the whole team- well done on this year’s SRG. I am SO excited by these titles!
The God of the Woods and Sandwich are at the top of my Summer TBR! I love a good mystery/thriller and family drama is my favorite genre.
I just finished God of the Woods and it’s the perfect summer camp/mystery/touch-of-thriller read! Great choices here and I’ll use this list to spur on my own reading and hopefully get me out of my slump!
I just received The Ministry of Time in BOTM box. I picked it on a whim, so I’m happy to see it was worth it.
I’m 2/3s of the way through the Liz Moore book and I’m really enjoying it. I really appreciate the restraint of her writing.
Of this batch, The Ministry of Time is at the top of my list. PS I am loving the Full Summer Book Club List — and I have watched the unboxing video twice.. the second time so I could mark my guide..
Anne – I LOVED your use of the term “midlife reckoning,” and I’m 100% borrowing that from you. I am wrapping up what promises to be one of my top books of the year, and I feel rather confident you would love it. And I don’t think it is on anyone’s radar. I picked up the galley from work on whim because I liked the cover and I liked the regionality (I’m in the southwest).
It is Three Keys by Laura Pritchett. Go request a copy from Edelweiss. Like now!
Downloaded! (Thanks for the rec!)
I read Sandwich in two days and absolutely loved it! I fell in love with the messy, imperfect characters. Such a poignant, funny read! Definitely my favorite so far this year.
Comments are closed.