13 Books You Should Read Before Summer Ends

August 16 2016
Share 13 Books You Should Read Before Summer Ends

As the summer comes to an end, we’re spending every waking minute with our favorite books. Here are some of the stories we’re squeezing in while the sun is still shining and the beach still calling. And to help you end your summer right, we want to share them with you.

The Soul of an Octopus
by Sy Montgomery

If you’re spending your last few days of summer near the ocean, this entertaining and touching book is the perfect thing to bring along. In pursuit of the wild and solitary octopus, naturalist Sy Montgomery travels from New England aquarium tanks to the reefs of French Polynesia to reveal surprisingly complex, intelligent, and spirited creatures.

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The Soul of an Octopus
Sy Montgomery

Explore the emotional and physical world of the octopus—a surprisingly complex, intelligent, and spirited creature. After forming a friendship with a sensitive, sweet-natured octopus, Sy Montgomery traveled from New England aquariums to the reefs of French Polynesia and the Gulf of Mexico to pursue these wildly entertaining and profound shapeshifters.

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The Lake House
by Kate Morton

Filled with mystery and spellbinding secrets, this novel is the perfect escape. Alice Edevane is only 16 years old when her 11-month-old brother vanishes from her family’s idyllic lakeside estate. Decades later, a detective stumbles upon the now crumbling estate and uncovers shocking truths about a past long gone ... yet more present than ever.

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The Lake House
Kate Morton

Filled with mystery and spellbinding secrets, this novel is the perfect escape. Alice Edevane is only 16 years old when her 11-month-old brother vanishes from her family’s idyllic lakeside estate. Decades later, a detective stumbles upon the now crumbling estate and uncovers shocking truths about a past long gone ... yet more present than ever.

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The Oregon Trail
by Rinker Buck

Get inspired for your summer road trip with this majestic journey that is both a significant work of history and a moving personal saga. Follow Rinker Buck on his epic quest to travel the length of the Oregon Trail the old-fashioned way: in a covered wagon with a team of mules.

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The Oregon Trail
Rinker Buck

At once a majestic journey, a significant work of history, and a moving personal saga, this is the journey of a lifetime: an epic quest to travel the length of the Oregon Trail the old-fashioned way, in a covered wagon with a team of mules. A wildly ambitious work of nonfiction, it is a book with a heart as big as the country it crosses.

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A Window Opens
by Elisabeth Egan

Alice Pearse wants to have a satisfying career and a thriving personal life. But when she starts her dream job, her time away from home puts strains on her marriage, her children, her parents, and her friends. Eventually, Alice realizes that what’s most important is not “having it all” but finding out what she really wants.

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A Window Opens
Elisabeth Egan

Alice Pearse wants to have a satisfying career and a thriving personal life. But when she starts her dream job, her time away from home puts strains on her marriage, her children, her parents, and her friends. Eventually, Alice realizes that what’s most important is not “having it all” but finding out what she really wants.

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The Marriage of Opposites
by Alice Hoffman

If you can’t make it to the tropical island of St. Thomas, Alice Hoffman’s forbidden love story will transport you there. THE MARRIAGE OF OPPOSITES follows Rachel Pizarro—the rebellious, headstrong, Jewish mother of impressionist painter Camille Pissarro—who in 1825 defied her insular religious community to follow her heart.

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The Marriage of Opposites
Alice Hoffman

Wendy’s Fictional Dinner Party Guest: Rachel Pomié Petit Pizzarro

Rachel Pomié Petit Pizzarro is a woman full of fire and life. A businesswoman, a romantic, a renegade, she’s quite the nineteenth-century badass, not taking anyone else’s advice on how to live her life. I respect and admire her passion, vulnerability, and fearlessness in the face of the judgment of her insular St. Thomas community. She followed her heart, suffered for it, and lived the life she wanted—with a great love and many children, one of whom was the artist Camille Pissarro, father of Impressionism. No doubt, she would command the room.

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The Hand That Feeds You
by A.J. Rich

After finding her fiancé dead in their apartment, Morgan discovers that everything he ever told her was a lie—and, in fact, he’s had several fiancées all believing the same story. Then, things take a harrowing turn when one by one, these other women are murdered.

