Amazon has come out with its latest batch of editors' picks for summer beach reads.
As usual, the books span genres, from military crime thrillers to a poignant story of two teens with cancer falling in love. There’s truly something for everyone on this list.
You won't be able to put these books down.
“All Fall Down: A Novel” by Jennifer Weiner: A poignant story that follows an ordinary woman who sinks into addiction, Allison struggles to be a wife, mother, and daughter while her dependence on prescription pills worsens beyond her control.
“And the Mountains Echoed” by Khaled Hosseini: From the author of "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns" comes the tale of an Afghanistan family torn apart. After a father sells his daughter, she and her brother struggle for half a century to reunite across Kabul, Paris, San Francisco, and Greece.
“I Am Pilgrim: A Thriller” by Terry Hayes: This book tells the story of a former head of a secret U.S. government organization trying to stop a terrorist attack that is only all-too-believable in this day in age. It races across Paris, Switzerland, Afghanistan, Syria, and Turkey for a twisting, smart, and nail-biting chase.
“Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery” by Robert Kolker: The true-life search for a serial killer that targeted call girls on Long Island, this book explores the unsolved murders, the underbelly of the Internet, and gives empathetic and detailed portraits of the victims based on hundreds of hours of interviews with their family and friends.
“My Salinger Year” by Joanna Rakoff: Rakoff’s beautifully written memoir recounts her post-graduate year in the late ‘90s working at a literary agency in New York that represented J.D. Salinger. After she starts responding to the author’s fan mail, she finds herself being drawn more into their devotion and discovers her own artistic voice by acting as Salinger’s.
“One Plus One: A Novel” by Jojo Moyes: Jess is a single parent struggling to take care of her 10-year-old daughter and her teenage stepson. But on their way to a Math Olympiad that could change her daughter’s future, Jess’s car breaks down. After a chance meeting, she is forced to rely on Ed, an ex-software engineer who has been accused of insider trading, to take them the rest of the way.
“One Summer: America, 1927” by Bill Bryson: 1927 was the year of Charles Lindbergh crossing the Atlantic, the beginnings of Babe Ruth’s home run record, a sensational murder trial, a massive flood, and Al Capone tightening his grip on the illegal booze trade. This book captures the personalities and events of 1927.
“The Blessings” by Elise Juska: The Blessings are a close-knit Irish Catholic family living in Philadelphia. Told from the perspectives of multiple family members, readers jump back and forth through the four generations of the extended family after the tragic death of one of its members rocks the large clan to its core.
“The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green: 16-year-old Hazel Grace Lancaster is a three-year stage IV-cancer survivor. When she meets Augustus Waters in a cancer survivor support group, her perspective on life and all that she can accomplish changes dramatically. Prepare to laugh and cry as you read this bittersweet novel about their falling in love.
“The Lowland (Vintage Contemporaries)” by Jhumpa Lahiri: Two brothers living in Calcutta could not be more different: Udayan is idealistic and involved in India’s 1960s rebellion, whereas Subhash is cautious, reliable, and serious. But when Udayan dies due to political violence, Subhash steps in and marries his dead brother’s pregnant wife — an act that will reverberate through the family for the next 70 years.
"The Matchmaker” by Elin Hilderbrand: 48-year-old Dabney Kimball Beech is a matchmaker who has never been wrong about romance, except when it comes to herself. When reporter Clendenin Hughes returns to Nantucket after 27 years away, Dabney is forced to share some painful secrets with her husband and daughter, and try to find the perfect match for the ones she loves.
“The One & Only: A Novel” by Emily Giffin: Shea Rigsby loves football, and her career at a sports writer. But after the unexpected death of someone close to her, she starts questioning everything about her job, boyfriend, and friendships — even falling for an unexpected father figure in the process.
“The Queen of the Tearling: A Novel” by Erika Johansen: 19-year-old Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn sets out with her Queen’s Guard back to the castle of her birth to ascend the throne with the Tearling sapphire — a jewel of magical power. Though she is not alone in vying for the throne of Tearling, she must reclaim the kingdom to bring an end to the Red Queen’s dark magic and a vicious slave trade.
“The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra” by Helen Rappaport: Perhaps the most photographed and talked about young royals of the 20th century, the Romanov sisters — Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia — had a tragic end in a basement at Ekaterinburg in 1918. This book looks at their diaries and letters to capture their young lives against the backdrop of Imperial Russia.
“The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair: A Novel” by Joël Dicker: Trying to save his career as an author, Marcus Goldman visits his literary hero Harry Quebert. But when the corpse of a girl who disappeared 33 years ago is discovered on Quebert’s property, he becomes the prime suspect in her murder. Goldman tasks himself with discovering what really happened that fateful summer of 1975.
“The Vacationers: A Novel” by Emma Straub: A two-week family vacation to Mallorca, Spain promises tapas and relaxation. Instead, the dysfunctional Post family and their friends bring along their secrets — all of which come to a head over the course of 14 days.
“Top Secret Twenty-One: A Stephanie Plum Novel” by Janet Evanovich: The next installment of the Stephanie Plum series, Plum is struggling to bring in a used-car dealer after he jumps bail, but bodies are mysteriously piling up in his wake. To make matters worse, her friend (sometimes with benefits) Ranger is the target of an assassination plot.
“War of the Whales: A True Story” by J. Horwitz: A real-life thriller, this is the story of the legal drama that waged between the U.S. military and two activists who stood up to the U.S. Navy's use of a submarine detection system that flooded the ocean basins with high-intensity sound, driving whales in masses onto beaches. It’s a gripping story of the struggle between American national security and safeguarding our environment.
“We Were Liars” by E. Lockhart: Cadence Sinclair Easton is a part of an old-money family that spends every summer on a private island off of Cape Cod. But after Cadence mysteriously washes up on shore with amnesia, she spends the next two years and the course of the book trying to piece together what happened to her, her cousins, and her family. Even the most jaded readers will be shocked by the ending.
“Written in My Own Heart's Blood: A Novel” by Diana Gabaldon: A new installment in the Outlander series, the novel jumps back and forth between 1778 and twentieth-century Scotland. Kidnappings, war, and family secrets rage on as the Fraser family struggles to pull itself back together.
To see additional Amazon picks for summer reading, click here.
SEE ALSO: Even More New Books You Need To Read This Summer
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