With three year old twins I barely have time to do anything, but reading is self-care to me. I managed to sneak in a few books that I really liked and would be great for lakeside/poolside/backyard kiddie poolside reading.

These are just the books I really enjoyed. I started so many books that I just couldn’t get into and with such little time to read, I am much better at putting them down and moving on. So this list is only the ones that I would recommend.

Happy summer reading! Let me know your favorites in the comments!

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Ann Patchett is my favorite contemporary novelist, and everyone of her novels is so different, she doesn’t have a type just an imagination that goes into a world and brings you along. Her images stay in my memory like no other writer, and fun fact, I outlined State of Wonder to get a sense for how to plot stories and develop characters.

I was talking to a writer friend recently and she said she often doesn’t like the endings in Patchett’s novels. They don’t always sit comfortably and this one was no exception. I had a lot of DM chats about it. But the path that she leads you down is always worth the ride for me.

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

This book’s ability to bring you into a remote part of Alaska came from the authors time spent there, and it makes this book so worth a read. I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did: the plot is a young girl and her parents try to live off the grid for reasons that mainly center around her dad’s PTSD from being in Vietnam. But the details of their life in Alaska – the wildlife, the landscape, the ways they plan for the winter – are consuming. The wilderness, both interior and exterior, is a great concept to explore, and Hannah was a great guide. Her architecture of characters is very well done, and I found myself taking notes. It is a really satisfying read, perfect for a summer escape.

Dirt by Bill Buford

I am halfway through this book, but oh my word is it interesting. He had me at moving to France to explore cooking (a life long dream of mine) and he brings along his wife and three year old twins (a life I am very familiar with since I currently have three year old twins).

The author travels to Lyon, France, which his friends who are French chefs impress upon him is the place to go if you want to get to the heart of French cuisine. This was in itself interesting as it gets into food history and how food evolved in Europe. The marriages between kings and queens meant influences between Italy, France, and Austro-Hungary shaped a regions culinary influences, so giving credit to where food techniques began becomes a tricky thing.

The discussion of food, history, geography, good old travel adventure like getting a visa, finding lodging, and finding a restaurant that will actually sell you the wine you want (they don’t like to sell the good bottles to foreigners). Plus the element of the authors search to find a restaurant that will let him be a chef so he can immerse himself in French cuisine.

I am only half-way through this book but just knowing I have it to bring up to the lake for the 4th is making me so happy. If I can just occupy those three year old twins while I am there.

The Likeness by Tara French

I’ve included the first book in this series on past reading lists, In the Woods, which I highly recommend and loved.

The first book centers on a detective squad investigating a murder in the woods near Dublin. The main detectives, Cassie and Rob, are best friends and partners, and Cassie hides the fact that she knows that Rob was one of three child who disappeared in the same woods when he was a child. He was the only one who came out and has no memory. While the first book solved the murder, the memories never did return to him, though the author kept you thinking they would just around the next turn.

This book is narrated by Cassie, and has another murder investigation, and this time it is extremely personal to her. It is just strange enough to keep you hooked.

The authors familiar way of navigating intrigue and emotions and mystery makes these passages you want to savor, and pages you want to keep turning. It is a totally original world and plot. I am halfway through it and have heard people debate the ending quite a bit so I know I am in for a treat. Highly recommend.

The Book of Waking Up by Seth Haines

I love Seth Haines writing. It is a mixture of southern drawl, compassionate questioner, and fellow seeker that makes for a unique dreamy style. For example, this book is numbered, with different thought meditations that build on each other and unfold the story of his questioning, his seeking the divine in his life. Like sunshine, it is everywhere.

His super power is honesty, but not in a navel-gazing way. He is very generous with seeing and sharing his own brokenness in a way that lets others reveal theirs.

Side Note: I love that he narrates it on Audible which is how I listened to it. I find that I love Audible for non-fiction, which this is. If its fiction I need to hold the book in my hands and sit with the sentences, which is hard to do while listening. But his reading of it made it even more powerful for me.

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

This book was such a great read, fueled mostly by the protagonists wonderful self-deprecating humor while handling her complicated grief over her husband’s passing. In a setting in Maine (which you know I love since my own book was set in mid-coast Maine) this sweet romantic comedy is just what a summer read should be – a wonderful world to escape into, that lets you come back to the real world touched and charmed.