Monday, July 8, 2013

Sweet Summertime Reads: Anna + Asheley + Shanyn Share Their Summer Reading Recs!



Back again with some more Sweet Summertime Reads!  Today I am featuring a few of my friends on the blog, asking them what their favorite summer reads are.  Thank you Anna, Asheley + Shanyn for being a part of this feature and sharing your summer picks.  I hope others get a chance to check out their blogs and maybe pick up a new book or two or three!



There's nothing I love more than a good summer vacation. Beaches! Adventure! Pina coladas!

But, alas, that's not always in the cards, so I turn to the next best thing: a good summer book.

And what better type of book-as-travel-alternative than one about someone who does get to travel? If you agree, you have to read Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard.

It's got all the elements we all love in a summery read:

a) Beaches
b) Adventure
c) And BOYS of course duh

But it goes beyond that.

The story is about Bria, and 18-year-old who signs up for a summer tour of Guatemala. Only, the tour is all retirees and super lame. So she takes off on her own to explore...with the help of a newfound friend and her cute brother.

Beyond all that fun stuff, what I actually love most is how introspective and artistic the book was. Plus, the main character's growth throughout the story absolutely electrified and charged me up, guys. That is exactly how I feel after a great vacation, so what better alternative is there?

For more of my thoughts on Wanderlove, check out my original review here.

And, of course, read Ginger's take on it! (Hint: She loved it, too, obvs.)

For a real adventure and a jump-start to your heart without leaving your hometown, you have to check this one out.

Happy summertime reading!

xoxo,
Anna




One of my favorite summertime reads is absolutely, without a doubt Something Like Normal by Trish Doller.

First and foremost, it's near and dear to my heart because it was the first YA contemporary that I read and fell in love with. Even though the story deals with a few issues, everything about that book reminds me of summertime and warm weather, the beach and romance.

These are all some of my favorite things in any book, particularly a good contemporary. But there's something special about the way Trish Doller was able to write main characters Travis and Harper into such believable characters with believable circumstances that I find so incredible in this book.

It's always one of the books I recommend quickly to people and I just love it so much. Every time I read it, the story is better. It is exactly my favorite kind of book: a mixture of issues-contemporary and swoony-contemporary. It's perfect.

I took a day-trip to the beach just a few days ago and finished Something Like Normal again. It was a lot of fun to read a book that felt like summertime and featured the beach so heavily while I was actually on the beach.



A lot of readers read more contemporary in the summer because they feel like it's a summer thing. I love this! I love being able to recommend contemporary books, so when there is a major influx of people requesting contemporary books I'm always up for the challenge.

That being said, I read contemporary all year round. When Ginger asked me to recommend a summer book, I will admit I panicked a bit - how could I choose one? I read near 100 contemporary books every year! As I was skimming my books, there were a few that immediately stood out to me. So instead of over thinking it all, I chose one.

My choice? IN HONOR by Jessi Kirby. This is a great summer read for a few reasons. The first is that the cover just feels like summer. Sun, boots, a summer dress, blue skies. The second reason is that IN HONOR is mainly based on a road trip, which is one of the most summery plot lines in my opinion (you don't read about road trips happening in blizzards)!

If you haven't read IN HONOR, here's a little about it: Honor's brother has died in Iraq, but a letter he sent arrives a few days after his death. In the letter, Finn has included concert tickets he had planned on them using together. In the midst of her grief, Honor decides she's going to road trip to use those tickets. Along for the ride is Rusty, Finn's best friend.


IN HONOR has an excellent mix of relationships, family, emotion, and great writing. If you're
looking for a book that will completely grab you and have you hugging it afterwards, this is the one for you.

As a bonus, I've included a picture of my favorite summer reading spot (with my dog Peso hanging out as well). Here's to many days of great summer reading!




Thanks again to these three wonderful ladies for sharing their summer reading picks.  I have read all of these books and completely agree with their reasons for choosing them.  In fact, I gave them all 5 star reviews!  Need more Sweet Summertime goodness? Be sure to check out Magan + Estelle tomorrow, and Tara on Thursday.

9 comments:

  1. Wanderlove is one of those I've been meaning to read for ages - it sounds like a great summer read, and I'm hoping it comes into the library at some point!

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  2. I've read the first and last books but have yet to read the second one. Will definitely give it a try! Great recommendation, girls! :D

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  3. I'd like to be right where all three of these lovely ladies are in their pics--beaches and a hammock! If that doesn't scream summer I don't know what does.

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  4. Wanderlove was one of my favourite reads of last year. :-)

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  5. I adored Something Like Normal (I'm pretty sure I say this every time I comment on your blog. hahaha. I have recommended it so many times). I'm currently reading Moonglass by Jessi Kirby, which is also a great summertime read, so maybe I'll read In Honor next! Wanderlust is also on my TBR. So many good summery books!

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  6. I need to read all three of these, I've heard so many great things about them. =)

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  7. Thanks for featuring my pick, Ginger!! It's an honor to be on your blog, especially with these lovely ladies! <3

    I have Wonderlove but haven't read it yet. I even got it when it came out. Bad bad bad me!!! And I don't have In Honor yet, but I need to get my hands on a copy because I loved Golden so much and that's the only Kirby I've read. I've heard ONLY fantastic things about these books.

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  8. Love love all of these picks! AND these ladies! <3 Definitely some of my most recommended books!

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  9. Yay! Thanks for having me on your blog, my friend! So much summer reading, so little time...

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