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The most popular books on the blog this summer

The Most Popular Books on the Blog this Summer

You know what you read this summer, but what did everyone else read?

I love to see what books other readers are borrowing, buying, and reading, whether it’s in my local library, at the bookstore, or here on the blog. In years past, I’ve tabulated results at the end of the summer, figuring out which books you were most interested in based on clicks and amazon sales. (I didn’t do the math last year, but I distinctly remember that Rules of Civility blew everything else away in 2014, which I attributed to one tiny mention in the Summer Reading Guide, tied to a book that has since mysteriously disappeared from circulation.)

My calculations here aren’t perfect: I can’t tell what you check out of the library, or borrow from a friend, or pick up at the bookstore. I can tell what pages get clicked on and which ones don’t, and what you buy from Amazon through this site (a million thanks for that, because as an affiliate Amazon shares a small portion of those purchase prices with me when you buy through MMD links). I can’t tell who buys what, but I can tell what’s selling.

As it so often goes with lists of the most popular anything, some of these are surprising to me, some not at all. Based on this list, I can unreservedly say you have great taste.

I venture some guesses as to how each book earned its spot. Summer Reading Guide picks were likely suspects for this list, as was any great book that was available at a big discount over the course of the summer and shared via the great kindle deals page/email.

Without further adieu, these are the top 9 books on the blog this summer, in order, first to last.

How many of these 9 did you read? What were your favorite books of the summer? 

The Most Popular Books on the Blog This Summer
The Sea of Tranquility

The Sea of Tranquility

Author:
I LOVE this book and am so excited to see that you do, too! It's well-written and un-put-down-able, and I just love the story (which I think reveals some of my own personal prejudices—I'm a sucker for young love). While not technically YA if you hate that genre it's not the title for you. A kindle sale (first time it's been discounted in years) and lots of shares of my (old) YA Summer Reading List post landed this one on the list. More info →
Rebecca

Rebecca

This 1930s Gothic classic is an un-put-down-able, curl-up-by-the-fire mystery. A great kindle sale combined with enthusiastic recommendations—mine and yours—landed it on the list. Don't be put off by its age: this thrilling novel feels surprisingly current. Suspenseful but not scary, and it holds its tension on a re-reading: a sure sign of a well-crafted thriller. More info →
You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life

You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life

Roosevelt penned this book--part memoir, part advice manual—in 1960, when she was 76 years old. It’s striking how fresh and wise her insight seems today, over fifty years later. Roosevelt offers an interesting perspective on history, unique insights into her life (which contained a surprising amount of personal tragedy), and a good bit of wisdom you might just apply to your own life. I adore this book, which I've called the best book you've never heard of on living well, and was thrilled to see it go on sale for kindle this summer for the first time since I first read it in 2011. The lesson here: a great sale draws deserved attention to a fabulous old title. More info →
Still Life (Chief Inspector Gamache Mysteries, No. 1)

Still Life (Chief Inspector Gamache Mysteries, No. 1)

Author:

In the idyllic small town of Three Pines, Quebec, where people don’t even lock their doors, a beloved local woman is found in the woods with an arrow shot through her heart. The locals believe it must be a hunting accident, but the police inspector senses something is off. The story is constructed as a classic whodunit but it feels like anything but, with its deliberate pacing, dry wit, and lyrical writing. A stunningly good first novel. Still Life is the first in a series that keeps getting better. Great on audio.

More info →
The Forgotten Garden

The Forgotten Garden

Author:
Kate Morton is an author worth binge reading if ever there was one. She got a lot of love on the podcast this summer—from me and from my guests—which helped put her on the list. This isn't my favorite of her books (that would be The Secret Keeper, followed by The Lake House) but this is the one that went on sale for kindle this summer. This sprawling family saga gets a little unwieldy at times, but I can't say I minded much. History, fairy tale, family drama, and Gothic mystery rolled into one. More info →
The One-in-a-Million Boy

The One-in-a-Million Boy

Author:
This new novel is one of my very favorites from 2016, so I'm delighted to see it sitting atop YOUR list of favorites. It was a Summer Reading Guide pick and we read it in the MMD Book Club, and that combined with a killer kindle sale vaulted it to the top. (Fun fact: I NEVER would have read this if a trusted bookseller hadn't pressed it into my hands and said READ IT. The plot summary would have made me put it right down.) I went into this novel knowing nothing and I liked it that way, so I'll just say Wood explores themes of love, loss, and identity through a quirky 11-year-old boy who loves making lists, a wily 104-year-old woman, an absentee father, a Boy Scout project, and the Guinness Book of World Records. Perfect for fans of The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and A Man Called Ove. More info →
I Let You Go

