10 Backlist Books for Your Summer Reading List

This letter is brought to you by Bookshop.org. From June 23 - June 26, they’re offering FREE standard shipping on all orders.

Hi Book Pals,

One of my favorite experiences is being on vacation and wandering into a charming indie bookstore. What do they have on the front tables? Which local authors are they featuring? Do they have merch? For me, this immediately conjures Lupine Books in Kennebunkport, Maine.

But maybe your summer travels are taking your further afield—somewhere remote or an international destination where you don’t speak the local language—and you need to BYOB. (Bring your own books!) But the quandary is that you still want to support an indie bookstore versus buying on Amazon. Enter: Bookshop.org.

Bookshop.org is an online retailer that lets you select an indie bookstore to support with your order. 80% of profits go to independent bookstores—that’s over $47 million to date. So, all the ease of online ordering while still supporting your favorite indie.

And from June 23 - 26, Bookshop.org is offering FREE standard shipping on all orders.

As for what to read? We’ve already covered this summer’s new releases on my radar, so today I have 10 seasonally-driven backlist books for your consideration.

The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent: Working all summer? Tired. Lying about your qualifications to get a sommelier job at a Scottish Highlands hotel, only for things to get much more complicated when you fall for the handsome chef? Wired! This one is packed with hijinx, a lovely Scottish setting, and loads of laughs. A perfect summer rom-com.

My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella: Sorry to bring the mood down so quickly, but Sophie Kinsella was one of my first favorite authors. (I was a devotee of the Shopaholic books in high school!) And ever since her untimely passing last year, I’ve been itching to revisit one of her books. This one about a woman who flames out of her London life and moves home to help transform her parents’ farm into a chic glamping site is a personal standout.

Anything by Elin Hilderbrand: Perhaps not under-the-radar—and also not always romance-ish—but our queen of the beach read has a back catalog 30-deep if you feel like diving deep on a single author. (AKA my Summer 2021.) My favorites are The Blue Bistro, which is set in a beachside restaurant, or 28 Summers, about a 28-year-long affair. (Bring tissues for the latter.) Or you could crack open The Five-Star Weekend to be ready for the TV adaptation coming in July. On my end, I have The Castaways, which I think may be Chief Kapenash’s origin-book, queued as I continue to make my way through Elin’s hits.

One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin: If it’s a big wedding guest summer for you, might I suggest this romance about a woman who has to walk down the aisle with a man who gave her book a one-star review on Goodreads. It’s hilarious and tender and so much more than a romance, with an equally weighted friendship story about 2 female best friends progressing through life milestones at different paces. I will never stop stanning this exquisite book!

Destination Wedding by Diksha Basu: Or maybe you’re headed to a destination wedding. (Or just wish you were.) In this one, a woman escapes the mess of her real life by attending the lavish Indian wedding of a cousin. There’s family drama, rich people drama, ill-advised flings, and a delightfully bonkers wedding planner.

Out East by John Glynn: Have you been living for the Summer House drama and are searching for more Hamptons-set stories of messy friend groups? How about this memoir from my dear friend John about the summer he unexpectedly fell in love with a man for the first time while packed into an overflowing Montauk share house. Also, a chance to meet lots of my college friends and acquaintances as characters!

I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself by Glynnis MacNicol: This book is about a decadent post-lockdown summer the author spent eating, drinking, and dating-app-swiping her way through Paris. And while Covid’s not to blame, I feel a similar cultural ennui this summer that might make this a balm to your itching-to-escape-your-mundane-reality soul.

Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman: Looking for a dead body in your summer reading? I’m probably not the right person to ask, but I did really enjoy about this book about 3 teenage best friends who go on a Euro trip to Greece, but only 2 of them come home. This is both a soapy page-turner and a fascinating exploration of the trauma caused by the true crime entertainment industry.

Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson: Looking to beat your bone-deep boredom this summer? Why not start a satanic panic in your small Tennessee hometown? At least, that’s what these two misfit teens accidentally did! But years later, that summer comes racing to the forefront when a journalist starts sniffing around.

A Sky Painted Gold by Laura C. Wood: I took a break from shouting about this book, so I feel like it’s possible you might have missed this lovely story about a teen girl in a sleepy Cornish village who gets swept up in the glamour when two wealthy siblings come to claim their family vacation home and begin throwing raucous jazz-filled parties. This reads like a YA Great Gatsby with a British flair. I’m not a big historical reader, but this whole series delighted me!

Hopefully that’s one part of your vacation packing list squared!

Happy vacation reading,

Becca

P.S. Thank you to Bookshop.org for sponsoring this post. As a reminder, they’re offering FREE standard shipping on all orders June 23 - 26.