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The Hottest Books of Summer
Summer is a dream; summer without books is a nightmare. Prepare yourself for a blissful season of reading with soon-to-be favorites in every genre!
To create our list, we focused on what Goodreads members are anticipating and reactions from early reviewers. We measured anticipation by how many times a book has been added to Want to Read shelves, and then we only included books that have earned at least a four-star rating. (If you're curious how you can read prepublished books and be among the first to rate them, take a look at our book giveaways.)
Now let's get to the books. Tell us which ones you can't wait to read in the comments.
To create our list, we focused on what Goodreads members are anticipating and reactions from early reviewers. We measured anticipation by how many times a book has been added to Want to Read shelves, and then we only included books that have earned at least a four-star rating. (If you're curious how you can read prepublished books and be among the first to rate them, take a look at our book giveaways.)
Now let's get to the books. Tell us which ones you can't wait to read in the comments.
FICTION
In this unforgettable follow-up to Beartown, the citizens of a small town in Sweden rally around their local hockey team, even as a hostile rivalry threatens to destroy friendships, families, and the fragile peace of a volatile community.
Check out Backman's book recommendations here.
From the author of Fates and Furies comes a piercing collection of short stories exploring the moments that make us feel alive, all anchored by the landscape, climate, history, and state of mind of Florida.
Discover Groff's book recommendations here.
A fractured love story collides with a secret extremist cult in this electrifying debut about a young misfit, the woman he adores, and the obsession that unravels their relationship and leads to a harrowing act of violence.
Find our interview with Kwon here.
The first novel from actress Sarah Jessica Parker’s new imprint, SJP for Hogarth, charts the crucial turning points in an Indian American Muslim family's past, from the bonds that bring them together to the differences that pull them apart.
Read our interview with Parker here.
One photograph, snapped in a drunken moment at a party, overturns Nina's status among Nashville's elite, forcing her to choose between her family and her values in this poignant tale from the author of Something Borrowed.
At once merciless and compassionate, this is the story of a young woman who attempts to fill the dark and vacuous hole in her heart by embarking on an extended hibernation with the help, of course, of a truly terrible psychiatrist.
Check out Moshfegh's book recommendations here.
A sheltered young girl and a teenage maid strike an unlikely friendship in this mesmerizing debut set against the backdrop of the devastating violence of 1990s Colombia and inspired by the author's own life.
Read our interview with Contreras here.
MYSTERY & THRILLER
From the author of The Woman in Cabin 10 and In a Dark, Dark Wood comes a tale of spellbinding menace that sees a struggling tarot card reader lured into a web of intrigue, danger, and betrayal by the promise of a tantalizing fortune.
Find our interview with Ware here.
An ingenious young man creates an "echo box" to hear his late mother's voice, but the innocent project takes a nefarious turn when shadowy government agents come to seize the extraordinary machine—and silence its creator.
When the bride-to-be is discovered dead in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony, everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect, from the best man and the maid of honor to the groom's famous mystery novelist mother.
It's just a harmless game, right? The author of Final Girls puts a deadly twist on "two truths and a lie" as successful artist Emma revisits her dark past, the one night at summer camp that still haunts her memories and her paintings.
YOUNG ADULT
As warrior Helene, the Blood Shrike, searches for a way to hold back the tide of war, her sister's life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance in this epic installment in the Ember Quartet.
Discover Tahir's book recommendations here.
Told through the letters wallflower Twinkle writes to her favorite female filmmakers, this charming tale from the author of When Dimple Met Rishi navigates big truths about friendship, family, and the unexpected places love can find you.
Check out our interview with Menon here.
After escaping Gotham City's slums, Selina Kyle reinvents herself as the mysterious Holly Vanderhees in this exhilarating take on DC Comics' Catwoman from the author of the Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, but as all four of her older siblings return for a wedding, chaos reigns supreme in the form of a howling dog, a stubborn band, a missing tuxedo, and a distractingly cute boy.
Find our interview with Matson here.
In this dazzling follow-up to Flame in the Mist, Mariko plays the part of the dutiful bride-to-be in order to infiltrate the emperor's ranks, rescue her beloved, and uncover the truth behind the betrayal that almost left her dead.
NONFICTION
A beach house dubbed Sea Section is the setting for reflections on middle age, mortality, and a tumor joke or two in this deeply personal and darkly hilarious book from the author of Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.
With effervescent charm and wit, the Parks and Recreation star takes readers along on her not-so-meteoric rise from "roaches to riches" before reflecting on her life of fame (fending off trolls, flirting with Michael Fassbender, etc.).
