Typically, I am not a huge believer in New Year’s resolutions. I feel like if you want to do something, whether it be lose weight, exercise more or anything else, you don’t need to use the new year as an excuse to do it. However, at the beginning of 2019, I did make a resolution: to read more books. I have always enjoyed reading (I was an English minor in college after all!) but since graduating from undergrad, I haven’t had (read: made) the time to read. But, I am happy to report, I have embraced this year’s resolution! In today’s post, I’ve compiled a list of four books that I have read, am reading or have on my list to read. Here are my four books to read this summer:

Four Books to Read this Summer

Fair warning when it comes to this list. These are fun, easy, beach kind of reads that don’t require a ton of thought. I have a separate list of current event and political books, but given the nature of this space, I wanted to keep the list light, fun and perfect for summer. Without further ado, here are my summer reads:

The Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy

While this isn’t one book, I thought for purposes of a list, it was best to group this trilogy together. I started the first book in the series, Crazy Rich Asians, back in the fall and had a hard time getting into the book. You may remember me mentioning it from this post. I’m not sure if it was the beginning of the book, being busy with the move or what, but I had just about given up on it. I watched the movie over Thanksgiving (I fell asleep pretty early on into the movie) and couldn’t get into it either! The movie came up on HBO a couple months ago and I decided to give it another try. And I’m glad I did, because I loved it! At Thanksgiving, I blamed not liking the movie on boredom but maybe I was just tired from hosting Thanksgiving 🙂

Anyways, I decided to give the book another shot. I started it in mid-May and was finished before Memorial Day. It’s a pretty long book, but after the first few pages, it really started moving. I am currently reading the second book and so far, so good. If you saw the movie, know that the first book is similar to the movie, but not a complete match. What I have loved most about this trilogy is reading about the character’s beautiful clothes and where they shop. Go figure, right?! You can see the first book here, the second book here and the third book here. Or you can buy the books as a complete trilogy here.

American Princess: The Love Story of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

For those of you who have been following along for awhile, it probably isn’t a surprise I included not one, but two (see below) royal books on my summer reads list. I was a fan of Meghan Markle from her Suits days and have always loved the royals. When Meghan married Prince Harry last spring, I was beyond excited. I love reading about the history of the Royal Family and have always been interested in their traditions. Needless to say I was intrigued when Meghan entered the picture and how this American actress would influence the Royal Family.

This is a super quick read — I made it through the book in less than a week! The book’s chapters alternate between Prince Harry and Meghan and gives us insight into both of their lives from childhood to present. I also read Meghan: A Hollywood Princess and while I enjoyed that book as well, there was a lot of repetitive information and I felt the voice and writing was stronger in American Princess. Also on my radar to read: Harry and Meghan: Life, Loss and Love. I told you I was obsessed!

The Singles Game

After my blogger friend, Biana at B-Loved Boston, recommended this book, I decided to add it to my list. While I am still in the process of reading the book, so far, I am a fan! Written by Lauren Weisberger, author of The Devil Wears Prada, it’s a fun read, especially if you have a vacation coming up. To give you a little background, the book follows the life of Charlotte “Charlie” Silver, America’s sweetheart of the tennis world, as she makes headlines on and off the tennis court. We get a glimpse of life as a professional athlete and the good, bad and ugly that comes along with it.

Being a tennis player since the age of 5, I knew this was a must-read for me. And with Wimbledon starting next week, it’s the perfect time to start!

The Royal We

Another royal book! But this time, it’s semi-fiction and the other other prince. The Royal We is a play on the love story of Prince William and Kate Middleton. However, in this novel, American Bex Porter goes off to Oxford and meets Nick, the dreamy guy across the hall. Come to find out Nick just happens to be heir to the British throne.

I love that the book follows a similar story to Prince William and Kate’s love story. Just look at the cover of the book! I haven’t started reading this book yet, but it has been on my list since the girls over at the Royally Obsessed podcast recommended it. If you are as obsessed with the royal family, Kate Middleton and/or Meghan Markle as me, you have to check out this podcast! Each Thursday, they dive into royal news and are the first to break all things royal. You can find the podcast here.

….

What books are you reading this summer? If you have any recommendations, leave them in the comments section below! As always, thanks for reading, friends. Have a great rest of the week and weekend and see you back here on Monday!