As I write this, we’re already more than a week into summer, so I’m assembling my list a bit late but confident I can enjoy these books in the remaining months before school-year craziness ensues. Yes, I, um, may still be working through prior summers’ lists, but goals are supposed to stretch us. Right?
Cole and Laila Are Just Friends by Bethany Turner
Blurb: Cole Kimball and Laila Olivet have been best friends their entire lives. Cole is the only person (apart from blood relatives) who’s seen Laila in her oversized, pink, plastic, Sophia Loren glasses. Laila is always the first person to taste test any new dish Cole creates in his family’s restaurant . . . even though she has the refined palate of a kindergartener. Most importantly, Cole and Laila are always talking. About everything.
When Cole discovers a betrayal from his recently deceased grandfather that shatters his world, staying in Adelaide Springs, Colorado, is suddenly unfathomable. But Laila loves her life in their small mountain town and can’t imagine ever living anywhere else. She loves serving customers who tip her with a dozen fresh eggs. She loves living within walking distance of all her favorite people. And she’s very much not okay with the idea of not being able to walk to her very favorite person.
Still, when Cole toys with moving across the country to New York City, she decides to support her best friend–even as she secretly hopes she can convince him to stay home. And not just for his killer chocolate chip pancakes. Because she loves him. As a friend. Just as a friend. Right?
They make a deal: Laila won’t beg him to stay, and Cole won’t try to convince her to come with him. They have one week in New York before their lives change forever, and all they have to do is enjoy their time together and pretend none of this is happening. But it’s tough to ignore the very inconvenient feelings blooming out of nowhere. In both of them. And these potentially friendship-destroying feelings, once out in the open, have absolutely no take-backs.
Why I want to read it: I kinda hate the cover, but I’ve heard lots of good things about this book. I’ve only read one book by the author, and I didn’t much care for the main character, so I want to give the author another try.
My Summer 2024 Reading List Share on X
The Occult Among Us: Exorcists and Former Occultists Expose the Nature of This Modern Evil by Charles D. Fraune
Blurb: On the heels of the moral and spiritual collapse in the second half of the twentieth century, a new interest in spirituality has emerged and is overwhelming the world. However, this interest is not one which is leading to a resurgence of Christian faith and holiness. It is one in which man is infatuated with spirits, aligned with secret powers, inclined to secret rituals, and in love with superstition.
Far too many Christians today are suffering and bewildered by the spread and appeal of the occult. Priests and parents alike are unsure how to address this temptation and devastation which pursues their children. The Occult Among Us seeks to fill the gap in knowledge and understanding by directly addressing many of these new movements, the dangerous social trends they are creating, and the challenges these present to the universal Church.
In this book, the reader will [learn]:
- [How] technology functions as a highway for the spread of the occult.
- What modern witchcraft and Satanism really believe.
- The common beliefs that bind and motivate all forms of the occult.
- The dangers which even occultists admit are present in these practices.
- The real danger within common practices like the Ouija board, Reiki, and sage smudging … among many other topics.
Like The Rise of the Occult, this second volume is based around the same stories and experiences of sixteen former occultists, eight exorcists, seven parish priests, six Catholic families, and many others who have experienced firsthand the presence and dangers and reality of the modern-day resurgence of the occult. The time has come for all Christians to understand this threat more completely and to learn how they can protect themselves and society as a whole.
Why I want to read it: This isn’t typically my thing, but I heard the author on The Catholic Talk Show, and I think this will be a good research book for me in depicting dabbling in the occult for an upcoming YA novel. I want to be accurate yet careful in how the material is presented.
Walking in Circles by Amy Matayo
Blurb: Emma Lee was four the first time her dad hit her, eight when he left without a word, and nine by the time she’d developed a serious case of Male Trust Issues. So, when her mom moves her from their beloved California city to a small South Carolina town, the last person she wants to get to know is her elderly male neighbor. But the man won’t stop talking to her. And it isn’t like she can avoid him. She passes his house twice a day on her walk to and from school.
Old Will knows a fractured soul when he sees one, and his young new neighbor is certainly that. Emma wears a cautious demeanor like an old sweater, and it tugs at his heartstrings. His late wife would have his hide if he didn’t welcome the girl onto their front porch and treat her like one of their own. And if his grandson Shane happened to come by and meet her…well, that wouldn’t be his fault, would it?
Shane Michaels is the school jock, prom king, all-around popular kid, and miserable. He’s already lost so much in his eighteen years, more than his classmates could ever understand. And he is lonely. So, when Emma moves into the house next to Old Will, Shane makes it his mission to meet her. He invites her on a walk. He joins her on Old Will’s front porch. He asks her to dinner and to prom and eventually spills the secret he’s been keeping for years, the secret only his parents and Old Will know about.
