Remember reading Choose Your Own Adventure books when you were a kid? Well, this is Choose Your Own book recommendations, summer edition! Pick a category below to see a curated list.
We all know that summer is all about the easy reading as you lounge on the beach or by the pool, so look for the note Quick Read! throughout each category.
Finally, Top Recommend! marks all my personal favorites from this list.
Without further ado, reader, which do you choose?
I need a quick read…
I want a thrill…
I like historical fiction…
I like memoirs and non-fiction…
I’ve been meaning to reread that classic I skimmed in high school…
I want a challenge…
If you’re looking for something quick…
Joyland by Stephen King
Quick Read! King packs a little of everything into the mere 283 pages of Joyland. In an effort to recover from heartbreak, Devin takes a summer job at an amusement park in North Carolina where he becomes interested in an unsolved murder. Meanwhile, Devin meets a young boy and his mother who teach him about life and love in this coming-of-age story.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Quick Read! Monique is hired to write a biography of the renowned actress Evelyn Hugo, married a notable seven times. Evelyn details her early career in acting as well as secrets of her personal life never before told. Amidst the romance of old Hollywood and love affairs, the novel has just the right amount of substance for a perfect summer read.
Camino Island by John Grisham
Quick Read! Camino Island is a haven for writers of all stripes. Mercer is a young author who comes to the island hoping for inspiration to cure her writer’s block. Struggling financially, she is also hired by a mysterious company to spy on the local bookstore owner Bruce Cable, who is rumored to collect and deal in rare manuscripts on the black market.
The Murder House by James Patterson
Quick Read! Patterson novels are bestsellers for a reason – compelling stories with quick, short chapters. This is the perfect one to pick up for beach reading. The Murder House is an infamous home in the Hamptons with a sordid past. When a new murder occurs there, Detective Jenna Murphy ends up on the case, which may be riskier than she anticipated.
The Dry by Jane Harper
Quick Read! After his childhood best friend Luke dies unexpectedly, Aaron Falk returns to his rural hometown for the first time in years. Luke’s parents are convinced there’s more to the circumstances of his death than meets the eye and ask Aaron to investigate. This proves challenging since Aaron himself left the town under a cloud of suspicion when he was a teenager.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Quick Read! In the present, Jacob is an elderly resident in an assisted living home, but he vividly recalls his youth working for a circus during the Depression. Back then, he was a skilled veterinarian for circus animals. He falls in love with the beautiful performer Marlena, and together, they explore the meaning of love and freedom.
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
Quick Read! Books about books are all but guaranteed to be delightful, and this is certainly a charming story. A.J. is a jaded bookstore owner who is struggling both personally and financially. But an unexpected discovery changes his life forever. This one hits all the right emotional notes. If you’re interested in the novel’s myriad literary references, check out this guide from the author herself.
If you’re looking for a thrill…
Natchez Burning by Greg Iles
Top Recommend! Penn Cage is a former prosecutor who moves back to his hometown in Mississippi after his young wife’s death. A few years later, he is now the town mayor. When his father is accused of murder, Penn digs into the past of both his family and his town, and he may not like what he finds. I know this one looks long, but don’t be scared off! There’s lots of dialogue, and the pages fly by. Important Note: I realize this is #4 of a 6-book series. I do recommend that you start here and treat this as a trilogy. You’re not missing much in the first three, and the second half of the series is far better in my opinion.
Joyland by Stephen King
Quick Read! King packs a little of everything into the mere 283 pages of Joyland. In an effort to recover from heartbreak, Devin takes a summer job at an amusement park in North Carolina where he becomes interested in an unsolved murder. Meanwhile, Devin meets a young boy and his mother who teach him about life and love in this coming-of-age story.
The Murder House by James Patterson
Quick Read! Patterson novels are bestsellers for a reason – compelling stories with quick, short chapters. This is the perfect one to pick up for beach reading. The Murder House is an infamous home in the Hamptons with a sordid past. When a new murder occurs there, Detective Jenna Murphy ends up on the case, which may be riskier than she anticipated.
