13 Books You Should Read Before Summer Ends

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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