Five Great Reads for the End of Summer
The Supper Club Saints by Claire Swinarski
Cass Simon returns to small-town Wisconsin after escaping life inside the cult like Commune and falling under the spell of an online momfluencer. Her hard-working mother Remy is preparing to say goodbye to the family business that has anchored them for generations—The Bauhaus Supper Club. The many mothers in this family—Cass, Remy, Cass’s sister Hilary, and her sister-in-law Erin—each pursue their own version of ideal motherhood. This story explore themes of forgiveness, family ties, and what it means to be a good mother.
Why It’s Perfect for the End of Summer: The Wisconsin lake house supper club setting makes this a perfect end of summer read. As the family reunites and learns to let go of old conflicts, you can almost feel the freshness of cool, fall air around the corner.
Who It’s Best For: Any mother who has questioned her own success in motherhood or who thinks she is much better or worse than her own mother
A Favorite Quote: “But her question was this: What kind of mother can have a beautiful life without their child?”
Grab your copy here.
Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir by Ina Garten
In this cozy memoir, Ina Garten tells her life story in the laid back, straightforward, sitting in the kitchen with a glass of wine style we’ve come to expect from her. Her story surprised me in many ways, and it served as a reminder that you never know anyone’s story unless you hear it from them.
Why It’s Perfect for This Time of Year: This is the perfect read for someone who wants to curl up with a glass of wine or a cup of tea at the end of a long day and read. It is also perfect for a busy time of year (I’m looking at you, moms of school-aged kids) because each chapter could easily stand on its own. You can read one chapter, put the book down for a few days, and come back to it easily.
Who It’s Best For: This is a great one for someone who doesn’t have much time for extra reading, but who is looking to feel inspired in their life. Ina’s story will remind you that you never know what’s around the corner and to never lose hope.
A Favorite Quote: “The people I’ve known who are successful have faced enormous challenges, but they didn’t let them challenges stop them—they figured out some way over the wall or around the wall, or they just smashed the wall down.”
Grab your copy here.
My Friends by Frederik Backman
Louisa, a young, aspiring artist, notices something most people miss when staring at a world-famous painting: there are three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier. Most people think the painting is just a depiction of the sea. As Louisa unravels the story of these three figures, she discovers a bond of love and friendship born out of challenging home lives that follows the three figures across time and space.
Why It’s Perfect for This Time of Year: It seems fitting to read a book about a summer that shaped three friends forever as our own summers wrap up. This book deals with trauma, loss, and love, and it leaves you with a hopeful message about happy endings that don’t always take the shape you expect.
Who It’s Best For: This is a great book for someone who wants a page-turning read that will make you laugh and cry in equal measure. (Ok, maybe slightly more laughter than crying…Frederik Backman is one of the funniest writers I know.)
A Favorite Quote: “The world is full of miracles, but none greater than how far a young person can be carried by someone else’s belief in them.”
Grab your copy here.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family’s orchard in Northern Michigan. They are fascinated by the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom their mother shared both a stage and a romance years before. The story unfolds as they pick cherries on the family orchard, and the daughters are forced to examine their own lives and relationship with their mother.
Tom Lake is a beautifully written story about youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have had before their children were born. It deals with the place where destiny meets choice. It also explores what it means to be happy even when the world seems to be falling apart around you.
Why It’s Perfect for This Time of Year: Lara and her children pick cherries in the summer in Northern Michigan. The weather begins to cool, and her reflective tone in telling her story seems very fitting for a time of year when one season is ending and a new one is about to begin.
Who It’s Best For: This is a great read for anyone who has made decisive choices that shaped their path in life or who has ever wondered what might have happened if they had chosen differently. It is an equally great read for anyone who feels settled and at peace in their life and wonders how to help those around them find the same.
A Favorite Quote: “These were the things I used to think about, how with a slight shift in circumstances the outcome might have gone another way. Then I realized it would have gone that way eventually. Then I stopped thinking about it.”
Grab your copy here.
Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
Katie’s sudden arrival in a small North Carolina town called Southport raises all kinds of questions about her past. Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her…a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country to Southport.
Why It’s Perfect for This Time of Year: This story takes place in a small southern town complete with rivers, creeks, and sun soaking through the trees as far as the eye can see. The slow pace of life in Southport is fitting as we all try to soak in the last bits of summer, and the page-turning plot related to Katie’s past makes this an easy read during a busy time of year.
Who It’s Best For: This is a great read for someone who could use some romantic escapism. It is both romantic and wholesome, and it has a cozy, front porch swing feel to it.
A Favorite Quote: “Everyone has a past, but that's just it--it's in the past. You can learn from it, but you can't change it.”
Grab your copy here.
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