From a good spy to a "bad" girl, from World War II France to the dodgy, present-day suburbs of Las Vegas, 2014's recommended summer reading list reaches wide and deep. Staffers at Houston's high-profile independent bookstores - Blue Willow Bookshop, Brazos Bookstore and Murder By The Book - weighed in on new novels, thrillers, mysteries, nonfiction and books for teens and younger readers. I added a few titles, too, because I'm partial to dads (see No. 3) and because it's not every day you get to explore a Norwegian childhood in such painstaking detail (see No. 11).
The grand total is 21 books, with just one overlap: "The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair," by Joël Dicker, recommended by Brazos Bookstore and Murder By The Book. Titles are listed in alphabetical order, with the bookstore's initials in parentheses. Happy reading!
![]()
1. "All the Light We Cannot See," by Anthony Doerr (Scribner). This exquisite World War II novel combines the story of a young French woman in German-occupied Saint-Malo, France, and a German soldier whose particular talent has brought him to the same town. Their stories will grip you from the first page. (BWB)
![]()
2. "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics," by Daniel James Brown (Penguin). A rousing underdog story and terrific historical account of the infamous 1936 Olympiad that will have you cheering as you read. Now out in paperback. (BB)
![]()
3. "Do Fathers Matter? What Science Is Telling Us About the Parent We've Overlooked," by Paul Raeburn (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Just in time for Father's Day, Raeburn gathers the most recent research about fathers - social, genetic, psychological, socio-economic, etc. - and weaves it into a personal story about how dads connect with their kids. (Bookish)
![]()
4. "The Fever," by Megan Abbott (Little, Brown and Co.; to be released June 17). After one teenage girl in a small town has a seizure in school, other girls start to get sick. Terrified parents, teachers and students scramble for answers. (MBTB)
![]()
5. "Flying Shoes," by Lisa Howorth (Bloomsbury, June 17). Based on a real childhood tragedy involving the author's stepbrother, this debut novel is rich with wonderful voices and a compelling narrative. Thirty years after a horrible crime, a reporter forces a reluctant woman to confront her family. (BWB)
Also included in the list are: "The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames," by Kai Bird; "The Great Greene Heist," by Varian Johnson; "I Am Pilgrim," by Terry Hayes; "Lost for Words," by Edward St. Aubyn; "Mister Bud Wears the Cone," by Carter Good-rich; "My Struggle, Book 3," by Karl Ove Knausgaard; "One Plus One," by Jojo Moyes; "Precious Thing," by Colette McBeth; "Steal the North," by Heather Brittain Bergstrom; "The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry," by Gabrielle Zevin; "Those Who Wish Me Dead," by Michael Koryta; "The Truth About Alice," by Jennifer Mathieu; "The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair," by Joël Dicker; "We Were Liars," by E. Lockhart; "The Art of Secrets," by James Klise; "We Are Called to Rise," by Laura McBride
the rest at the source
What are you reading/planning to read this summer, ONTD?
The grand total is 21 books, with just one overlap: "The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair," by Joël Dicker, recommended by Brazos Bookstore and Murder By The Book. Titles are listed in alphabetical order, with the bookstore's initials in parentheses. Happy reading!
1. "All the Light We Cannot See," by Anthony Doerr (Scribner). This exquisite World War II novel combines the story of a young French woman in German-occupied Saint-Malo, France, and a German soldier whose particular talent has brought him to the same town. Their stories will grip you from the first page. (BWB)
2. "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics," by Daniel James Brown (Penguin). A rousing underdog story and terrific historical account of the infamous 1936 Olympiad that will have you cheering as you read. Now out in paperback. (BB)
3. "Do Fathers Matter? What Science Is Telling Us About the Parent We've Overlooked," by Paul Raeburn (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Just in time for Father's Day, Raeburn gathers the most recent research about fathers - social, genetic, psychological, socio-economic, etc. - and weaves it into a personal story about how dads connect with their kids. (Bookish)
4. "The Fever," by Megan Abbott (Little, Brown and Co.; to be released June 17). After one teenage girl in a small town has a seizure in school, other girls start to get sick. Terrified parents, teachers and students scramble for answers. (MBTB)
5. "Flying Shoes," by Lisa Howorth (Bloomsbury, June 17). Based on a real childhood tragedy involving the author's stepbrother, this debut novel is rich with wonderful voices and a compelling narrative. Thirty years after a horrible crime, a reporter forces a reluctant woman to confront her family. (BWB)
Also included in the list are: "The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames," by Kai Bird; "The Great Greene Heist," by Varian Johnson; "I Am Pilgrim," by Terry Hayes; "Lost for Words," by Edward St. Aubyn; "Mister Bud Wears the Cone," by Carter Good-rich; "My Struggle, Book 3," by Karl Ove Knausgaard; "One Plus One," by Jojo Moyes; "Precious Thing," by Colette McBeth; "Steal the North," by Heather Brittain Bergstrom; "The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry," by Gabrielle Zevin; "Those Who Wish Me Dead," by Michael Koryta; "The Truth About Alice," by Jennifer Mathieu; "The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair," by Joël Dicker; "We Were Liars," by E. Lockhart; "The Art of Secrets," by James Klise; "We Are Called to Rise," by Laura McBride
the rest at the source
What are you reading/planning to read this summer, ONTD?