Tuesday 26 May 2015

Top Ten Books I Plan to Have in my Beach Bag this Summer

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the fabulous folks over at The Broke & The Bookish.
My idea of a relaxing summer read is something light, something a little bit fluffy and something quite definitely romantic. So I've compiled a list of some books I'd love to go back and revisit this summer and a few new books that I'm saving for the long, lazy summer days.

1. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson.
What can be more summery than a road trip novel? I absolutely adore Amy & Roger and whilst I have only read the book once the story has really stayed with me. I want a chance to escape on a roadtrip filled with young summer love and incredible places again.


2. Four Nights with The Duke by Eloisa James. This one is already on the shelves but I am saving it for a moment when I need a pick me up and a bit of romance in my life. Eloisa's writing is always superb and her characters brilliantly crafted, and I know that with one of her novels I will always get a happily ever after.

3. Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.For some reason I put off reading this book until last summer, and whilst that seems utterly ridiculous how reluctant I was to read it, I'm glad I didn't read it until then because it was a book that happened to me at exactly the right time. My first truly hot summer in France, I was feeling isolated, I didn't speak the language, and I felt like a complete and utter failure. And then Anna happened, and she had just moved to Paris and she spoke even less French than I did, and somehow she made me feel less alone and like everything was all going to be ok. And if you're looking for a romantic contemporary read, you cannot get much better than this one.

4. I Love Capri by Belinda Jones.
My favourite of Belinda's novels, this is a romance that felt more realistic than most. Everything wasn't fluffy and happily ever after, but it was infused with hope and love and I think I love it even more for that. Plus I love being taken somewhere new when I read, and Belinda's novels are fantastic for taking you around the world.


5. My Last Duchess by Daisy Goodwin.
This one would be a re-read, but I first read it in the blinding sunlight on a beach in Swanage, the first time I had ever sat down on a beach to read, so for me this one is a special kind of beach read. I was completely immersed in this world and I haven't had the chance to go back since - I'd love to have that chance this summer.


6. The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen.
Not released until July 16th, this follow up to 'The Queen of the Tearling' is one that I cannot wait to read. I read the first book a few weeks before my wedding last summer - it was the hottest part of summer in Lyon, we were miserably hot no matter what we did, incredibly stressed about the wedding planning and I couldn't settle to anything. And then along came this book that just caught me up and swept me away. I fell in love with it, and now this series and world are forever tied with summer


7. Paris in Love by Eloisa James.
Another Eloisa book but this time a non-fiction. I love to dabble with non-fiction books from time to time, and this one was one of my favourites. She captures the essence of living in Paris and all the wonderful details that make living in France such an incredible experience, and all in small bite size chunks. A wonderful book to dip in an out of.


8. The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn
I adore Julia Quinn. It was her books that introduced me to regency romance, and the idea of romance books in general. Her books are always superbly written, brilliantly funny, romantic and fluffy and I storm through them in a matter of hours - which is why I am waiting to read this one until I have some sunshine and preferably a glass of wine to accompany it.


9. Out of the Blue by Belinda Jones.
This is my second favourite of Belinda's novels, and I adore the escapism, the romance, the travel. If I can't go the places myself then Belinda is one of the best at bringing them to life for me whilst I read and this is another wonderful piece of escapism.


10. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenager
This book is absolutely heartbreakingly beautiful. It's been so long since I've read it that I am long overdue for a re-read and whilst this is neither light, nor fluffy, I remember reading it in the hot summer sunshine and being utterly captivated by it and I want to return to that feeling.

So those are the books I'm planning on reading this summer - whether I make it to a beach to do the reading remains to be seen, but regardless of where I read them, I shall be sat in the sunshine enjoying being swept up to other places and times.
What are your summer reads? Let me know in the comments below and link me to your top tens!

91 comments:

  1. The "Paris in Love" looks good - I may have to add it :D. I also have yet to read the "Time Traveler's Wife"
    Great list

    My TTT

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    1. It's a great book for dipping in and out of and experiencing Paris in book form. And TTTW is utterly gorgeous and heartbreaking, I hope you enjoy them when you read them!