Spying on Whales: The Past, Present, and Future of Earth's Most Awesome Creatures
by Nicholas Pyenson
by Nicholas Pyenson
The Smithsonian's star paleontologist explores the cutting edge of whale research, from the fishing decks on Antarctic whaling stations to the desert of Chile where scientists race to document the largest fossil whalebone site on earth.
HISTORICAL FICTION
The rarefied world of a resort island in the Long Island Sound comes to life in this enchanting novel of romance, class, power, and dark secrets set in the summer of 1951 and 1969 from the author of A Hundred Summers.
Read our interview with Williams here.
Based on the experiences of real-life kidnapping victim Sally Horner and her captor, whose story shocked the nation and inspired Vladimir Nabokov to write his controversial and iconic Lolita, this heart-pounding story gives a voice to Sally herself.
From the opulent palaces of St. Petersburg to the World War I battlefields, this riveting historical drama focuses on the anarchic fall of an empire and the complex, bold heart of the woman who tried to save it.
ROMANCE
Brilliant math whiz Stella decides to practice dating by hiring an escort in this heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: There's not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.
Check out our interview with Hoang here.
The Winston brothers are at it again. From the author of Truth or Beard and Grin and Beard It comes the next installment in the ongoing saga of the burly brothers' quest for love in the idyllic town of Green Valley, Tennessee.
From the three-time winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance comes a powerful story about a troubled marriage and the memories, secrets, and old forgotten promises that might be able to save it.
FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION
Two years after enchanting readers with her Beauty and the Beast retelling, Novik is back with a dark take on the Rumplestiltskin legend that follows Miryem, a clever young woman with a dangerous talent for turning silver into gold.
Find our interview with Novik here.
What does it mean if the gods can be killed? Persephone, the first woman to lead her tribe, enters the battle between humankind and the cruel godlike beings who once ruled in this next installment in The Legends of the First Empire series.
Kate Daniels wants to put her paranormal problems behind her. But in this next installment in the popular urban fantasy series, her attempt at a normal life, playing house with former Beast Lord Curran and their child, is interrupted by an ancient enemy.
From his first encounter with the man who will one day become Darth Vader to his rise to power, Grand Admiral Thrawn proves his reputation as one of the most cunning warriors in the history of the Galactic Empire in this thrilling Star Wars tale.
After a disaster rocks their community, a mother, an alien academic, and a caretaker for the dead struggle to build a new future in this story of finding hope and purpose among the stars from the author of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.
What books are you most excited to read this season? Let us know in the comments!
Find more ideas for your summer reading:
Goodreads Employees Share Their Summer Reading Plans
20 Top-Rated Books for Every Kind of Getaway
Choosing Your Vacation Books: Our Readers Share Their Advice
Find more ideas for your summer reading:
Goodreads Employees Share Their Summer Reading Plans
20 Top-Rated Books for Every Kind of Getaway
Choosing Your Vacation Books: Our Readers Share Their Advice
Comments Showing 101-150 of 155 (155 new)
message 101:
by
Jaclyn, Goodreads employee
(new)
Jun 21, 2018 03:32AM
Hi all! Just a quick reminder that self-promotional posts will be removed from our blog comments. 😊
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David wrote: "Chris wrote: "Yeah, but it's ridiculous that they ignore the book reading preferences of half the human race. Very intolerant and lacking in diversity."I hear you, but even if we make up half of ..."
I'm female and I prefer the military fiction, 'space operas', and I abhor most of the touchy feely (no action all angst) books usually listed. I look at the lists more to know what to avoid than what to read. Give me a good Tom Clancy, David Weber, John Ringo, or Robert Ludlum any day!
Seriously...come one ladies, I have looked at the selections for the summer reading list. Who picked this catastrophe? It may be what some women want to read, but I'm not one of them. Nor, do I think there is a man out there who would have a one of those books on their summer reading list.
What, no poetry? :) A great list for my poolside reading.
Charlotte wrote: "I'm looking forward to several which aren't on the list, the most important being Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts."Read It!!!!!! Thought it was great. I've gotten too old to worry about list. Ive been a voracious reader for 60 years and I read for fun and enjoyment. If i have to work too hard for the enjoyment its not fun anymore.
Mark wrote: "Jaclyn wrote: "Hi all! Just a quick reminder that self-promotional posts will be removed from our blog comments. 😊"I'm sorry Jaclyn, I'm not sure I know what a self-promotional post is?
If I were to post a list of ten books that I think would be great summer reads would that be illegal? - ) "
It wouldn't be ILLEGAL, but if you yourself had written at least one of the books then the post would be removied.
