Emma Keeling – Content Editor
Luckily for me, I had lots of time this summer to relax and read for pleasure. Because I had so much time to read, I branched out of my usual genres and experienced some amazing reads I usually wouldn’t have picked. Below is a list of books I’ve read these past few months that really stuck out to me and made my summer reading especially enjoyable.
Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau
Ok, this one is a favorite genre, historical fiction. But this is seventies historical fiction, a sector I have less experience in. It was so fun and uplifting! This is the story of Mary Jane’s coming of age, where she experiences life outside of her usual, which mostly consists of cooking with her mother and singing in the church choir. She is promptly introduced to the world of “sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll,” and realizes she just might fit in there. This novel is perfect for lovers of Daisy Jones and the Six.
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
Ariadne is a princess of Crete, sister to the famous Minotaur, and is saved from her overbearing family and homeland by the mighty Theseus, prince of Athens. However, not everything is as it seems when she finds herself stranded on an island, abandoned by Theseus. This novel tells her story, from greeting the sun on her intricate castle dancing floor to raising four sons on the island she was stranded on. This certainly wasn’t the lightest read of the summer, but its beautifully written and will have you enthralled from the first page. I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed Madeline Miller’s Circe.
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
Home Before Dark is in the horror genre, another favorite of mine. While horror novels aren’t super light and refreshing, this one was somehow perfect for those midsummer nights. The main character, Maggie Holt, inherits Baneberry Hall after her father’s death. However, she is slightly haunted by the shadow of her father’s book, a memoir of the family’s life together in Baneberry Hall when Maggie was a child. She expects to quickly renovate and sell the home, but finds herself in the middle of small-town drama, a murder, and a house that won’t be quiet. Home Before Dark would be perfect for any ghost-hunter or horror-lover.
What Comes After by Joanne Tompkins
Ever need a book that’s just going to scoop you up into its world and keep you there awhile? Then this is the book for you. Travel to coastal Washington and follow the lives of three unlikely characters: a father whose son was murdered, a mother whose son committed suicide after killing his friend, and a pregnant teenage girl who finds home among these two grieving people. Joanne Tompkins subtly shows the reader how loss and anger can foster those feelings of forgiveness and unity, even among strangers. I would recommend What Comes After to anyone who likes an enveloping story and unforgettable characters.
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore
This was such a fun romance novel! Set in England, 1879, an Oxford attendee named Annabelle Archer is assigned to recruit influential men who will support the growing women’s suffrage movement. While on this assignment, she meets the charming and mischievous Duke of Montgomery. Not only has Evie Dunmore given the reader a steamy and “forbidden” love story, but also a look into what it was like for the early women of Oxford and their fight for their rights. This novel is perfect for those who enjoy any romance novel, namely The Heiress Gets a Duke and To Have and to Hoax.
Too Good to be True by Carola Lovering
Too Good to be True takes quite a spin on the classic love triangle drama. Skye Starling, a smart, beautiful, and wealthy woman, meets Burke Michaels and falls in love. But Burke is not the man he leads Skye on to thinking he is – he’s actually happily married. You’ll have to read the book to find out why and how he’s carrying on these two separate lives, and whose helping him. This was written in such a way that I couldn’t put it down, and I finished it in two days. Carola Lovering threw a curveball with this one and it was a home run. I would recommend this to anyone interested in any thrilling novel.
Emma Keeling is a fourth-year student at BGSU studying Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Her favorite genres of book include mystery and horror and her favorite author is Stephen King. She can usually be found curled up on the couch studying, reading, or watching movies. To easily contact Emma, email her at emmamk@bgsu.edu.
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