What I Plan To Read For Summer 2018

We just wrapped up our second year of homeschool and are officially on Summer Break!  🎉🎉 This means that I can actually partake in my favorite pastime- reading!  Y’all have no idea how much I’ve missed reading.  I started the year off on a roll but then I had to put reading to the side to help my daughter get her life because she was letting her grades slack.  Her brother, on the other hand, was killing it and really knocked it out the park with how much he improved in reading. 

Needless to say, besides my Bible and two ARCs, I didn’t read much in May.  However, that’s all about to change.  I’ve signed us up for two summer reading programs and we’ve already hit up the library to stock up on our first round of summer reads.   Below is a look at some of the books I’m hoping to get read over the next 3 months.   

A few are rereads or books I didn’t get around to finishing.  And if you see any that you’d be interested in buddy reading, let me know.  I’m always down for a buddy read and having someone to discuss books with.  Also, in the spirit of full disclosure, the buy links in this post are commission links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase using one of them. 

Half & Half |  This is my first read from Grey Huffington.  I stumbled across her on Instagram and decided to check out one of her books.  Half & Half was the one that caught my eye.  It’s a short story/novella about a young woman named Heartleigh who has fallen on hard times and is desperately trying to find her way back to better ones.  When she gives Levee Billion her last $5 to pay for his coffee order, he leaves her his number with instructions to call if ever she is in need.

It’s not long before she cashes in on his offer and sparks start to fly between the two.  I started this book this morning and plan on finishing it tonight, but I’m loving it so far.  It’s a quick read and definitely a story that you’ll want to complete in one sitting.

Guarding His Heart |  I read Synthia’s A New York Kind of Love a while back and loved it.  Then when I found out that she was fellow Carolina girl, I just knew I had to keep supporting her work.  I really enjoy her writing style and how she incorporates a bit of South Carolina into her books.  Anyways, she recently sent me an ARC of her upcoming release and I can’t wait to get into it.

It’s a story about a basketball player (Kevin) who falls for a celebrity photographer (Jasmin).  The only issue is that Jasmin isn’t sure if she really wants to get involved with Kevin.  After all, we all know the stereotypes and issues that come with being the significant other of an athlete.  And Jasmin isn’t quite sure if she’s up for all of that drama.  I’m anxious to see how Kevin will win her over.

Tower of Dawn |  If you are a lover of Sarah J. Maas, chances are you’ve read or are currently reading her Throne of Glass series.  This is Chaol’s story during the time when Aelin is off in her homeland doing her thing.   Chaol gets a lot of hate and honestly, I’m not all that sure he really deserves half the hate he gets from fans of this series.

Sure he made some mistakes but so have a lot of the characters in this series.  I started this book a while back but then got sidetracked by another book and had to return it my library.  Now that the popularity has worn off, I’ve checked it out for the next 4 weeks and can’t wait to finally finish Chaol’s story.  While I do like Chaol, initially I wasn’t sure there was going to much to this book because the Throne of Glass series just wouldn’t be what it is without Aelin and so I wasn’t sure if this book was going to be any good.  I have to admit that it’s better than I expected and it’s nice to get to know Chaol without Aelin. 

Stalking Jack The Ripper |  Okay, I don’t want to sound weird, but I was obsessed with Jack the Ripper as a kid.  I just found it fascinating (and strange) how this serial killer managed to elude police for years.  I’ve always felt like someone knew who he was and was just keeping his identity a secret because they were actually helping him with the murders.  At one point, I wanted to become an investigator and try to crack the case myself. 

Obviously, I didn’t become an investigator and I haven’t uncovered Jack the Ripper’s secret identity either.  Nevertheless, the interest is still there and I’m still a sucker for reading fictional stories inspired by him.  It’s always interesting to see what kind of spin authors will put on their version of his story.  I’m still looking forward to the day when someone will for sure unmask who he was and I can find out if my hunch of there being two killers is right.

Remembering Whitney |  Also, when I was a kid, I wanted to be Whitney Houston.  I loved her music and you could frequently find me in my room singing her songs to the top of my lungs.  And don’t even get me started on The Bodyguard.  I’ve seen that a movie so many times and can’t wait until my kids are old enough to watch it.

