Books I Aspire to Read in Summer 2024

Penned byHannah
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I may have technically failed my end of 2023 TBR (at least compared to other TBR lists I’ve made before, where I read at least 3 or more), but that does not mean I won’t try to be successful this summer since I have more free time on my hands currently.

I’m also going to be linking this post to this week’s Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader!

What I Hope to Read During the Summer

I’m a mood reader, but my goal is to read at least two books on this list. I think this number gives me flexibility to read where my mind takes me, but it also gives me a sense of accomplishment.

Never a Hero by Vanessa Len

never a hero vanessa len

This sequel to the contemporary fantasy Only a Monster will take Joan deeper into the monster world, where treacherous secrets and even more danger await.

Despite all of the odds, Joan achieved the impossible. She reset the timeline, saved her family – and destroyed the hero, Nick.

But her success has come at a terrible cost.

She alone remembers what happened. Now, Aaron, her hard-won friend – and maybe more – is an enemy, trying to kill her. And Nick, the boy she loved, is a stranger who doesn’t even know her name. Only Joan remembers that there is a ruthless and dangerous enemy still out there.

When a deadly attack forces Joan back into the monster world as a fugitive, she finds herself on the run with Nick – as Aaron closes in.

As the danger rises – and Nick gets perilously closer to discovering the truth of what Joan did to him – Joan discovers a secret of her own. One that threatens everyone she loves.

Torn between love and family and monstrous choices, Joan must find a way to re-gather her old allies to face down the deadliest of enemies, and to save the timeline itself.

Vanessa Len’s stunning Only a Monster trilogy continues with this second installment, a thrilling journey where a secret past threatens to unravel everyone’s future.

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I just finished Only a Monster (which has been on my past list I don’t know how many times), so the book is still fresh in my mind. I figured this summer would be the perfect opportunity to dive right into the sequel before I forgot about it completely.

(Or it ends up in a never-ending cycle of “I will read this next time” purgatory.)

RELATED: Never a Hero review

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

the last graduate naomi novik

The specter of graduation looms large as Naomi Novik’s trilogy continues in the sequel to A Deadly Education.

In Wisdom, Shelter. That’s the official motto of the Scholomance. I suppose you could even argue that it’s true—only the wisdom is hard to come by, so the shelter’s rather scant.

Our beloved school does its best to devour all its students—but now that I’ve reached my senior year and have actually won myself a handful of allies, it’s suddenly developed a very particular craving for me. And even if I somehow make it through the endless waves of maleficaria that it keeps throwing at me in between grueling homework assignments, I haven’t any idea how my allies and I are going to make it through the graduation hall alive.

Unless, of course, I finally accept my foretold destiny of dark sorcery and destruction. That would certainly let me sail straight out of here. The course of wisdom, surely.

But I’m not giving in—not to the mals, not to fate, and especially not to the Scholomance. I’m going to get myself and my friends out of this hideous place for good—even if it’s the last thing I do.

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I struggled with A Deadly Education a little, but I enjoyed it overall and wanted to read the sequel so many times since I read it. I just wasn’t feeling it though, and I figured I would be better off if I held off on reading it.

RELATED: The Last Graduate review

It’s Boba Time for Pearl Li! by Nicole Chen

its boba time for pearl li nicole chen

This middle grade contemporary follows a big-hearted Taiwanese American girl as she aims to gain her family’s acceptance and save her favorite boba tea shop by selling her handcrafted amigurumi dolls.

Pearl Li is ready to spend the summer before seventh grade hanging out with her two best friends, crocheting the cutest amigurumi dolls, and visiting her favorite tea shop, Boba Time. Its quirky owner, Auntie Cha, is the only adult Pearl can confide in about her art—if only her tech-obsessed family would understand her love of crafts!

After Pearl learns of Boba Time’s financial troubles, she decides to sell her amigurumi to raise money for the shop. But as she navigates the ups and downs of running a business, Pearl realizes that monetizing her passion is more complicated than she could’ve ever imagined. Can Pearl save Boba Time before it’s too late?

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I would not have known about this book’s existence without Sumedha reading it in April. Or maybe I would, but it would be much later, because as much as I try to keep with recent releases, I also haven’t been good at it for the past year or so.

But a book! About boba tea! How dare none of my friends tell me about this earlier…

(I wouldn’t drink it everyday, but I love boba and my boba plushie is definitely a favorite.)

Snowglobe by Soyoung Park (translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort)

snowglobe soyoung park

In a world of constant winter, only the citizens of the climate-controlled city of Snowglobe can escape the bitter cold—but this perfect society is hiding dark and dangerous secrets within its frozen heart.

Enclosed under a vast dome, Snowglobe is the last place on Earth that’s warm. Outside Snowglobe is a frozen wasteland, and every day, citizens face the icy world to get to their jobs at the power plant, where they produce the energy Snowglobe needs. Their only solace comes in the form of twenty-four-hour television programming streamed directly from the domed city.

The residents of Snowglobe have fame, fortune, and above all, safety from the desolation outside their walls. In exchange, their lives are broadcast to the less fortunate outside, who watch eagerly, hoping for the chance to one day become actors themselves.

Chobahm lives for the time she spends watching the shows produced inside Snowglobe. Her favorite? Goh Around, starring Goh Haeri, Snowglobe’s biggest star—and, it turns out, the key to getting Chobahm her dream life.