I Let You Go

Summer Reading Guide pick + great kindle sale (still in progress!) secures this thriller's place on the list. In a season where every suspense novel is expected to have a "shocking plot twist!" this tightly-crafted novel makes your jaw drop time and again, without feeling gimmicky or manipulative. I was stunned as I slowly came to see that the story wasn't about what I thought it was about at all. On a dark, rainy night, a mother lets go of her son's hand for just an instant. The devastating accident sets the plot in motion. Part police procedural, part domestic suspense, with the ring of authenticity, no doubt thanks to Mackintosh's own 12 years as a police officer. This is an emotional roller coaster of a book. (Sensitive themes ahead, so mind your triggers.) More info →
Everyone Brave is Forgiven

Everyone Brave is Forgiven

Author:
Another of my 2016 favorites: it's SO GOOD, and it makes me so happy that you love it, too. There have been so many WWII novels of late; this tale of four young, warm, wise-cracking friends in wartime England is a standout in the genre. Through their characters, Cleave throws issues of wartime morality, race, and class into sharp relief. This is for you if you love a great story and admire a beautifully-rendered, wry turn of phrase. We got to chat with Cleave this summer for Book Club and hearing him discuss his own work made me love the novel even more: he shared stories about his grandparents' love letters, why he used the n-word, how he put himself on war rations while writing, and the sequel in progress. More info →
Before We Visit the Goddess

Before We Visit the Goddess

I loved this book, which was nothing at all what I expected. The novel tracks three generations of Indian women and their fraught relationships. The title comes from a chance encounter one of these women has with a stranger, which is fitting because my favorite parts of the story deal with the small moments that change the course of a person's life, and the unlikely friendships that do the same. This is a wonderful, beautiful, and sad book, and I've been recommending it a ton. We just chatted with the author for the Book Club and that only heightened my appreciation for the story. More info →

The Most Popular Books on the Blog this Summer

66 comments

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    • Anne says:

      That sounds about like my experience with Sea of Tranquility except thankfully I started it on a weekend morning! I’m not sure if I got out of my chair once I started.

  1. karen says:

    I am currently reading One in a Million Boy and LOVE it!!!! Have Louise Penny on my TBR list.

    I think I am the only person on the planet who didn’t like Everyone Brave is Forgiven. I actually got about 3/4 through and put it down. 🙂

    • Sarah says:

      I just finished One in a Million Boy a couple of days ago and ADORED it! I found myself wanting to take Ona and the boy home with me! And I tried reading Everyone Brave, but I just can’t get into it. I may pick it up again at a later date, but I’ve had to set it aside for now. Just thought you’d like to know you’re in good company! 😉

  2. I just loved Everyone Brave is Forgiven, and Rebecca is one of my top 5 novels EVER; I re-read it regularly. I’m also with you on The Secret Keeper being my favourite Kate Morton novel, although The Forgotten Garden, which you mention here, is the first Morton I ever read. I haven’t read anything else on this list but it provides more great ideas.

  3. Laura says:

    I wrote to Amor Towles to ask about Eve in Hollywood’s disappearance and he wrote back (!) saying that he had it removed so he could turn it into a full novel! Hurray! He also I’d have to wait a while for it to resurface. Gladly Amor, gladly.

  4. Michelle says:

    From this list I have only read Rebecca (so far…). It was such a fun read! I have been fortunate to have read a bunch of good books this summer. Some of my favorites have been Ready Player One, The Invisible Library, and Adnan’s Story.

  5. Brandyn says:

    When I first read “Sea of Tranquility” I thought it was too much. I still intellectually feel like Emilia and Josh’s backstories contain too much drama, but as I’ve reread the book several times it definitely rises above that.
    I was not a fan of Still Life, but I’ve been almost impossible to please this summer.

    • Anne says:

      That’s interesting about Sea of Tranquility, because even though I really enjoyed it, I’ve wondered how well it would stand up to a re-reading. This makes me more optimistic.