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The Hand That Feeds You
A.J. Rich

After finding her fiancé dead in their apartment, Morgan discovers that everything he ever told her was a lie—and, in fact, he’s had several fiancées all believing the same story. Then, things take a harrowing turn when one by one, these other women are murdered.

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The Children's Crusade
by Ann Packer

If you love family sagas, this sweeping novel is just for you. THE CHILDREN’S CRUSADE explores the secrets and desires of one California family over the course of five decades.

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The Children's Crusade
Ann Packer

For fans of “This Is Us”

The "This Is Us" craze won't soon die down as the new hit drama continues to deliver twist after mind-blowing twist. If you're looking for a family saga companion read, Ann Packer's THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE, like “This Is Us,” is of the "tour de force" variety. This deeply affecting novel explores the secrets and desires of one California family over the course of five decades.

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Let Me Explain You
by Annie Liontas

Greek immigrant Stavros Stavros Mavrakis believes he has just ten days to live. Brimming with pride and cursing in broken English, he sends an email to his three daughters and ex-wife outlining his wishes for how they might live better lives. They react just as you’d expect.

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Let Me Explain You
Annie Liontas

Greek immigrant Stavros Stavros Mavrakis believes he has just ten days to live. Brimming with pride and cursing in broken English, he sends an email to his three daughters and ex-wife outlining his wishes for how they might live better lives. They react just as you’d expect.

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The Summer's End
by Mary Alice Monroe

Spend the last few weeks of summer with Marietta “Mamaw” Muir and her three granddaughters at their beloved Sea Breeze on Sullivan’s Island in South Carolina. Before the estate is sold, Mamaw and “the summer girls” struggle to find new places in the world.

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The Summer's End
Mary Alice Monroe

Spend the last few weeks of summer with Marietta “Mamaw” Muir and her three granddaughters at their beloved Sea Breeze on Sullivan’s Island in South Carolina. Before the estate is sold, Mamaw and “the summer girls” struggle to find new places in the world.

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Did You Ever Have a Family
by Bill Clegg

DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY asks how one goes on after the worst happens. This tender novel shows how we are all connected and how that very connection is the basis for redemption and hope. We won’t lie; you might need Kleenex for this one.

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Did You Ever Have a Family
Bill Clegg

DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY asks how one goes on after the worst happens. This tender novel shows how we are all connected and how that very connection is the basis for redemption and hope. We won’t lie; you might need Kleenex for this one.

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The King's Curse
by Philippa Gregory

If you’re one for drama, scandal, and intrigue, be sure to indulge in THE KING’S CURSE. Amid the rapid deterioration of the Tudor court, lady-in-waiting Margaret Pole must choose whether her allegiance is to the increasingly tyrannical Henry VIII or to Katherine of Aragon.

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The King's Curse
Philippa Gregory

Margaret Pole, once regarded as a threat to Henry VIII’s claim to the throne, becomes a trusted friend of the young Prince of Wales and his bride, Katherine of Aragon.

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The New Neighbor
by Leah Stewart

THE NEW NEIGHBOR is perfect for vacation binge-reading. Ninety-year-old Margaret Riley rarely leaves the Tennessee mountaintop where she lives, but a mysterious new neighbor in the long-empty house across the pond piques her curiosity. Soon Margaret becomes obsessed and threatens to unravel the new life Jennifer has painstakingly created.

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The New Neighbor
Leah Stewart

THE NEW NEIGHBOR is perfect for vacation binge-reading. Ninety-year-old Margaret Riley rarely leaves the Tennessee mountaintop where she lives, but a mysterious new neighbor in the long-empty house across the pond piques her curiosity. Soon Margaret becomes obsessed and threatens to unravel the new life Jennifer has painstakingly created.

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All the Light We Cannot See
by Anthony Doerr

The lives of a blind French girl and an orphaned German boy become intertwined amidst the devastation of World War II in this stunningly intricate exploration of heartbreak, morality, and survival. Through simple yet tender narration, the audiobook highlights the profound humanity of the story.

Narrated by Zach Appelman

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All the Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr

The lives of a blind French girl and an orphaned German boy become intertwined amidst the devastation of World War II in this stunningly intricate exploration of heartbreak, morality, and survival. Through simple yet tender narration, the audiobook highlights the profound humanity of the story.

Narrated by Zach Appelman

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