6 Backlist Books Perfect for Summer Reading

Summer reading looks different for everyone, but for me, it’s all about the page-turning thrillers (this will be another list!) or diving into a book whose cover just screams beach, sun, and sand. I love seasonal reading, and heading out to my front porch with a glass of iced tea and a book with a summery cover makes me so happy during the warmest months in Cleveland.

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Ideally, my summer reading contains the following:

1.) a summer vacation house on a lake or the ocean
2.) family members or friends gathering for an event
3.) a great deal of detail about clothing/food/décor that gives me all the summer vibes

Are you looking for some great seasonal summer reads? Check out this backlist book list – these should be easier for you to acquire from your library or eBook account since they were published some time ago.

The Summer House by Hannah McKinnon

​Flossy Merrill welcomes her children home to the family’s Rhode Island beach house to celebrate their father’s 80th birthday. During the reunion, she announces that they will be selling the beach home, which leads to learning more about each character and the struggles they endure. 

The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan

Best friends Casey and Laura were inseparable as young adults, spending lazy summer days floating in the lake and embarking on summer scavenger hunts together. When a betrayal spurs Laura to leave home (and her former friend and a first love behind) she doesn’t return for 17 years…and when she does, she must face her childhood with Casey and do one last scavenger hunt together that will cause the past to resurface.

The Forever Summer by Jamie Brenner

​Marin Bishop seems to have it all at the age of 28, including a prestigious career and handsome fiancé. After suddenly finding herself single and unemployed, a woman who claims to be her half-sister announces her existence and they embark on a road trip to meet Marin’s grandmother. Spending the summer at her grandmother’s seaside bed and breakfast, Marin realizes her life is changing forever. 

Slightly South of Simple by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Ansley welcomes her three (very different) daughters to her beachy home after each one experiences sudden change in her life. Caroline is pregnant and dealing with a husband who has cheated on her and starring in a reality TV program, Sloane is raising two young children with a military husband overseas, and Emerson is an actress who continues to find her footing in the industry. As they spend more time together, secrets from the past surface, and the family must together face both current challenges and past hurt.
(This book is first in a trilogy.)

anything by Elin Hilderbrand

Hilderbrand IS summer reading for so many. With the exception of her Winter Street Series and the St. John trilogy, she has written over twenty books that take place on her beloved home of Nantucket. Get to know its residents and their families in stories that explore relationships between lovers, friends, and family. Note that there is some overlapping of characters between novels, but you can definitely read them in any order. 

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

​Barbara Kingsolver is a master storyteller (The Poisonwood Bible is on my all-time favorite book list), and this novel that intertwines three stories of love and humankind set against rural Appalachia in the heat of a humid summer is nearly as captivating. 

Are you looking for more summer reading recommendations?

One of my favorite reading friends, Gen the Bookworm, has assembled a fantastic list of current summer reads. Make sure to give her a follow on Instagram too! She loves podcasts, lives in gorgeous rural Vermont, and shares fun photos from her life as a mom and reader.

And, if you need even MORE books for your summer reading list, here are nine books I can’t wait to read this summer, as posted in early June 2020.

Go follow Gen! She is a delight!

@genthebookworm