Summer Reads Round Up

As we narrow in on Labour Day, I'm rounding up some of my top fiction reads of the summer! This was an amazing season for new releases (if I do say so myself) and I found some absolute gems for my bookshelf. So many books, so little time, am I right?

Here were some of my favourite summer reads:

Bringing Down the Duke, Evie Dunmore

Destitute but determined, Annabelle Archer earns her place among the first female cohort at Oxford University, but her scholarship comes at a price: she must join the women's suffrage movement. When she's charged with recruiting the Duke of Montgomery to her cause, she finds someone whose determination is equal to her own.

Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Glamorous, lush and terrifying, Mexican Gothic is a perfect book for these last, crisp days of summer. After receiving an unsettling letter from her cousin, Noemi travels to High Place, a suitably creepy home inhabited by her cousin and her English husband. An edgy take on gothic classics, this book gave me chills.

The Margot Affair, Sanae Lemoine

Seventeen year old Margot Louve is a secret. Beloved by her parents -- a French politician and a famous actress -- Margot knows she and her mother will never be more than her father's "other" family... until, that is, she decides to let a journalist in on the secret of her parentage.

Utopia Avenue, David Mitchell

David Mitchell's latest is his best, in my opinion: I devoured the none-too-short Utopia Avenue in two days! Utopia Avenue tells the story of the best British rock band you've never heard of: comprised of folk singer Elf, bassist Dean, and guitar virtuoso Jasper, the band becomes England's greatest musical export of the late '60s and '70s. Genre-bending and captivating, with cameos from real-life rock titans, this book takes you on a rollercoaster into a world you wished you lived in.

Vesper Flights, Helen MacDonald

I adored Helen MacDonald's H is for Hawk, and her follow-up, Vesper Flights, is no disappointment. This collection of essays experiences life through the lens of wildlife: glowworms, migratory birds and mushrooms form the basis for her meditation on the world we live in, and the world we create for ourselves.