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  2. Interesting list, thanks for stopping by my blog too! When I finished readin Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell when in the Maldives The Time Traveller's Wife was the book that I borrowed from the resorts library to get me through the rest of that holiday so I know first hand it DOES make an awesome beach read...... although crying in public like I did when I got to the end of that book isn't a good bikini look!!

    Thea @  Gizzimomo's Book Shelf

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    1. Baha, yeah the public crying is the less great aspect of that one, but such a good book! Thanks for reading! :)

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  3. mostly unknown titles for me, but The Time Travller´s Wife is on my list over books to be read

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    1. I really hope you enjoy it! It's such a beautiful and emotional book, I loved it.

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  4. Such a good list! I also have a couple of these on my to-read list - The Time Traveller's Wife and Anna and The French Kiss. Hopefully I will get round to reading them at some point soon. Too many books, not enough time :)

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    1. Ah I know that feeling well! I don't think the to read pile will ever get fully read! I hope you enjoy them when you get to them!

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  5. I am still planning on reading The Queen of the Tearling, I have heard so much about it! Amy and Roger's epic detour and Anna and the french kiss I have both read them and I LOVED them! Thanks for stopping by! Happy reading!x

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    1. They're just such perfect summer reads! Ooo read it! Read it! It's such a good book! I really loved it and I cannot wait to get into the sequel. I hope you enjoy it!

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  6. This is a great list! I read The Time Traveler's Wife on our honeymoon 6 years ago and I loved it. I really want to read it again but I'm bit apprehensive as I just love the memory I associate with the book (does that make sense?). I'm very intrigued by Paris In Love though. I think I'll have to try and pick that up soon. Happy reading! x

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    1. Paris in Love is wonderful, such a great look at living in Paris, particularly from an outsiders perspective. I know what you mean about memories of reading books, I have a few books like that that I am almost afraid to go back to the memory of when I read them etc was so perfect. I hope you do enjoy it as much though if you do pick it up again, and if not, it sounds like a pretty fantastic memory to associate it with :) Thank you so much for reading!

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  7. Great list! I feel like I'm due for a re-read of The Time Traveller's Wife as well, such an interesting and, as you mentioned, heartbreaking read. Happy reading :)

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    1. I hope you enjoy your re-read too! Just need to stock up on tissues first :) Thanks so much for reading!

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  8. Anna and the French Kiss and Amy & Roger's Epic Detour were so cute and perfect summer reads. I really liked the Time Traverler's Wife but that ending was so ugh. I know I m in the minority there. I hadn't heard of Belinda Jones but I will totally check her books out now. Great list!

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    1. The ending was definitely a bit of a marmite one - I ended up in floods of tears with it though. Belinda Jones is another great summer read, some of her books are a bit hit and miss for me, but I love her thorough research and how she really makes it feel like you're there in all these fantastic places.

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  9. i LOVE the time traveler's wife! and also anna and the french kiss! i just recently finished reading that book for the first time! great list this week! i couldn't agree more; i tend to chose light and romantic reads for the beach too!
    http://www.wholly-books.com

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    1. So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks so much for reading!

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  10. You went for the full-out summer of romance! I don't know if I could deal with that much fluffiness, but I might throw in 2 or 3.

    Top Ten Beach Reads

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    1. I'd definitely need to break them up with other books, but light and fluffy is sometimes just what's needed. I hope you enjoy any you pick up!

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  11. Oh my goodness, SO EXCITED and jealous that you get to read Anna and the French Kiss for the first time. That is one of my all time favorites, and a pretty flawless read. Also loved Amy and Roger. Hope you have a fun summer full of reading ahead!

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    1. It was my first time reading Anna last summer, but I'm definitely going to enjoy re-reading it this year too! Thanks so much for reading!