When Whitney Houston passed, I cried like a baby in my bathroom.  Although I didn’t know her personally, her music made me feel like I did.  Her passing cut me deep and honestly shocked me because it seemed like she was finally on the up and up.  So, I’m really looking forward to reading about her life from her mother’s perspective and maybe learning something new about her.

Song of Blood & Stone |  Can we talk about how beautiful this cover is?!!  It’s absolutely stunning.  Come thru Black Girl Magic!!  I know we shouldn’t judge books based on their covers, but I knew I had to read this one based on the cover alone.

This book about an orphaned girl named Jasminda.  She’s been isolated because of her Earthsong powers until one some soldiers show up at her door with an injured spy named Jack.  Together Jasminda and Jack (J&J, isn’t that cute?!) have to work together to save two nations from utter ruin.

There’s also some sort of mystery involved.  I’m hooked already y’all.  This story sounds like it’s about to blow my socks off and I’m here for it!

Dark Witch |  Listen, it’s been ages since I’ve read a Nora Roberts novel.  In fact, the last thing I read from her was The Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy.  I’m not sure why I stopped reading her books, but I’m anxious to dive back in.

I don’t much about this book except that it has to do with a woman who goes to Ireland and she finds out that comes from a family of witches.  Honestly, once I found out that this book was going to be set in Ireland, I was pretty much down to read it.  I love books that are set in foreign countries.  

Also, it’s been a while since I’ve read an adult paranormal book.  I can’t wait to dive back into that genre.  I’m hoping that I really enjoy this first book so that I can continue on with the series.

The Magnolia Story |  I’m not afraid to admit that I love me some Chip and Joanna Gaines.  It’s hard not to.  They’re the cutest couple and the way they’ve built their Magnolia empire is pretty inspiring and amazing.  Let’s not forget they did it all while having four kids and baby #5 is on the way.

Honestly, I always saw myself having their kind of lifestyle once I settled down and had kids.  We did move into a live-in fixer upper last year and I’m currently on the hunt for my future dream farm.  So I guess that we’re almost there give or take a few kids.

Another thing that I love about them is how open they are about their faith and how they’ve managed to successfully incorporate it into their Magnolia brand.  I’m so excited to delve deeper into their story and see what gems I can learn from them.

Crazy Rich Asians |  The movie for this book is coming out on August 15th and I want to reread this book before then.  It’s a story about a woman who finds out her boyfriend is pretty much the Prince Harry of China.  She knew he was well-todo, but it’s not until they go back to his home in Singapore for his best friend’s wedding that she finds out he’s been really downplaying how wealthy his family really is.

This book was a big hit when it came out and I’m hoping the same will be true for the movie.  Also, hope the movie opens up the door for more Asian representation in mainstream media.  Asian struggle with representation when it comes to mainstream media just as much as Blacks do.  The world is a melting pot.  We all deserve to be able to see ourselves and our cultures represented equally.

Anyways, from what I can remember this book was super funny with loads of drama and some “That’s right, girl” moments thrown into the mix.  Hopefully rereading the first book will also inspire me to finish up this series since it is a trilogy.

An Honorable Seduction |  When it comes to Black romance, Brenda Jackson is one of the stable authors.  It’s really hard to go wrong with one of her books.  And her Westmoreland series is definitely a crowd favorite.

Therefore, I’m definitely going carve out some time to read the latest addition to that series.  Also, this book is military romance.  And I’m a sucker for military romances.  This book about Seal David Holloway and his mission to pretty much talk up and get close to the gorgeous Swan Johnson.

I’m curious to find out why Swan Johnson has drawn the attention of the US government and how she will react once she discovers part of David’s act was for his job.

So these aren’t all the books I want to read this summer these my must-reads that I want to get to.  I’m thinking about sharing what I’m reading every week in my Friday Five Currently posts and then doing one big recap at the end of the month to talk about what books I’ve crossed off my Summer TBR.  

What books are on your Summer TBR?