That is, until a tragic accident brings everything into the open and throws their newly formed bond into chaos. A bond Emma hadn’t seen coming until she’d already learned to depend on it. But isn’t that how life works?
Sometimes learning to trust people is only a matter of meeting the right ones.
Why I want to read it: I also don’t like this cover, but I love nearly everything Amy Matayo writes. This one has YA romance, intergenerational friendship, and looks like it tugs at the heartstrings. I’m here for it!
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
Blurb: About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She’ll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace—and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.
And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly’s Dust—and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.
As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can’t control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren’t so clear…
Why I want to read it: The author is local, and I’ve heard much about her and this popular novel. I’ve had it in mind to read for more than a decade, so why not now? I’m not a big fan of fantasy, but I’ll give it a shot.
Rocky Road by Becky Wade
Blurb: FBI Agent Jude Camden handles every aspect of his job with by-the-book professionalism. There’s no reason why his latest assignment—which calls for him to pose as the boyfriend of perfumer Gemma Clare—should be any different.
Except Gemma is different. She’s creative, bold, and feisty. And as soon as she meets Jude, she wants to loosen him up, wrinkle his perfect shirts, and test every ounce of his towering self-control.
The FBI has an iron-clad rule against romances between those working together on operations. Jude’s never met a rule he didn’t respect. But adhering to this one is going to be tough because, as time goes by, he finds Gemma more and more irresistible.
Buckle up! It’s going to be a rocky road.
Why I want to read it: I loved the first book in the Sons of Scandal series, and I’ve been looking forward to this one. I’ve enjoyed so many of Becky Wades contemporary Christian romance novels.
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
Blurb: Kidnapped is a classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1886. The story follows the adventures of young David Balfour as he is kidnapped and taken on a journey of self-discovery. Along the way, he meets a notorious pirate, Alan Breck, and together they face many dangers, including shipwreck and capture by the English. David learns the value of courage, friendship and loyalty as he fights to survive and reclaim his rightful inheritance. With unexpected twists and turns, Kidnapped is a thrilling tale of adventure and self-discovery.
Why I want to read it: I wanted to include a classic, and I’ve been eyeing this one for a long time. Also, pirates. (There are more attractive covers of this novel, but this was the one I could easily download from Goodreads.)
For a Noble Purpose by Kelsey Geitl
Blurb: As a Missouri plantation owner’s daughter, Sarah Walcott has always experienced the best society has to offer, yet her charmed life also carries unexplainable tragedy. She’s been widowed six times, always on her wedding day. When a seventh husband meets the same fate, her parents determine to send her to an asylum, where she can no longer be a burden to them or a danger to society. In desperation, Sarah joins the Larksong wagon train on their way to the West and soon learns that her saviors also harbor extraordinary gifts…ones that may finally bring her the answers she needs.
Anxious to be free from a family legacy he would rather not claim and a slave-built society he doesn’t support, Tobias Lark believes the only way to find his perfect town is to create it himself. Joined by his three brothers, he sets out for the Washington Territory with a collection of carefully curated supporters, all determined to build a new life in the West. When a young plantation widow unexpectedly joins their party, he fears the curse she carries will crack the solid foundation upon which all his plans are built.
With each step along the trail, Tobias and Sarah encounter hardships that test their resilience and threaten the idyllic life they’re searching for. Will they stand together in the face of adversity or is the community of Larksong just another unobtainable fantasy
Why I want to read it: What’s this–a Catholic romance author I have not read? Looking forward to reading this retelling of the biblical couple Sarah and Tobias.
Stories of the Eucharist: A Family Treasury of Saints and Seekers by Heidi Hess Saxton
Blurb: Throughout the Church’s history, holy men and women have found that one of the best and most reliable ways to get close to Jesus is through the Eucharist. By reading and sharing their stories in our families, we can imitate Jesus in a very important way, extending his mercy again and again, that the kingdom of God might shine a little more brightly in the world.
Stories of the Eucharist invites families to celebrate the transforming power of the Eucharist in our lives by exploring Eucharistic miracles and saints who had deep devotion to the Real Presence of Jesus. This book celebrates in word and illustration forty people and events that reveal how Christ has bestowed graces and even miracles on his people through the Eucharist.
As you read these stories from the span of Christian tradition with your family, you will experience in a new way the power of the Eucharist and teach your children to open their hearts to the greatest mystery of our Faith.
Why I want to read it: I received a review copy of this book and am eager to read it. One of my daughters has already been enjoying it. I like the idea of reading several stories at a time.
Past summer reading challenges:
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