Books I Want To Read This Summer – my summer tbr!

Where There’s A Whisk by Sarah J. Schmitt

I picked this up from my library over Winter Break, but didn’t have time to read it during the holidays. However, it sounded like a fun story, so I’m excited to go back and check it out again. I love watching cooking shows – honestly, that’s how I survived this last semester at uni. I watched a ton of Nadiya Bakes, Chopped, and Is It Cake? to keep the cortisol at bay. So, yeah, this is hopefully right up my alley.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novak

My philosophy professor recommended this book because he likes the magic system and the writing style. He also said it was very memorable. Lucky for me, I have a copy on my shelf (signed and everything!). My sister borrowed it and read it last year, and said she really enjoyed it, but…sigh, excuses incoming…I still haven’t gotten around to reading it. I have to be in the right mood to read fantasy – anyone else the same way?

Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau

Ballet. France. Love And Gelato-esque. Sounds like a good read!

Curses by Lish McBride

Another fairytale retelling that I’ve been meaning to read. After loving Brigid Kemmerer’s A Curse So Dark And Lonely, this Beauty and the Beast retelling sounds super intriguing! I have a lovely hardcover copy sitting on my shelf, and I intend to read it this Summer. And who knows? Maybe I’ll finish the Cursebreakers series as well.

Please Don’t Hug Me by Kay Kerr

This is an own-voices novel about an autistic girl and being yourself. I haven’t read a good story featuring an autistic character since CG Drews’ The Boy Who Steals Houses, which is also own-voices (highly recommend her stories!), so I have high hopes for this one. Especially since it’s own-voices. 9 times out of 10, that means the story is going to be a good one because the author has first-hand experience, and I’m all here for accuracy and proper representation!

The Republic by Plato

My ethics professor said this is the top book he recommends to read before you die. He got me into Dostoevsky, so we’ll see if this one holds my interest too. I haven’t really read much philosophy outside of classes at uni…I’m prepared to have my mind turned into Jell-O by the end of it.

1984 by George Orwell

Another recommendation from my ethics professor. My philosophy professor also mentioned it multiple times over the semester, so I guess it’s a sign that I should read it. I watched the film adaptation from the 1950s once, but I’ve never read the actual book. We’ll see if it is indeed better than the movie, as most books usually are.

Song of Summer by Laura Lee Anderson

Alright, back to the land of low-intensity novels. This one has mixed reviews on Goodreads, but I want to give it a go for myself. What caught my eye is the deaf main character (I don’t know if he is culturally Deaf or not, so I’ll just stick with a lowercase d for now). I feel like there aren’t enough books featuring deaf/Deaf characters in YA fiction, so it’s always exciting to come across one. Plus, this book is set in Summer – perfect time to read it, right?

Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim

I absolutely adored Roselle Lim’s debut novel, Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune, but picking this one up has taken forever. Perhaps I’m a bit scared it won’t live up to the first one, even though I really do believe it will be just as wonderful and magical? I have fond memories of reading Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune – I’d just moved to a new city, and reading such a good book was comforting.