Now that summer's here, are you ready to be transported to far off places, all without leaving the comfort of your living room? The following book recommendations are organized depending on the kind of vacation you long to have! Are you in the mood to solve mysteries on a cruise ship? What about taking a (what my parents would call "character-building") road trip? Maybe you're ready to go camping in the woods or hiking in the mountains? No matter what your summer plans are, this book list is sure to take you to all the fun vacation destinations.
Death on the Nile : a Hercule Poirot mystery
Christie, Agatha, 1890-1976.
MYSTERY Christie, Agatha
Mystery
Linnet Doyle is young, beautiful, and rich. She's the girl who has everything-including the man her best friend loves. Linnet and her new husband take a cruise on the Nile, where they meet the brilliant detective Hercule Poirot. It should be an idyllic trip, yet Poirot has a vague, uneasy feeling that something is dangerously amiss.
Float plan
Doller, Trish, author.
FICTION Doller Trish
Romance
Since the loss of her fiancé, Anna has been shipwrecked by grief. When a reminder goes off about a trip they were supposed to take together, Anna impulsively goes to sea in their sailboat, intending to complete the voyage alone. After a treacherous night's sail she realizes she can't do it by herself and hires Keane, a professional sailor, to help. Keane is also struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned. As romance rises with the tide, they discover that it's never too late to chart a new course.
(Get away on a Sailboat!) Sometimes, to move past life's hardships, you need to leave the shore behind. Perfect for a summer full of warm breezes and turquoise waters, Trish Doller's novel will definitely pull at your heartstrings. Book your ticket for this tropical voyage today!
- Madison C
Here we go again : a novel
Cochrun, Alison, author.
FICTION Cochrun Alison
LGBTQ+, Romance
A queer rom-com following once childhood best friends forced together to drive their former teacher across the country.
(Road trip!) Maybe you're in the mood for a road trip full of second chances and some unexpected romantic sparks? Alison Cochrun's queer rom-com is a great car trip escape, making memorable stops at Old Wounds Station, Chemistry Junction, and the Forgiveness Café. Exploring life's past choices and the road still ahead, this is a summer trip you won't want to miss.
- Madison C
The road to tender hearts : a novel
Hartnett, Annie. author.
FICTION Hartnett Annie
Literary Fiction, Romance
At sixty-three years old, million-dollar winner PJ Halliday would be the luckiest man in Pondville, Massachusetts, if it weren't for the tragedies of his life: the sudden death of his eldest daughter and the way his marriage fell apart after that. Since then, PJ spends both his money and his time at the bar, and he probably doesn't have much time left--he's had three heart attacks already. But when PJ reads the obituary of his old romantic rival, he realizes his high school sweetheart is finally single again. Filled with a new enthusiasm for life, PJ decides he's going to drive across the country to the Tender Hearts Retirement Community to win her back. Before PJ can hit the road, tragedy strikes Pondville, leaving PJ the sudden guardian of his estranged brother's grandchildren. Anyone else would be deterred from the planned trip, but PJ figures the orphaned kids might benefit from getting out of town. PJ also thinks he can ask Sophie, his adult daughter who's adrift in her twenties, to come along to babysit. And there's one more surprise addition to the roster: Pancakes, a former nursing home therapy cat with a knack of predicting death, who recently turned up outside PJ's home. This could be the second chance PJ has long hoped for, but does he have the strength to do both those things again?
(Road trip!) Are you ready to take an unforgettable road trip filled with heart, humor, and some unexpected detours? Annie Hartnett's newest novel will take readers on a cross-country adventure that serves as a perfect reminder that sometimes the journey means more than the destination.
- Madison C
Summers at the Saint
Andrews, Mary Kay, 1954- author.
FICTION Andrews Mary
Mystery, Romance
Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel, where traditions run deep and scandals run deeper. . . . Everyone refers to the St. Cecelia as "the Saint." If you grew up coming here, you were "a Saint." If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were "an Ain't." Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn't rich enough or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer she did, and married the boss's son. Now, she's the widowed owner of the hotel, determined to see it return to its glory days, even as staff shortages and financial troubles threaten to ruin it. Enlisting a motley crew of recently hired summer help-including the daughter of her estranged best friend-Traci has one summer season to turn it around. But new information about a long-ago drowning at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of their own brings Traci to the brink of despair. And it will take all the wits and guts she has to see wrongs put to right, to see guilty parties put in their place, and maybe even to find a new romance along the way.
(Waterside Escapes!) What's a luxurious escape without a smidge of mystery? Mary Kay Andrews' novel will whisk you away to a glamorous seaside resort full of secrets, scandals, and even a little summer romance. Balancing beach-read vibes with mysterious alibis, this book will transport you to sun-soaked days where anything can happen.
- Madison C
There are rivers in the sky : a novel
Shafak, Elif, 1971- author.
