In Episode 83, Susie Boutry (@NovelVisits) and I share our favorite books that missed last year’s Summer Reading Guides, books for people who have time to dig into something big in the summer, and our #1 picks for the four of the five categories featured in Sarah’s 2021 Summer Reading Guide.

This post contains affiliate links (plus: here’s your Amazon Smile-specific affiliate link), through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).

Our Summer Reading Guides

• Sarah’s 2021 Summer Reading Guide

Books That Missed Last Year’s Summer Reading Guides [4:12]

Sarah

• Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [4:17]
• Catch & Kill by Ronan Farrow | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [7:45]
• This is My America by Kim Johnson | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [12:40]

Susie

• Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [6:08]
• Sea Wife by Amity Gaige (My Review) | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [9:52]
• A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost (My Review) | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [14:33]

Books For People Who Have More Time to Dig Into Something Big in Summer (i.e. “Teacher Books”) [17:36]

Sarah

• Wanderers by Chuck Wendig (My Review) | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [18:08]
• Natchez Burning by Greg Isles (My Review) | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [24:29]
• The Ensembleby Aja Gabel (My Review) | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [32:08]

Susie

• Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes| Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [22:56]
• Jerusalem Maiden by Talia Carner | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [28:37]
• Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [35:12]

Our #1 Picks for Each Summer Reading Guide Category [37:56]

Something Light / Fun

• Sarah: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (June 1) | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [38:29]
• Susie: Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau (Susie’s Review) | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [40:14]

Something Intense / Fast-Paced

• Sarah: When the Stars Go Darkby Paula McLain (April 13) | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookhshop.org [42:41]
• Susie: The Pushby Ashley Audrain (My Review) | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookhshop.org [43:49]

Something with a Bit More Substance

• Sarah: The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton | Buy from Amazon| Buy from Bookhshop.org [45:07]
• Susie: Landslide by Susan Conley | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookhshop.org [47:30]

Something Different

• Sarah: Smacked by Eilene Zimmerman | Buy from Amazon| Buy from Bookhshop.org [49:31]
• Susie: When I Ran Away by Ilona Bannister | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookhshop.org [51:27]

Other Books Mentioned

• One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston | Buy from Amazon [5:48] 
• She Saidby Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [7:56] 
• A Knock at Midnight by Brittany K. Barnett | Buy from Amazon [14:00]
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King | Buy from Amazon [17:38]
• The Three by Sarah Lotz (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [20:05] 
• The Wanderers by Meg Howrey (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [21:29]
• The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [22:53] 
• The Bone Tree by Greg Isles (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [24:49] 
• Mississippi Blood by Greg Isles | Buy from Amazon [24:49] 
• The Deepest South of All by Richard Grant | Buy from Amazon [27:21] 
• The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [34:16] 
• Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [46:06]

Other Links

• Spring 2021 Book Preview Podcast
• Podcast Episode 75: Ashley Audrain (Author of The Push)
• Podcast Episode 68: Eilene Zimmerman (Author of Smacked)

About Susie

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Susie has loved reading for as long as she can remember. Some of her fondest childhood memories involve long afternoons at the library and then reading late into the night. More than ten years ago, she began journaling about the books I read and turned that passion into writing about books. Her first forays were as a guest reviewer on a friend’s blog, but she soon realized she wanted to be reviewing and talking about books on a blog of my own. From there, Novel Visits was born. That was in 2016 and, though the learning curve was steep, she loves being a part of the book community. Novel Visits focuses on new novel reviews (print and audio), previews of upcoming releases, and musings on all things bookish.