The 12 Books I'm Most Excited About: Summer 2020 Edition

May 25

May 25 The 12 Books I'm Most Excited About: Summer 2020 Edition

#SFOL Recommends, 2020 New Releases, Chick Lit, Elizabeth, Lit List, Shelf Care

Of the three of us, I am the one most prone to pre-ordering books, and so when I checked my “open orders” on Amazon and Bookshop the other day, I realized that i have some books coming out soon that I am PUMPED about. There are also a few on this list that were just released, but I am lumping them in because I won’t have a chance to read them before the start of summer — I count Memorial Day, but I know it’s really mid-June. I promise.

So, below, my unofficial summer reading list. What book are you most excited about reading in the next few months?

“Rodham” by Curtis Sittenfeld (Bookshop | Amazon) - Full disclosure: when I started this list, I hadn’t yet read “Rodham” but I blew threw it over the weekend, and it wrecked me in the best way. I had to leave it on here because I think everyone needs to read it. Curtis Sittenfeld imagines what would have happened to Hillary if she hadn’t married Bill Clinton — how would the course of her life be different, and where would she continue to see Bill? She so accurately captures Hillary’s ambition and intelligence, and it so could have happened this way, that I had to remind myself a few times it wasn’t a memoir.

“The City We Became” by N.K. Jemison (Bookshop | Amazon) - Books about magic are one of my favorite genres, and this one immediately caught my eye. N.K. Jemison is such a gifted writer, and her turning to New York City, one of my favorite places in the world is a treat. The synopsis of the book is frustratingly vague, but I have read the first chapter, and I cannot wait to keep going. Look for this review soon.

“The Book of Longings” by Sue Monk Kidd (Bookshop | Amazon) - I got this in my May Book of the Month box, simply because I couldn’t resist the description: the biography of Jesus’ wife, Ana, who just happened to be the sister of Judas. I love Sue Monk Kidd’s style of writing, and I can’t wait to see her perspective here. I have read all of the Gospels — both in an academic setting and for personal faith — and I know that I am not the first to complain about there being…zero….female voices. Imagining the New Testament from the perspective of a strong female sounds just amazing.

“The Jane Austen Society” by Natalie Jenner (Bookshop | Amazon) - I think I have mentioned before that “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is one of my favorite comfort reads, and so when I read the description of this one, I was immediately intrigued. Immediately following World War II, a group of disparate villagers band together to save Jane Austen’s final home in Chawton. This combines so many of my favorite literary tropes, and I cannot wait for it to come out tomorrow. Release day: May 26

“The Lions of Fifth Avenue” by Fiona Davis (Bookshop | Amazon) - You know that I can barely resist an intergenerational story that has strong women finding their way — combine that with a mystery set at the New York Public Library, and I am 100% on board. This book splits time between 1913 and 1993, and it is apparently, part family drama, and part heist thriller, wrapped up with some feminist social commentary. Sounds up all of our alleys, right? Release date: August 4

“Sex and Vanity” by Kevin Kwan (Bookshop | Amazon) - I read and adored Kevin Kwan’s “Crazy Rich Asians” trilogy (the movie is also fabulous), and I am so happy he’s giving us another frothy summer read for 2020. This love triangle, set in Capri and New York City and Singapore, seems like it will bring the best of Kevin Kwan: privilege, romance, and decadence. Bring it on. Release date: June 30

“The Switch” by Beth O’Leary (Bookshop | Amazon) "The Flatshare" by Beth O’Leary was one of my unexpectedly better reads of Summer 2019, and so I was excited to see that she had a new book coming out this summer. The premise is so intriguing — a grandmother and her granddaughter swap lives — and I am sure they learn many lessons in the process. However, knowing Beth O’Leary, there will also be some great humor and some unexpectedly spiciness. Release date: August 18

“The Heir Affair” by Jessica Cocks and Heather Morgan (Bookshop | Amazon) “The Royal We” is a favorite around here, and I have been eagerly awaiting the release of the sequel since the Fug Girls announced it over a year ago. I cannot to go back into the world of Bex and Nick (and Freddie, let’s be real) and to see what the after effects of their pre-wedding scandal will be. I am expecting humor and love and some nostalgia — I had planned to read this one on a work trip to London, but I can definitely make scones and speak in a British accent at home. Release date: July 7

“What You Wish For” by Katherine Center (Bookshop | Amazon) - I read two of Katherine Center’s previous releases in about two weeks last summer (“Things You Save in a Fire” | “How to Walk Away” ), and I love so many aspects of her books - strong women facing adversity while finding themselves and having an unrealistic happy ending? Sure. I’m on board. What really underpins her books is that the characters choose joy, and I think that’s a message we can all use right now Release day: July 14

“The End of October” by Lawrence Wright (Bookshop | Amazon) - There are two kinds of people in this world: people that read about global pandemics while in the midst of quarantine, and those that avoid it like the plague. Y’all know what side of the spectrum I fall on, so it should be no surprise that Lawrence Wright’s most recent work of fiction shows up on this list. It’s the story of a modern plague that emerged from Asia, and quickly brought the world to a standstill; when Wright started writing this medical thriller, I am sure he didn’t imagine that it would be released into a world crippled by a virus. I’m just hoping that there’s a happy ending.

“The Last Flight” by Julie Clark (Bookshop | Amazon) - It wouldn’t be summer without a clever thriller, and while I don’t read the volume of them that Moira does, I am excited about this one. Two women who have a chance meeting in an airport bar, a spur-of-the-moment decision to swap tickets, and one plane crash later…I think it’s a perfect suspenseful poolside read. Yes, I’m hoping that by putting that setting out into the universe, I manifest some pool time for myself. Release day: June 23

“Majesty” by Katharine Magee (Bookshop | Amazon) - Y’all know that I loved “American Royals” (my review here!), and in my original review, I already expressed my excitement at the sequel. Well, it’s finally coming out at the end of this summer, and I cannot wait to read about Queen Beatrice and the start of her reign. What happened with Conor? Is Sam happy? Is there a king consort? Guys, I just really need to know. Release day: September 1

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