FICTION Shafak Elif
Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
In the ancient city of Nineveh, on the bank of the River Tigris, King Ashurbanipal of Mesopotamia, erudite but ruthless, built a great library that would crumble with the end of his reign. From its ruins, however, emerged a poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh, that would infuse the existence of two rivers and bind together three lives.
(Waterside Escapes!) If cruises and road trips aren't for you, let your summer reading take you on a winding, lyrical river journey with Elif Shafak's novel. Weaving history, memory, and mysticism, Shafak crafts a poignant story that flows between continents and generations. This read is great for readers craving a thoughtful escape, where every river leads to new discoveries.
- Madison C
All Rhodes lead here : a novel
Zapata, Mariana, author.
FICTION Zapata Mariana
Romance
Ora knows moving back to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, a place that was once home and is now full of bittersweet memories of her late mother, isn't going to be easy. But after breaking up with her longtime, famous boyfriend, hiding out in a small town in the mountains might be the perfect remedy. And checking out her landlord who lives across the driveway might cure it, too. Only Tobias Rhodes didn't rent out the apartment to her -- rather it was his teenage son, Amos. Fiercely protective of his family and distrusting of strangers, gruff and grumpy Rhodes initially keeps little miss sunshine Ora at a distance. But over days and weeks, long hikes and fireside chats, Aurora breaks down his walls and soon an unbreakable friendship blossoms into a once-in-a-lifetime love.
(Heading to the Mountains!) Mariana Zapata's slow-burn romance is the perfect mountain escape for readers craving fresh air, scenic trails, and a feel-good story -- no hiking shoes required!
- Madison C
Prodigal summer
Kingsolver, Barbara.
FICTION Kingsolver, Barbara
Literary Fiction, Nature
From her outpost in an isolated mountain cabin, Deanna Wolfe, a reclusive wildlife biologist, watches a den of coyotes that have recently migrated into the region. She is caught off-guard by a young hunter who invades her most private spaces and confounds her self-assured, solitary life. On a farm several miles down the mountain, Lusa Maluf Landowski, a bookish city girl turned farmer's wife, finds herself unexpectedly marooned in a strange place where she must declare or lose her attachment to the land that has become her own. And a few more miles down the road, a pair of elderly feuding neighbors tend their respective farms and wrangle about God, pesticides, and the possibilities of a future neither of them expected. Over the course of one humid summer, these characters find their connections to one another and to the flora and fauna with whom they share a place.
(Heading to the Mountains!) If your ideal summer vacation includes quiet, secluded mountains and a deep connection to nature, Barbara Kingsolver's novel is your go-to read. Expertly weaving together three compelling stories set in the Appalachian wilderness, "Prodigal Summer" will take you off the grid and into the wild beauty of the mountains.
- Madison C
The bear and the nightingale : a novel
Arden, Katherine, author.
SCIENCE FICTION Arden, Katherine
Fantasy, Historical Fiction
In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia a stranger with piercing blue eyes presents a new father with a gift - a precious jewel on a delicate chain, intended for his young daughter. Uncertain of its meaning, Pytor hides the gift away and Vasya grows up a wild, willful girl, to the chagrin of her family. But when mysterious forces threaten the happiness of their village, Vasya discovers that, armed only with the necklace, she may be the only one who can keep the darkness at bay.
(Into the Woods I Go!) Step into an enchanted forest where Slavic folklore comes alive. Katherine Arden's fantasy novel is a spellbinding tale filled with mischievous spirits, ancient magic, and fairy-tale wonder. It's a great read for anyone looking to get lost in a story as wild, dark, and timeless as the forest itself.
- Madison C
These silent woods : a novel
Grant, Kimi Cunningham, author.
FICTION Grant Kimi
Mystery, Thriller
No electricity, no family, no connection to the outside world. For eight years, Cooper and his young daughter, Finch, have lived in isolation in a remote cabin in the northern Appalachian woods. And that's exactly the way Cooper wants it, because he's got a lot to hide. Finch has been raised on the books filling the cabin's shelves and the beautiful but brutal code of life in the wilderness. But she's starting to push back against their sheltered life. The only people who know they exist are Scotland, an overly friendly hermit with murky intentions, and Cooper's old friend, Jake, who visits each winter to bring them supplies. But this year, Jake doesn't show up, setting off an irreversible chain of events that reveals just how precarious their situation really is.
(Into the Woods I Go!) Are you hoping to mix some mystery with your forested getaway? Kimi Cunningham Grant's novel invites you into a secluded cabin deep in the woods, where the very silence hides secrets. Suspenseful and heartfelt, "These Silent Woods" is full of slow-building tension and an atmospheric setting that's perfect for those who love a little shadow in their sunshiny vacations.
- Madison C
(Get away on a Cruise!) So, admittedly, a book with a title that includes the word "Death" doesn't exactly scream "fun, relaxing vacation." But this Agatha Christie classic will be sure to take any reader away on a fun, mystery-filled trip on the great Nile River. Who says you can't enjoy a vacation with a splash of murder?
- Madison C