  6. Wyndi says:

    … and I bought/checked out of the library 8 of them 🙂 I haven’t read all of them. Before We Visit the Goddess is the only one I haven’t tracked down yet. LOVING The Muse at the moment. I stalked book #12 of the Louise Penny series at the library and have it in hand!

      • Wyndi says:

        I finished it last night! I haven’t read The Miniaturist, but from the blurb, it sounds very different. The 8-line edit may be in effect for this one. It reminded me of The Nightingale with themes of war, loyalties, and family relationships. Plus, I really connected to the setting in southern Spain, as well as the importance of art and artistry to the plot. I don’t usually enjoy plots that rely heavily on flashback because I get impatient for the point of intersection, but I enjoyed this one. There were definitely a couple of things that I didn’t like (some writing in dialect), but what book is perfect? I get why people would be talking about it . . . and I’ll be one of them! Side-note: I found the title on your post “The Books Everyone Will Be Talking About This Summer.”

  7. Bridget says:

    The Forgotten Garden is in my top 10 of all time books. I adore it. I’ve read it many times and it is fresh and wonderful each time.

  8. Felicity says:

    OMG, I read The One in a Million Boy this summer and loved it! I’ve recommended it to all my friends. I also read I Let You Go and really didn’t like the ending. It was entertaining to see what plot twist was next, though.

  9. Olivia says:

    Really really enjoyed Everyone Brave is Forgiven! Definitely something I’ve recommended a couple of times as well. Beautifully written but not too showy, either. Also loved “Before We Visit the Goddess”. It’s short (and the plot is very well constructed), but such that it still makes for a rich and engrossing piece of fiction.

    I adore the Armand Gamache series, and am on “A Trick of the Light” in the series. These are certainly crowd pleasers! A college English professor admitted her love for these…which is certainly saying something! 😉

    “The Forgotten Garden” was the first Kate Morton novel I read, as well! I think it is still my favorite of hers (primarily due to the setting), but I’d have to see if it would still hold up to that upon re-reading.

  10. Kristy says:

    I am currently reading I Let You Go and have purchased Everyone Brave is Forgiven and The One-in-a-Million Boy. The books that I read this summer were heavily influenced by the MMD Summer Reading List and the Kindle deals:
    The Nest, Eligible, All the Light We Cannot See, Truly Madly Guilty, When We Were the Kennedys, The Guest Room, The Lost Wife, First Comes Love and The Last Anniversary.

  11. Susan says:

    I read One-in-a-Million Boy and loved it, and since I kept reading parts to my husband, he read it as well. We don’t normally read the same books. I need to re-read Rebecca. I read it as a teenager, which was a long time ago! I bought the Eleanor Roosevelt book when it was cheap on the Kindle, and my oldest daughter told me that it’s great! We share a Kindle account with our kids, which is so much fun, and it saves a ton of money too! I have to disagree about Everyone Brave, however. I did read the whole thing, and I enjoyed his writing (though I wished I had it on Kindle so I could touch some of those words I don’t know and get a definition!). But I found it difficult, and wanted some HOPE in it and wanted a happier ending. Such is war, I know, but I much preferred The Nightingale, The Lilac Girls and Secrets of a Charmed Life (by Susan Meissner). Right now I’m reading “The War That Saved My Life” by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. It’s a “middle grade fiction” book and a 2016 Newbery Honor book. I LOVE IT!!! Though it’s about WW2 and the evacuation of children to the “countryside”, I’m finding it the perfect book to follow Everyone Brave.

  12. Amy says:

    Rebecca is on our book club TBR list, and I think we might do it sooner rather than later!

    I really enjoyed The One In A Million Boy, and Before We Visit The Goddess (with one caveat). I realized a couple of months ago (when I finished reading The Door by Magda Szabo) that I really enjoy books about old women, and female relationships. Enchanted Islands was one of my summer reads and I loved the female friendship plot line.

  13. Terry says:

    Let’s see. I read The One-in-a-Million Boy and will be recommending it to my book club for next year’s list. Ditto for I Let You Go.

    Love Louise Penny. Rebecca is one of my favorites. We are reading The Forgotten Garden in book club this month, because we adored The Secret Keeper last year.

    So I’d say I agree with the popularity of the books!

  14. Stephanie says:

    I’ve read two on the list (Still Life and The Forgotten Garden), have two in my massive pile To Read and there are three of them on my giant Amazon Wish List! Thanks for all the great suggestions!

