In Ep. 195, Susie (@NovelVisits) and Sarah are back to share their favorite books that missed last year’s Summer Reading Guide and our #1 picks for each category featured in my 2025 Summer Reading Guide. Plus, they begin by sharing how their summer reading habits have evolved over the years.

This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).

CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.

Once again, we are happy to offer a Printable Cheatsheet for this year’s Guide:

Summer Reading [7:42] The Evolution of Our Summer Reading Journeys [8:41]

Books Mentioned by Susie

London by Edward Rutherfurd (1997) [15:09]
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (2005) [16:09]
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008) [16:12]
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (2005) [16:15]
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (2009) [16:31]
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (2013) [16:32]
11/22/63 by Stephen King (2011) [16:34]

Books Mentioned by Sarah

Jaws by Peter Benchley (1974) [17:57]
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (1943) [21:02]
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (1957) [21:03]
Fall of Giants by Ken Follett (2010) [21:06]

Books That Missed Last Year’s Summer Reading Guide [24:23]

Sarah

JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography by RoseMarie Terenzio and Liz McNeil (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [24:27]
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [29:08]
Hunted by Abir Mukherjee (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [35:51]

Susie

The Most by Jessica Anthony (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [27:10]
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [31:52]
Blue Light Hours by Bruna Dantas Lobato (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:01]

Other Books Mentioned

The Measure by Nikki Erlick (2022) [30:13]

Our #1 Summer Picks by Category [40:37]

Something Light / Fun

Sarah: The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [41:23]
Susie: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:36]
Other Books Mentioned
- Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett (2022) [41:35]

Something Fast-Paced / Intense

Sarah: Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:27]

Slow-Burn Suspense

Susie: The Death of Us by Abigail Dean (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [52:40]

Something With a Bit More Substance

Sarah: Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [55:54]
Susie: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [58:46]
Other Books Mentioned
- Dream State by Eric Puchner (2025) [1:00:00]

Something Different

Sarah: Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:01:33]
Susie: Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:03:47]
Other Books Mentioned
- Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (2005) [1:02:59]
- Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2019) [1:06:24]