Because Haeri is dead, and Chobahm has been chosen to take her place. Only, life inside Snowglobe is nothing like what you see on television. Reality is a lie, and truth seems to be forever out of reach.

Translated for the first time into English from the original Korean.

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I saw this a few times while running errands and getting groceries, and the stunning cover immediately captured my attention*. Also, the fact I rarely see a translated novel around at my local bookstore and I’ve been wanting to read more translated novels.

*There’s also a special first edition hardcover that features two different covers? I feel like that might have been the one I came across.

Snowglobe reminds me a little of #MurderTrending with televised lives only without the murder, and if it were adapted into a K-drama, I’d definitely watch it.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

funny story emily henry

A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

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I wouldn’t auto-buy Emily Henry’s books and wouldn’t consider her to be a favorite author, but I’ve enjoyed most of her works overall and have a good time reading them. If I want a fluffy romance book with a guaranteed happily ever after, she’s one author I look at (and so does everyone else).

But Funny Story sounds absolutely chaotic, and I feel like this could be my favorite Emily Henry book.

(I checked my library on Libby, and it’s super likely I won’t even get to this book by the end of the summer because that holds list is long. But we’ll see!)

RELATED: Funny Story review

Children of Ragnarok by Cinda Williams Chima

children-of-ragnarok-cinda-williams-chima

Sweeping adventure, breathtaking twists of fate, and immersive worlds based in Norse mythology are woven into this first volume of the Runestone Saga, from the New York Times bestselling author of the Seven Realms and Shattered Realms series.

Ever since Ragnarok—the great war between the gods and the forces of chaos–the human realm of the Midlands has become a dangerous place, bereft of magic, where most lead lives of desperation.

Sixteen-year-old Eiric Halvorsen is among the luckier ones. Between fishing, going vikingr, and working his modir’s farm, the family has remained prosperous. But Eiric stands to lose everything when he’s convicted by a rigged jury of murdering his modir and stepfadir. Also at risk is his half-systir, Liv, whose interest in seidr, or magic, has made her a figure of suspicion. Then a powerful jarl steps in: He will pay the blood price if Eiric will lead a mission to the fabled Temple at the Grove—the rich stronghold of the wyrdspinners, the last practitioners of sorcery.

Spellsinger, musician, and runecaster Reggin Eiklund has spent her life traveling from town to town, performing at alehouses all for the benefit of her master, Asger, the fire demon she is desperate to escape. Then after one performance that amazes even Reggin herself, two wyrdspinners in the audience make her an irresistible offer: return with them to the temple to be trained in seidr, forever free of Asger.

Eiric, Liv, and Reggin’s journeys converge in New Jotunheim, the site of the Temple at the Grove, a paradise fueled by magic. They soon realize that a great evil lurks beneath the dazzling surface, and that old betrayals and long-held grudges may fuel another cataclysmic war. It will require every gift and weapon at their command to prevent it.

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Left Bank Books
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I took the longest time to decide the final book on my summer TBR list and whether I should choose a new book or pick a book from a previous list, but I ultimately chose one book from my 2023 end-of-year list instead.

One of my 2024 goals is to read at least 1-2 old ARCs/review copies, so I figured putting one book on my list would hopefully accomplish that goal (because I have not touched a single book).

Let’s talk!

This is such a small list compared to my previous ones (I usually go for 9-12 books), but I’m not trying to shoot too far since I’m trying to take it easy on myself this year, especially given how it’s gone so far.

Have you read any of these books? If so, tell me your thoughts and whether I should run away from the book to avoid disappointment! Also, what books are you hoping to read this summer (or winter, for those in the southern hemisphere)?

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Hannah has a penchant for chaos, which is probably how she ended up blogging since 2012. That, and she was probably too expressive for her parents to handle, so it had to go somewhere. She can be found occasionally at The Arts STL. If you’d like to fuel her boba addiction or just enjoy her posts and want to support her, stop by her KoFi or Buy Me a Coffee!

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17 Comments

  3. I really enjoyed the Scholomance books and I think I rated the second one higher than the first. Funny Story is my second favourite Emily Henry book, I thought Miles was adorable.

    1. I just finished Funny Story and it’s got to be my favorite Emily Henry book! Agreed Miles is adorable (also loved his sister Julia).

  6. As a mood reader, I commiserate, lol. But all of these titles look great! I’ve heard a lot of great things about Henry’s book and I hope you enjoy it and whichever of these books you get to reading this summer 🙂

    1. Thank you! I’ve also heard a lot of good things about Funny Story and actually just finished it earlier today — it didn’t disappoint for sure! It’s probably my favorite Emily Henry book.

  7. I keep almost picking up Children of Ragnarok but never getting around to it!
    I’ve not heard of some of these, but they sound good!

  11. I have loved Emily Henry since The Love That Split the World, and she continues to dazzle me with her adult books. I hope you adore Funny Story.

  13. So many books here on my TBR as well, though for the sequels you mentioned (Never a Hero and The Last Graduate), I have yet to read the first books. 🫣 I’ve also been seeing Snowglobe around a lot! Reviews haven’t been the most positive I’ve seen, but I’m super curious and I’m lowkey wanting to go back to my dystopian era!

    1. I’ve also been seeing pretty mixed reviews about Snowglobe, but I feel like partially it might be translation so wording and sentence structure might feel different or even awkward (plus maybe culturally as well because dystopian novels set in the US is probably going to be different set elsewhere in the world).

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