In Ep. 195, Susie (@NovelVisits) and Sarah are back to share their favorite books that missed last year’s Summer Reading Guide and our #1 picks for each category featured in my 2025 Summer Reading Guide. Plus, they begin by sharing how their summer reading habits have evolved over the years.

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CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.

Once again, we are happy to offer a Printable Cheatsheet for this year’s Guide:

• Get the Cheatsheet from Patreon
• Get the Cheatsheet from Substack

Summer Reading [7:42] The Evolution of Our Summer Reading Journeys [8:41]

Books Mentioned by Susie

• London by Edward Rutherfurd (1997) [15:09]
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (2005) [16:09]
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008) [16:12]
• Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (2005) [16:15]
• Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (2009) [16:31]
• The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (2013) [16:32]
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King (2011) [16:34]

Books Mentioned by Sarah

• Jaws by Peter Benchley (1974) [17:57]
• The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (1943) [21:02]
• Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (1957) [21:03]
• Fall of Giants by Ken Follett (2010) [21:06]

Books That Missed Last Year’s Summer Reading Guide [24:23]

Sarah

• JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography by RoseMarie Terenzio and Liz McNeil (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [24:27] 
• Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [29:08]
• Hunted by Abir Mukherjee (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [35:51]

Susie

• The Most by Jessica Anthony (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [27:10] 
• The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [31:52]
• Blue Light Hours by Bruna Dantas Lobato (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:01]

Other Books Mentioned

• The Measure by Nikki Erlick (2022) [30:13]

Our #1 Summer Picks by Category  [40:37]

Something Light / Fun

• Sarah: The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [41:23] 
• Susie: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [45:36] 
• Other Books Mentioned
  • Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett (2022) [41:35]

Something Fast-Paced / Intense

• Sarah: Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [50:27] 

Slow-Burn Suspense

• Susie: The Death of Us by Abigail Dean (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [52:40] 

Something With a Bit More Substance

• Sarah: Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [55:54] 
• Susie: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [58:46] 
• Other Books Mentioned
  • Dream State by Eric Puchner (2025) [1:00:00]

Something Different

• Sarah: Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [1:01:33] 
• Susie: Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [1:03:47] 
• Other Books Mentioned
  • Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (2005) [1:02:59]
  • Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2019) [1:06:24]