nut free nerd

Each season comes with its own reading pros and cons, but I think reading in the summer might be my favorite. I love reading outside, bringing books with me on long weekend adventures, and hearing the cicadas outside my open window as I turn the pages.

With May nearly in the rearview mirror, it’s time to start planning my summer reading hopefuls. Here are five books I’m hoping to read this summer.

1. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. This past winter I ticked off a bucket list item I never thought I would actually get the chance to do — visit Ann Patchett’s bookstore Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee. As an avid Patchett fan, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit her bookstore on a spontaneous trip to Nashville. I picked up a copy of State of Wonder, and its rain forest setting sounds like an exciting summer escape.
2. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher. I adored Rosamunde Pilcher’s novel Winter Solstice back in January. When I saw a used copy of The Shell Seekers at a local used bookstore, I knew I had to pick it up. I’m hoping this one makes for a cozy read on late summer evenings.
3. A Little Luck by Claudia Piñeiro, translated by Frances Riddle. I’ve heard such great things about Piñeiro’s work, so I thought I would give this one a try. Set in Buenos Aires two decades after a terrible accident — this book promises to deliver thought-provoking drama and emotion. I’m looking forward to read more translated fiction this summer!
4. Sun City by Tove Jansson, translated by Thomas Teal. I love what I’ve read of Tove Jansson’s work thus far (see below). Sun City is set in a retirement home in Florida, and I’m already anticipating Jansson’s striking, bittersweet, witty writing. I can’t wait to read more by one of my favorite writers.
5. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson, translated by Thomas Teal. I couldn’t make this list without mentioning a book I’ve read each summer for a handful of years now. One of my absolute favorites, The Summer Book, captures moments shared over the course of a summer between an elderly woman and her six-year-old granddaughter on an island near Finland. Jansson’s storytelling is wry, nostalgic, heartfelt, and poignant. Each time I reread this novel I walk away with something new. I can’t wait to read it again.

What are you hoping to read this summer? I’d love to know xx