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It’s the middle of August, which means back-to-school season has officially arrived here in my neck of the woods.

Where did the summer go?

Actually, I know exactly where it went: into the pages of a whole bunch of books. 😂

I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it every year: summer reading season is my favorite season.

I’ll admit, I got a little less reading done this summer than I usually do—but only because I’ve been hard at work writing my cozy fantasy mystery series. And the only thing I love more than reading a book is writing one.

Writing is every bit as immersive, with one very important bonus: I get to create exactly the kind of story I want to read.

“If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” — Toni Morrison

Still, I managed to spend plenty of time happily lost in other people’s stories too.

So, if you’re curious about the books I loved most this summer, here are three favorites—in no particular order.

I can’t believe I only discovered The Spellshop earlier this year, because I’ve been making up for lost time ever since. I’ve now read several Sarah Beth Durst books and have officially become a superfan.

Her cozy fantasies feel like a warm hug wrapped in a blanket, preferably accompanied by a mug of hot chocolate.

I’ve already mentioned some of her other books in previous articles, so I wanted to give this spot to one I haven’t talked about yet: The Enchanted Greenhouse.

It has so many of the things I love most about cozy fantasy: a beautiful magical setting, mouthwatering descriptions of food, gentle stakes, and an incredibly sweet romance. Honestly, I could have filled this entire list with Sarah Beth Durst books and been perfectly happy.

Every now and then, I finish a book and find myself thinking about it long after I’ve turned the last page.

The Lost Bookshop was one of those books.

The story brings three people (two in the present and one in the past) together through their search for a missing bookshop that may hold a very valuable lost manuscript.

The twist? The shop isn’t merely missing from a map. Somehow, it has slipped out of reality itself.

As the characters begin uncovering the mystery of the bookshop, they’re also forced to confront and understand pieces of their own stories. That emotional healing becomes the heart of a touching romance—and I definitely teared up more than once.

It’s magical, bookish, mysterious, and deeply hopeful. Basically, several of my favorite things in one story.

This book had me at the title.

Dragons and chocolate are two of my favorite things, so obviously I needed to know how a story managed to combine them.

This middle-grade fantasy follows a young dragon who unexpectedly discovers a passion for chocolate—and then has to venture into the human world to learn how to make it.

There’s just one small problem: she’s spent her whole life being taught that humans are dangerous and absolutely cannot be trusted.

What follows is a wonderfully fun story about discovering what you love, finding your people, and figuring out who you want to become.

Like so many of my favorite books, it’s ultimately as much about friendship and community as it is about magic and delicious chocolate.

And yes, I already want the sequel.

Now I want to know: What was the best book you read this summer?

3 Magical Books I Loved This Summer

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