  15. Lisa says:

    I’ve read four of those books and have two more waiting on my Kindle. From the comments above, I will also be adding Sea of Tranquility to my TBR!

  16. Leggy says:

    I read “I let you go” this weekend and I was excited thinking it was a solid four star novel but the epilogue definitely knocked a star off for me, so I ended up giving it 3 stars.
    Read “sea of tranquility” I think last year, the beginning started off so cliche and kinda corny but it pulled itself together and ended up being a solid YA book.
    Read a physical copy of “still life”, hated the font, barely got through it. Didn’t like it.
    Another set of books I’ve read and loved this year based on your recommendation was the comoron strike books. Love them!!
    Read “rules of civility” last month! Loved it too!!!

  17. Melanie says:

    I’ve been raving about Everyone Brave is Forgiven. I get a long library check-out period (thanks university employee status!) and I’m planning on reading it again before I turn it back in. I also read One-in-a-Million Boy this summer and really liked it.

    I’d love to read Before we Visit the Goddess but neither of my libraries has it, so I guess I’ll have to request it through interlibrary loan. I Let You Go is also on my TBR list.

    I read the first two books in the Inspector Gamache series thanks to all of the mentions on this blog. I enjoyed them, but not quite enough to continue with the series. Most people seem to love the series though, so I’m the odd one out.

      • Margie says:

        I agree. I started with book 4, not realizing it was a series, and loved it. I then went back to the first books – and they were good, but not as good. The series has really evolved and I loved the most recent book.

      • Heather says:

        Yes! I hate to say it, but you need to read the first four books before Louise Penny gets it all to click in place. And then it’s near perfection. Her newest book is unbelievably good. I read all 11 this year thanks to Anne. AND I drove two hours to meet Louise on her recent book tour. 🙂

      • Karen says:

        I read “Still Life” this year, too. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to continuing the series. To now hear that it just gets better is good news!
        I’ve read a couple of series where I started with the 2nd book either by mistake or the 1st wasn’t in and after going back and reading the 1st book have said I would not have read the series if I had started with the first book! Sometimes not starting with the 1st book works best!

  18. Joanna says:

    On a tip from one of your lists, I started reading the Outlander series. I had a hard time with the first one — it was so clear that I was reading a first time writer. But Gabaldon drew me in–I had to find out what happened. Next thing I knew, I’d gone through the next seven books!

  19. Mary says:

    Love this post! I read all of your Summer Book Club five with Everyone Brave Is Forgiven probably my fave. The rest of these (with the exception of the Eleanor one) I have bought through your links but have not read yet. Enjoying the reads and enjoying everyone’s posts!

  20. Tracie Haddock says:

    I agree with you on Kate Morton–The Secret Keeper was my favorite, and The Forgotten Garden was ok, but not quite as good. The other book that kept me very occupied this summer was nonfiction, and belongs on your list of books for new routines and fresh starts–titled The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. It is FANTASTIC–super insightful, almost revelatory, and very thought provoking. I have bought and given away copies to family and friends, and I am planning to pay my children to read it!

  21. J. A. Hall says:

    Prior to browsing your Summer Reading Guide, I’d read a stellar review about Flight of Dreams. The review was written by a local author who lives about a block away from me. (we’re only waving at one another neighbors) Subsequently, when I spied the title on your Summer Reading Guide, I was inspired enough to pick it up. The characters in the book were quite intriguing on their own, but I found Lawhon’s way of illustrating her characters through words beautiful and memorable. Ever since I learned about the Hindenburg disaster in junior high, stories written and told about the Hindenburg have always held a fascination for me. I enjoyed her read so much, I was anxious to get to The Wife, the Maid and the Mistress which I thoroughly enjoyed. I would be hard pressed to choose the better of the two. I had read Daphne many years ago, but seeing it on your guide made me think it was probably a good time for a re-read. I loved it all over again.

  22. Heather says:

    From this list I have read five of the books and I am currently reading two more. The other two I bought as a Kindle deal and are just waiting to be read :).

  23. Sea says:

    I’ve read One in a Million Boy, Still Life, Everyone Brave is Forgiven and I’ve started A Fatal Grace(Loise Penny). Loved them all!
    Just for fun I reread Anne of Green Gables.
    Thanks for all the suggestions.

  24. Jenny Keene says:

    I’ve only read two of these…Still Life and the Forgotten Garden and neither of them was this summer. However, just last night I finished the last available book In the Chief Gamache series. It’s safe to say I love them! I really like reading series…now I’m on the hunt for a new one to start.

