Top 5 Tuesday || Summer Reads

We’re teetering on the edge of summer, and it’s time to get those seasonal TBRs ready!

I’ll admit that I’m actually not great at crafting a seasonal TBR. Mostly, I organize my reading based on ARC review deadlines and which books have been sitting on my shelf the longest (or which ones are demanding my attention the loudest). But Shanah @ Bionic Bookworm Blog decided that today’s T5T is for celebrating summer reads, so what do you know?

It’s about to get summery as hell here. Might want to go grab a beach towel and some sunscreen before you start, okay?

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

I feel like this one has made my summer reads list before, but for good reason! The Wicked Deep actually begins on May 31st, and when I first read it, that was the day I picked it up! Since then, it’s held a special place in my heart, both for that coincidence, and for its haunting atmosphere.

It’s a perfect read for foggy summer mornings, before everything starts to warm up!

The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson

If The Wicked Deep is good for foggy mornings, The Storm Crow is perfect for those afternoon storms that shake the roof with thunder. In a way, it’s like A:TLA with big, powerful birds, and it features a princess who struggles not only with depression, but the well-being of her kingdom, trapped under conquering rule. Some folks may call it a predictable read, but I found it to be a good kind of predictable. The comforting kind, even. Plus, the sequel is coming in July! Now’s the perfect time to pick it up.

Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power

Confession time: I haven’t read Burn Our Bodies Down just yet. The ARC is sitting on my Kindle, waiting for me to get it together. Maybe soon? Maybe right before pub day? All the same, I’m really looking forward to it, and the promise of eerie content in the corn has me thrilled.

Look, I’m from the Midwest. That’s just quintessential, too hot to do anything but sit and sweat summer, is it not?

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Confession time again! I still haven’t read this, despite receiving it as a gift. I guess I haven’t been in the mood for lighter books?

But that doesn’t matter today! Because Red, White, and Royal Blue strikes me as a perfect summer picnic kind of read. You know, the kind for clear skies and lots of sunshine? Maybe in your garden, or on the beach! Is it even set in the summer? Somebody let me know, please.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

Maybe this cover doesn’t scream summer, but I’m recommending it all the same. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is the perfect read for that lazy stage of summer, when time slows to a crawl and everything is floating through a warm, breezy haze. Even better, it’s the kind of summer where something is going to happen, but you don’t know what quite yet. It’s all in the anticipation, in the vague sense of knowing where it’s going but going along for the ride anyway.

Plus, it makes for very good reading while either A.) lounging around, living your most pampered life, or B) sitting at the edge of the forest, where sun and shade mix.

 

So, have I nailed this whole summer reads thing? I have to admit, it’s pretty tough with shelves that are more fantasy than contemporary. Contemporary just feels…more summery? But that doesn’t matter, because we made it to five nonetheless.

What are your top summer reads?