Hey everyone! Summer is almost here, I’m headed back home from Europe soon, and even though I’ll probably be spending most of my summer working, in preparation for my last year of college, I still want to fit in some fun things when I can, like the travelling I’m currently doing (which you can read about in my Ariel in Paris series), some swimming, and, of course, reading.
So today I wanted to talk about 5 of the books I most want to get to this summer. This list is in no particular order, but for those of you who were following my blog back when I posted my most anticipated reads of 2019, you might recognize some of these as being from that list. Obviously, there are many, many other books I would like to read this summer, but these ones are the ones that, right now, I feel drawn to the most. Let’s get into the list, shall we?
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
This is one of the books that was on my most anticipated reads list earlier this year, and it is about two agents from opposite sides of a time war who meet. I don’t really know much else about it, honestly, but I listened to one of the authors talk about this book and I decided I wanted to read it. It comes out really soon, in mid-July.
Again, But Better by Christine Riccio
Another book that was on my most anticipated list, this book is a debut contemporary novel by one of my favorite BookTubers, polandbananasBOOKS or Christine Riccio. It came out this month, about a week ago, actually, but I haven’t been able to read it because of school and travel. I did preorder the Barnes & Noble special edition, though, so when I get home it should be waiting for me, and I can dive it.
I feel like this book will be especially relatable for me now that I have just finished a semester studying abroad. The story centers around a girl named Shane who signs up for a study abroad trip to London, and while I wasn’t studying in London this past semester, I did visit London for a weekend, and I have been abroad.
I will admit, I’m not as stoked about this book as I was back when I wrote that original anticipated reads post, because since that time, I’ve heard some mixed things about this book. But I love Christine and I want to support her, so I’m going to try my best to go into this book with an open mind.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Last year, before I came to France, I had finally started reading the Harry Potter books for the first time, but I only managed to get through the first two before I had to pack up and leave for France, and I didn’t exactly have room to bring 5 large books with me in my suitcase, so I put my Harry Potter read on hiatus. Not just Harry Potter, really—I didn’t really mean to, but I ended up putting a lot of things on hold while I was in France, including things like watching movies (I still haven’t seen Endgame or Captain Marvel, for example—please, no spoilers) and, occasionally, reading in general (it’s almost halfway through the year, and I’m nowhere near halfway done with my Goodreads goal this year).
Now that I’m going home, though, I’m hoping I’ll be able to continue making my way through the Harry Potter books, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to get back on track with my reading and pop culture life in general.
Les Fiancés de l’Hiver (English title: A Winter’s Promise) by Christelle Dabos
This is a book that I bought here in France. It’s in French, it’s fantasy, it’s YA, and although my semester here has taught me so many amazing things and made me feel so much stronger and more confident in my French ability, I’m quite sure this book will be hard for me to read. I also think it will be worth it, though, and that’s why I need to start reading it as soon as I possibly can. Otherwise, I know it’ll just sit on my shelf forever, unread, making me feel guilty every time I look at it.
I’m not sure how far I’ll get into this book, but my plan is to take it slow, maybe reading a small section every day, so I might be done with it by the end of the summer, and I might not, but I want to have at least started it before the end of the summer.
Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman
I should have read this book as soon as I bought it. I read Scythe a long time ago, and then I bought Thunderhead with the intention of reading it almost immediately. Then it never happened, and now here we are. I loved Scythe, and I’m certain I will love Thunderhead, too. It needs to happen.
Okay! Those are the top five books I want to read this summer. Let me know down in the comments what books you want to read this summer, or just what your plans are for the summer. I’d love to know!
Thanks so much for reading, and I’ll see you soon.
-Ariel