“She read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live.”

Annie Dillard

I love that quote by Annie Dillard. I can’t imagine any season of life without a book, but summer reading is truly one of my favorite seasons for choosing what to read next. The novels I gravitate toward in the summer are often breezy and fun, although I’m including a few gritty, emotional titles on my list this time. The season calls for change, a different pace, an ending of something and an intentional pause before we begin something new.

Usually I take more of a whatever-suits-my-fancy approach to my summer reading plans, but this month my favorite podcasts devoted a lot of attention to books and reading preferences. After listening to a few episodes, suddenly I found myself with an intriguing list of recommendations.

12 Books I Simply Must Read

• Wooing Cadie McCaffrey by Bethany Turner
• Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin
• Only Ever Her by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
• The Summer Guests by Mary Alice Monroe
• Beyond the Point by Claire Gibson
• Low Country Dreams by Lee Tobin McClain
• Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center
• Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey
• The Rancher’s Surprise Daughter by Jill Lynn
• The Favorite Daughter by Patti Callahan Henry
• The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson
• Tate by Susan May Warren
• Last-minute bonus title that didn’t fit in my graphic: The Key to Happily Ever After by Tif Marcelo

Many thanks to Anne Bogel for her wonderful Summer Reading Guide, which heavily influenced my selections. The All Our Favorite People podcast has a fantastic interview with Claire Gibson, author of Beyond the Point, which I highly recommend listening to. Also, Annie F. Downs interviewed Anne Bogel on this episode of That Sounds Fun and Anne drops all sorts of summer reading goodness during their conversation. Check it out!

There you have it. The books I plan to acquire and read this summer. Leave a comment below and tell me what’s on your summer reading list.