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  12. Loads of romance on your list this summer. Anna and the French Kiss is suppose to be good, and The Time Traveler's Wife as well. I haven't read them. i hope you enjoy your summer reads!

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    1. Both of those will be re-reads, but I do love them! Yeah I do love a good summer romance, although there are a few non-romance ones in there too :) Thanks for reading!

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  13. The only book I've read from your list is "Anna and the French Kiss" and AHHH definitely a summery read! (Isla's story was definitely my fave of the series though!!) I hope you love all of your books! ;D

    Rosie // Rosie Reads TTT

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    1. It's such a gorgeous story! So much swoon! So much awesome! Thanks so much for reading!

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  14. Um... My Last Duchess looks exactly like The American Heiress and I got really stoked for a second. THAT was a great read! I do want to read Anna and the French Kiss. I hope you love your summer reads!

    Here are my Top Ten!

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    1. It's the same book! It was published under two different titles, 'My Last Duchess' was the UK title and 'The American Heiress' was the US title! Which just gets confusing... I hope you enjoy Anna! She's the perfect summer read!

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  15. Great picks! I really need to get around to reading Anna and the French Kiss. It's been sitting on my bookshelves for quite a while. :)

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    1. DO IIIITTTTT! Such a good summer read! I really hope you enjoy it!

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  16. The only reason why Amy & Roger's Epic Detour didn't make my list is that I've already featured it on a similar list last year. I feel so bad for not reading it ever since then. I really enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door too, perfect summer reads. Lovely list. :)

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    1. Thanks so much for reading! It's been ages since I've read Amy and Roger, but that just gives me a good excuse to pick it up again! :)

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  17. I absolutely adore Anna and the French Kiss! Enjoy your reads!

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    1. It's such a fantastic fluffy read! I love it. Thanks so much for reading!

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  18. Interesting choices. I haven't heard of half of these books. ;P

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    1. I hope you enjoy any you pick up! Thanks for stopping by!

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  19. So much romance! These are real beach reads; not like my gloomy books...
    Road Trip books are the best. Amy and Roger were fun to follow around. They had a playlist I think or a journal of where they visited which was a nice touch to the book.
    Aww! I love that you connected with Anna and the French Kiss so much. I'm so horrible about speaking a foreign language even one I should know considering my heritage :/ I unfortunately did not like the romance. Etienne was a jerk the whole time. I just couldn't reconcile with what people said about how great the book was when Etienne ruined everything for me ): Are you planning on reading Lola or Isla's books?

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    1. Yeah Etienne got major bad points for how he behaved throughout the book - not the ideal man! But I loved how Anna took control and fell in love with the city. Her falling in love with Paris was the biggest love of that book for me. I did read both Lola and Isla but I didn't get on with them as well. I preferred Isla of the two as I just didn't connect with Lola. But Anna still remains my favourite.
      I loved the little extras that Amy and Roger make, it was such a nice touch and really brought the book to life for me!
      Thanks so much for reading!

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  20. Wow, there are such good books on this list, I've got to say I've never read some of them, and others I haven't picked up in years. Time Traveller's Wife would be a fantastic summer read, definitely one of those by the pool books that sucks you in for an entire day and when you finish you go comfort yourself at the bar, or I would anyway. Four Nights With The Duke looks like a great read, I want to check that one out for sure.

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    1. Ha! Definitely some bar comfort after finishing that one! Although I'd need twenty minutes between pool and bar to deal with the tears! Eloisa James is so good at fab historical romances, I recommend all of hers, but Four Nights looks fantastic, I can't wait to read it. I really hope you enjoy it! Thanks so much for reading.

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  21. I own two copies of Anna and the French Kiss and I still haven't read it (I bought a paperback and didn't realize I bought a hardcover a long time ago). Eloisa James and Julia Quinn are good choices for beach reading. Great list!

    Michelle @ Michelle's Minions

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    1. Eloisa and Julia are THE historical romance authors to go with - it's not summer until I've binge read the Bridgerton series again! I really hope you enjoy reading Anna if you pick her up this summer! Thank you so much for reading!