  25. tricia culp says:

    Am LOVING One-In-A-Million Boy right now, and really enjoyed Before We Visit (thanks to your rec, I got in the front of the line for the library :)) Bought the E Rosevelt, but haven’t read it. I did not love The Forgotten Garden – are the titles of hers you like better enough of a step up that I should try again? Forgotten Garden was average to me…
    Thanks for helping our summer reading be great! (My other favorite read of the summer was Harold FRy, which I finally got to…)

  26. Krista Long says:

    I really loved The Sea of Tranquility, and The Forgotten Garden is my favorite by Morton. You Learn by Living and Rebecca are waiting on my shelf. When I purchase a book, I know it’s there, but rentals are due back and I’m obsessed with my library..lol. I read Still Life, but started the second one too soon. I’ll wait awhile and try again, I do love the characters.

    I highly recommend the last two books I read. First Jamie Langston Turner’s Some Wildflower in my Heart (I think you’ll love this Anne) I just finished All is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker in two days.(Reese Witherspoon is making the movie with Warner Bros.) I’m still catching up on laundry and housework…it was one of those.

  27. Jennifer N. says:

    I’ve read Everyone Brave is Forgiven (I loved it!) and am currently reading One-in-a-Million boy, and I am really enjoying it. I happened to grab the Kindle deal for that one, too, which was nice. I just bought I Let You Go and that will probably be my next read.

  28. Helena says:

    I binge read Louise Penny on my Kindle by the beach this summer. I feel like she has a familiar voice, maybe Agatha Christie, whom I love, is similar, just great story telling throughout.

    I didn’t read any others on this list, I was getting into the Neapolitan novels (on book 3 at the moment), it seemed wholly appropriate seeing as we spent the summer in Italy.

    I have added Rebecca and Before We Visit the Goddess onto my fall reading list, ready to be read once the rainy skies commence once again here in England.

  29. Mary Claire Miller says:

    My summer reads did not include any of the above. The ones I did read that I particularly enjoyed included Neil Schusterman’s Unwind and a couple books from Orca Publishing Secrets series. Neil Schusterman wrote a young adults novel that scares the dickens out of me in the fact that someone even came up with the concept of ‘unwind’ and that it would be good to do that to a person. I am waiting to get enough courage to read the second in the series. It only took me 2 days to read and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The Seven series is another young adult series created by Orca Publishing and it is seven books about seven girls whose stories all start with their orphanage burning down and they set out into the world to discover who they are. What adds to this series is that each book is written by a different Canadian Author, thus allowing for totally different character development and stories to grow from the same story beginning. I have read The Unquiet Past by Kelly Armstrong and A Big Dose of Lucky by Marthe Jocelyn. Currently I am reading Kathy Kacer’s Stones on a Grave and very reluctant to put it down when I have to.

  30. Lisa says:

    I’m so curious about I Let You Go. Really want to read it because of your description but I read the first few pages from a kindle sample and stopped as soon as they eluded to the accident. Don’t know if I can get past that – trigger for sure.

  31. Betsy says:

    Kate Morton is always such a terrific read! I haven’t read The Secret Keeper yet–obviously, I must fix that. The Forgotten Garden was my intro to her work, too. I finally read All the Light You Cannot See this summer and really enjoyed it. I felt like I was catching up to the rest of the world!

  32. Laura Schwartz says:

    “One in a Million boy”, “Still Life”, “I Let you Go” and “Rebecca” are on my TBR!

    I read “The Sea of Tranquility” and thought it had a certain beauty to it that elevates it from your average YA (which I do read a lot of).

    And Kate Morton’s “The Secret Garden” was great! Gave me this sense of wanting to find a mystery, adventure, a certain nostalgia I can’t quite understand, but it was all wonderful feelings while reading.

  33. Jamie says:

    I tried – I really tried! – to give One in A Million Boy a chance but it hit some pretty big triggers for me right away (being a mom of a six year old, perfectly healthy boy…yup, triggers going off everywhere!). Maybe I’ll attempt it again in a few years.

    Please also tell me you’re a Brian Regan fan and thought of his ‘Me Monster’ bit when you saw the title of ‘Sea of Tranquility’? If not, look it up on Youtube. Hilarious! Definitely quote-worthy in our household.

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