Resources and tips for the self-published author.

This summer we are starting a greatest summer reads series-by genre!

We’ve picked all the latest summer must-reads and made our list of favorites. Last year we had our Popular Vintage Summer Reads series. This year, we have our more recent must-reads. This week is our contemporary summer must-reads:

1. Paper Towns by John Green– Since the movie is coming out , this had to be on the list. This book revolves around a boy and the attainable girl in high school, who comes into his life in an unexpected turn. Soon after she disappears and he goes our to find her. The story includes life changing events, a summer road trip (of course!), and an exciting adventure. This is definitely a great YA contemporary summer read.

2. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart– This story revolves around a rich, privileged fifteen year old girl named Cadence who, after an accident during her summer trip at Cape Cod, spends the next two years of her life trying to piece her memory back together. The story has an unreliable narrator as she searches through her family for the truth of what happened that summer.

3. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett– This is an adult book that follows a woman’s adventure to Brazil to find her mentor who disappeared in the jungle. It’s a great story about travel and adventure-perfect for a summer read.

4. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer– This adult NY Times bestseller includes a great summer past time-summer camp! It revolves around a group of teenagers who meet at a summer camp for artsy teens in 1974. The story follows them throughout their lives as they stay friends. It’s a compelling coming of age story great for a summer read.

5. Mr. Penumbras 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel by Robin Sloan– This is an old school mystery set in modern day San Francisco. And it all takes place in our favorite setting-A bookstore! The book is filled with secret societies, nerdy gadets, and a little opinion on the past, present, and future of publishing.

6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid– This one was added in because there is always a new one coming out, so it’s a great book for your middle grader to read, as well as a great series for them to continue every summer. Its witty, and has a really great narrative style, with some cool cartoons.        

7. Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone– This book is contemporary in its storyline revolving around a sixteen year old girl named Samantha who is struggling with her obsessional diagnosed OCD. It starts with her training at a pool in the summer for a swimming scholarship, and then follows her to her life at school, where she struggles with her issues while hanging out with a group of toxic friends. Eventually she meets someone who introduces her to the Poets Corner at her school, where Sam learns to be herself and deal with her issues more openly. It has all the qualities of a great summer read.

About Samantha Knoerzer

I am the Social Media Coordinator and Author Relations Manager for BiblioCrunch. And I love to read, OF COURSE! From the classics to YA and children's, you can find me reading it all. I have a masters in publishing from NYU's Print and Digital Media Studies masters program, and have undergraduate degrees in music, marketing, and english. I have a passion for reading, music, and travel. My goal is to travel to as many places around the world as possible. If you need to find me, you can catch me traveling all around the world at any chance I get – always with a book in hand!