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  22. This looks like a fun, romantic list! I agree 100% with Amy and Roger's Epic Detour and Anna and the French Kiss -- both such lovely books!

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    1. Fun and romantic are always good combinations for summer :) Thank you so much for reading!

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  23. I've re-read/re-listen to Amy & Roger about a million times. It's the most perfect summer book ever. Anna is still probably my favourite of Perkins books - Isla is a close second! But Anna is just adorable! I love The Time Travelers Wife too. It destroyed me when I read it.
    Great list! Happy reading :D

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    1. I think everyone gets destroyed by the Time Traveler's Wife - it's one of those books, gorgeous but heartbreaking! Anna is definitely my favourite of Stephanie's books, I adore her! It's been so long since I re-read Amy & Roger, I cannot wait to go on that road trip with them again! Thank you so much for reading!

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  24. Fantastic list Rosy! I hope you get to revisit all of these books.Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier.

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    1. Thank you so much, hopefully there will be time for all of them. I really need a time turner though...

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  25. These all look like perfect summer reads! I don't know if I could handle rereading The Time Traveler's Wife! It is the saddest book I have ever read, I was so emotionally invested in it when I read it.
    Thanks for stopping by the The Local Muse

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    1. Yes I would definitely need some tissues and hugs on standby for a re-read of that! I really hope you enjoy any you pick up! Thanks so much for reading.

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  26. Hi Rosy :) My name's Kayleigh and I've nominated you for a Liebster award. It's legit so don't worry :) If you want to check out the rules and questions then please visit my blog at www.abookloversplaylist.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Kayleigh, thank you so much, that's really lovely of you! I shall check it out!

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  27. I think I might be the only one who haven't read Anna and the French Kiss but I might have to do that this summer. It seems awfully fitting! Thanks for stopping by at Books and Gibberish :)

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    1. It's the perfect summer read, that's why you haven't read it yet! ;) I really hope you enjoy it!

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  28. I'm still reluctant to read Anna and the French Kiss. There's just so much love for it and being a reader that doesn't read too many contemporaries, I'm afraid I might not enjoy it as much as everyone else.

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    1. That's completely understandable, I get so worried about reading books when I hear that much love for it and I'm worried it won't live up to expectations. That's why I held off reading Anna for so long, but it turned out to be just what I needed to read when I picked it up. If you do pick it up I really hope you enjoy it, but if you don't that's completely understandable. :)

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  29. Invasion of the Tearling! I have yet to read the first one but it's on my TBR list. I have the ARC of Invasion and it looks great! Though unless it's changed date I thought it comes out June 9th? Could be wrong but I think I would remember it out of July 16 as thats my birthday :p lol


    Nice list!

    My TTT:)

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    1. The release date for the UK is July 16th as it is being released at different times in different countries. I really hope you enjoy both of them!

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  30. I'm like you and I like light books for the beach as it's easy to pick them up and put them down. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is one of my fav YA contempt, it's just so quirky and I love all the extras in the book. And I haven't heard of Out of the Blue but it looks great so I'm going to add it to my to-read.

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    1. Out of the Blue is such a wonderful escapist book, I really hope you enjoy it! It's been so long since I read Amy and Roger, I can't wait to re read it and capture that summer feeling again! Thank you so much for reading!

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  31. I loved Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and Amy & Roger's Epic Detour! I haven't read the rest of these, but I've heard of The Time Traveler's Wife and I'm thinking about picking it up sometime! Great post!

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    1. If you do make sure to have a box of tissues handy! I really hope you enjoy it! Thanks so much for reading!

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  32. Oh, I absolutely adored Amy & Roger's as well! It's definitely a light summer read, yet it still has a huge impact on readers. :) I have never been to France, but Anna was such an amazing book! <3 I'm not familiar with the other books on this list, but The Time Traveler's Wife has been on my TBR for quite some time. :) Awesome post, Rosy!