Mark wrote: "Jaclyn wrote: "Hi all! Just a quick reminder that self-promotional posts will be removed from our blog comments. 😊"I'm sorry Jaclyn, I'm not sure I know what a self-promotional post is?
If I were..."
Usually, that refers to authors recommending their own work.
I'm glad I found this list. Great recommendations.
What's hot about these? You want a really HOT reads for summer, read MM. Hands down.
What a Time to Be Alone: The Slumflower's Guide to Why You Are Already Enoughby Chidera Eggerue,
Lelyana's Reviews wrote: "What's hot about these? You want a really HOT reads for summer, read MM. Hands down."What does "MM" mean in this context?
Katsuro wrote: "Lelyana's Reviews wrote: "What's hot about these? You want a really HOT reads for summer, read MM. Hands down."What does "MM" mean in this context?"
Male Male romance xx
Lelyana's Reviews wrote: "Katsuro wrote: "Lelyana's Reviews wrote: "What's hot about these? You want a really HOT reads for summer, read MM. Hands down."What does "MM" mean in this context?"
Male Male romance xx"
Ooooh. I've actually read some of that in my days. But I still didn't get the acronym, because in my circles, we call it "yaoi." :)
Katsuro wrote: "Lelyana's Reviews wrote: "Katsuro wrote: "Lelyana's Reviews wrote: "What's hot about these? You want a really HOT reads for summer, read MM. Hands down."What does "MM" mean in this context?"
Male..."
LOL, I read yaoi as well hahaha...but lately, I'm an MM junkies :)
Wonderer wrote: "Gee, could you please let some guys write a few lists? Some action and adventure, maybe some war stories, and westerns. Space opera, military sci-fi, sports. You know, things guys like.I've been ..."
Oh no of course not, It's not as if women like those genres. We just have to loooove romance, and literature you know the girly stuff... Ugh.
But it'd be nice to see some other genres maybe comedy, short stories, some queer/LGBT fiction, and maybe some more literary books. But I guess this is what book review sites, and bookshelf recommendations are for.
Where is horror?! I feel so slighted! The Hottest? This list isn't even lukewarm :( The two books I might have interest in are both part of long running series that I haven't yet read so, thanks but no thanks.
I haven't read any of the books of the list, but I will say that it's true that there's a definite slant toward genres and topics typical preferred by women. The vast majority of authors there are also women. Perhaps it's a bit of a vicious cycle... there are more women users, then more of the site content is slanted that way, thus men visit and decide the site it not for them.Personally, I'm more annoyed at the lack of comic books on the list, Good Reads usually represented comics pretty well :)
There are a lot of books that I'm waiting for to be released so I can read them, but I suppose these few take the cake:The Chase by Elle Kennedy
Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff
Escaping from Houdini by Keri Maniscalco
Moonlight Seduction by Jennifer L Armentrout
Wild Hunger by Chloe Neill
No list is going to hit everyone's chimes -there is always going to be someone disappointed or alienated. (men, older women, gays) to name a few.Amazon owns Goodreads, need I say more?
And speaking of Amazon, it is a lot easier to find books that are coming out in the future that are to your particular taste and break the entire list down into exactly what you are looking for. No need for a middleman; an advertising opportunity is what I think of these lists.
I never like the idea of saying these are "men" books and these are "women" books. Books are books. And we need to see more genres represented. And not determined by GR's extremely broken and easily manipulated "Want to Read" shelf.
You guys need to chill maybe some men aren't interested in these books but others are i can understand because I'm not interested in what my hubby reads we are all different and read what we want and these lists do need to list more books for men that's only right!!! Or just list more genres that interest everyone. But at the same time I think its because there are so many women and id wager there's way less men on here than there are women!!! Just my thoughts i just wish people would stop being jerks though man this is one place in the world i go to thats normally without all the people who are just rude come on people get it together!!!
Nicole wrote: "You guys need to chill maybe some men aren't interested in these books but others are i can understand because I'm not interested in what my hubby reads we are all different and read what we want a..."Quite unnecessary, one would think (or hope). And altogether redundant complaining about what's not here. There's an infinite library out there on the web, and not everything is what you were searching for.
Like saying I went to the grocery store and they had stuff on the shelves I didn't wanna eat. So I found another shop.
No matter. A day without complaining is a day spent reading.
Or something.
David wrote: "100 Books Every Man Should Read"Wow, turns out I'm a man and I never knew it! I was curious about what men should read. Turns out the answer is really good books.
I can't wait for Seafire! It drops in August so it's technically a summer release, and I've been anticipating it since it was first announced in like December or January!