The Dry by Jane Harper
Quick Read! After his childhood best friend Luke dies unexpectedly, Aaron Falk returns to his rural hometown for the first time in years. Luke’s parents are convinced there’s more to the circumstances of his death than meets the eye and ask Aaron to investigate. This proves challenging since Aaron himself left the town under a cloud of suspicion when he was a teenager.
If you like historical fiction…
The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton
Top Recommend! This novel cuts across time, beautifully integrating many time periods and characters. Birchwood Manor was once owned by a Victorian artist who hosted a group of his closest friends at his home one summer. That summer ends in tragedy, but no one knows for sure what happened. Will archivist Elodie solve the historic mystery? Read my full review here.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Quick Read! In the present, Jacob is an elderly resident in an assisted living home, but he vividly recalls his youth working for a circus during the Depression. Back then, he was a skilled veterinarian for circus animals. He falls in love with the beautiful performer Marlena, and together, they explore the meaning of love and freedom.
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
Frank was thirteen years old in the summer of 1961. Living in a small Midwestern town, he is the son of a minister with a precocious older sister and endearing younger brother. Unfortunately, young Frank is unprepared for the somber topics that summer brings and is forced to grow up quickly.
If you like memoirs and non-fiction…
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
Top Recommend! The title kind of says it all. An exquisite commentary on teamwork, the book chronicles the story of a team of quintessentially American rowers from the University of Washington during and after the Great Depression. If you’ve missed this one, I would move it to the top of your list. This is history that reads like fiction. Even though you know the outcome (it’s recorded history), Brown keeps you on the edge of your seat. The characters and setting are richly textured and enshrined The Boys in the Boat as one of my favorite books of all time.
A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout
In this memoir, Lindhout describes her youthful desire to travel the globe. She would work short-term jobs to save up enough money to travel the far corners of the world. Always searching for the next challenge, Lindhout embarks on a trip to Somalia where she is kidnapped and taken hostage for over a year. She details her experiences of captivity, survival, and compassion.
If you want to “reread” that classic you “skimmed” in high school…
Fair warning: While these books have summery settings, all of them are vaguely tragic, so if you want something more uplifting, I’d try a different category.
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Top Recommend! For lovers of The Great Gatsby or bitter romance, this is a great choice. Tender Is the Night chronicles the relationship between Dick and Nicole Diver, wealthy expats living on the French Riviera. Theirs is a passionate, though tragic, love story, that pushes them both to the brink. Fitzgerald’s personal pain permeates this novel.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
In 1899, the Pontellier family and many others summer on Grand Isle in Louisiana. It’s a comfortable life, but Edna struggles with the expectations of her family and society, often feeling constrained. Over the course of the novel, she questions social norms and embraces self-discovery.
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Quick Read! A prototypical novel of the Lost Generation after WWI, The Sun Also Rises follows a group of expats living abroad in prodigal fashion. Disillusioned and aimless, our band of characters lose themselves in affairs and superficial drama.
If you’re up for a challenge…
The Stand by Stephen King
Top Recommend! One of Stephen King’s all-time greats, this apocalyptic epic explores themes of good and evil. After a weapons-grade strain of influenza decimates society, there are few survivors. Those who don’t succumb to the disease eventually coalesce in two nascent communities in the Mountain West of the former United States. I read the uncut version, which is well over 1100 pages, and I would have read even more. Who isn’t captivated by tales of the end of days?
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Adam Trask is a lost veteran who thinks he has found his purpose and meaning when he falls in love with Cathy. He decides to move to Salinas Valley in California (where Steinbeck grew up) to start his life anew, but tragedy follows. This is an overlooked Steinbeck treasure – truly an epic worthy of the epithet “Great American Novel.” It’s certainly long but also worth it. This masterpiece combines regional history with biblical allegory and commentary on family, humanity, and American values. Steinbeck himself believed this was his greatest work, saying “I think everything else I have written has been, in a sense, practice for this.”
Other options for this category could be Gone with the Wind or Anna Karenina. These remain on my own list.
Looking for even more book ideas? Check out my 21 Mini Book Reviews or full-length reviews.
Be sure to follow me on Goodreads to keep up with what I’m reading this summer!
Perfect timing! I need a new read!
I’m so glad to hear that! I hope you find something you enjoy!
Love your book reviews! Thank you, thank you:)
Thank you! So nice to hear that someone finds them helpful!