    Aimee @ Deadly Darlings

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    1. Amy and Roger is basically my perfect summer read, I can't wait to go back and re-read it! I really hope you enjoy The Time Traveler's Wife if you pick it up! (Just make sure to have some tissues at the ready...)

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  33. I've always wanted to read The Time Travellers Wife. Great list, lots of interesting books there.

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    1. Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoy any that you pick up!

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  34. I like reading light fun reads too because I can't really concentrate on the beach when everyone else is having fun heh I never could understood what "My Last Duchess" was about though, the summaries are so confusing but I have a copy from a friend and I guess I'll read it on a beach this summer!

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    1. My Last Duchess is lovely, but very different from a lot of the others on the list. It's not quite as light but it is incredibly engrossing. It's about an American Heiress who travels to the UK to bag herself a titled husband and follows her journey through it all. I really hope you enjoy it!

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  35. I love that we both connect The Queen of the Tearling with summer :) I can't wait to read The Invasion of the Tearling!!
    And I also have Four Nights With the Duke sitting on my shelf :) I love both Eloisa James' and Julia Quinn's writing so much! Enjoy your summer reading!

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    1. Eloisa James and Julia Quinn are the Queens of light and fluffy historical romances! I can sense a Bridgerton re-read coming on this summer! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoy all of your summer reads too!

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  36. Ahhh, I need to read Anna and the French Kiss! I do need to read Queen of the Tearling, too...

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    1. They're both excellent books but very different. I hope you enjoy them when you get to them!

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  37. These all sound amazing. I may have to add a few to my TBR list! Thanks for stopping by my blog The Bridge Club yesterday. Much appreciated!

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    1. You're welcome! I hope you enjoy any that you pick up!

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  38. Great list! I should really read I Love Capri. I have actually been to Capri and LOVED it. It is so beautiful. I would love to read a book set there.

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    1. The book made it one of the places I want to go! Belinda Jones has a really wonderful way of capturing places and bringing them to life and making you want to go RIGHT NOW. I really hope you enjoy the book!

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  39. I totally forgot that the Invasion of the Tearling was coming out in July! I'm pretty excited to see how it plays out. It seems you're in for some great reading this summer!

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    1. I cannot wait to get stuck into it, I flew through the first one! Thanks so much for reading!

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  40. Great list!
    I have wanted to read Amy and Roger's Epic Detour for years now. I'm really hoping to get around to reading it this summer, since i've read Morgan Matson and I know i'll love it.
    I really enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss! I hope you like it.
    Olivia @ Fluttering Pages

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    1. I really hope you get to read it this summer, it is the perfect summer read! Morgan Matson is the queen of summer fiction! Thank you so much for reading!

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  41. These look delightful! I enjoyed the Julia Quinn book (though not unreservedly) and I, too, am looking forward to reading some romances this summer. And I love that you picked a few books you had read before. Rereading old favorites is something I love to do on vacation, too.

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    1. Not all of the Quinn books are fantastic, but the Bridgertons will always be favourites! Summer is definitely the time for romance and old favourites, I hope you get some time to read lots of both this summer! Thanks so much for reading!

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  42. I've only read The Time Traveller's Wife from your list and I absolutely loved it. I hope you enjoy all your reads.
    Thanks for visiting me.
    Lauren @ myexpandingbookshelf.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. So glad you enjoyed it and thank you so much for reading!

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  43. Great choices!! I need to read The Queen of the Tearling! It sounds amazing!

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    1. It's incredible! And with the sequel out soon now is the perfect time! I really hope you enjoy it.

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  44. The only one on your list that I've read is Anna and the French Kiss. I do really want to read The Queen of the Tearling, I have heard great things about it and I have it on my Kindle, so I should try and read it soon! Great picks! I hope you enjoy reading/rereading these this summer!
    Thanks for stopping by my TTT post!
    Stephanie @ My Bookish Itinerary

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    1. I really hope you enjoy it when you get to it and thanks for reading!

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