Well, thank you Goodreads for the awesome collection to be chosen from and here in India, we are experiencing a windy Monsoon and I feel this will satisfy my bookish needs. Thank you once again!!!
Goodreads can do better than this! The non-fiction category is pretty lame.
I think the only miss here is bundling Science Fiction and Fantasy in the same category, never got that really; but that's a Goodreads thing unfortunately.Other than that, since I joined Goodreads my reading list has expanded by a factor of one gazillion; found out about authors I never knew and now love, read new genres of literature I never had (some I liked, some just reinstated why I don't like them). I certainly don't need a list to tell me what to read, although I've uncovered quite a few gems that way.
All I am saying is that people's tastes are diverse, and in my eyes, there's never going to be a list that will satisfy everyone. So if you don't find a book you like in this list, try another. Find someone who writes agreeable reviews to your favourite genres, and see what else they have commented on. And of course, then curse yourself, because your WTR list just grew even bigger and there's only 24 hours in every day.
Wonderer wrote: "David wrote: "I hear you, but even if we make up half of the human race, we are not anywhere near half of this site's user base. Probably at least 80% of Goodreads active users are female. Reading ..."I don't think this is gendered. 'Summer reads' are usually meant to be lighter/fluffier, which is why this list features things like fiction, romance, fantasy, etc. and only a bit of nonfiction. I like to read about sports and war and history too (although, according to you, these are only things that 'guys' like, so maybe I should stop?), and I'm not bothered by this list because those aren't typical "summery" topics that one sits on the beach and enjoys. Also, maybe you should try to read outside your usual genres every once in a while, you might learn to broaden your perspective a bit.
Katsuro wrote: "MetaMaus has actually been out for years, and in English, so it's not really suited for this list.Also, it bugs me that one of the books includes the censored word "sh*t." If you want to swear, t..."
I hadn't thought of it before but I agree!
What I am finding annoying about this list is that in my country it isn't even summer so this list is kind of pointless to those that aren't in their summer season. It is winter at the moment so, therefore, a pointless list to the people that aren't in the season that is called summer the northern hemisphere is experiencing at this point in time.
Sort of a kid's book but not really---Kisses By The Moon. Fun idea if you are traveling this summer and away form family and friends.
Love seeing that some of my own personal choices have been picked on this list as well! A great boost of encouragement that my tastes are on track! :)
so glad to have learned about The Speed of Sound -- 'sounds' right up my alley. Awesome list
David wrote: "Chris wrote: "Yeah, but it's ridiculous that they ignore the book reading preferences of half the human race. Very intolerant and lacking in diversity."I hear you, but even if we make up half of ..."
I don't necessarily buy into it that not as many men read as much as women, but I think it's fair to say that those who do are less likely to share their reading experiences on a site like this than women are. I myself would like to see more masculine reading selections from time to time, since I am not into as much of the feminine choices as most women tend to be. I like diversity in my reading materials!
David wrote: "100 Books Every Man Should Read"Completely agree with you.
I am a women, but I, too would like to see less romace and more adventure, and the men should not be ignored, especially to make more men read, which would be great, they should also think of men when writing these lists.
David wrote: "100 Books Every Man Should Read"Thank you, David.
Wonderer wrote: "Gee, could you please let some guys write a few lists? Some action and adventure, maybe some war stories, and westerns. Space opera, military sci-fi, sports. You know, things guys like.I've been ..."
We should talk. I love the genre you are describing. Some of my favorite authors are C.J. Box, Paul Doiron, Gregg Hurwitz (Orphan X) , Steve Hamilton (especially his earlier works based in Michigan) , Randy Wayne White, Harlan Coben (Start with "Tell No One" , David Baldacci, Kathryn Arden (The Girl in the Tower) and I loved "The Martian" by Andy Weir
I'm excited to read Providence by Caroline Kepnes. Both YOU and Hidden Bodies were fantastic and I can't wait to see what else she has in store.
Where's the horror?????? It's not a dirty word you know......
Melanie wrote: "Where's the horror?????? It's not a dirty word you know......"I was so aggravated I went to Twitter and we created our own:
http://barksbooknonsense.blogspot.com...
I mean I enjoy romance and thrillers sometimes but horror is NOT dead, it's legit summer reading and many of us love it too :)
Bark wrote: "Melanie wrote: "Where's the horror?????? It's not a dirty word you know......"I was so aggravated I went to Twitter and we created our own:
http://barksbooknonsense.blogspot.com...-..."
Yes, thanks Bark, I've visited your blog and now have an awesome TBR for
