Summer reading isn’t just about the latest beach read. If that’s not your thing, the slower pace of summer gives you time to read or reread one of the classics, a mystery, historical novel, science fiction, fantasy, biography, or latest best seller.

Trust me, 99.9% of the time, the book is always better than the movie. If you can’t get to the beach or the public pool, grab a good book, your sunscreen and a cold beverage of your choice and sit out on your patio or deck. Breathe in the sweet summer air and let a talented author take you on an adventure. We’ve selected ten books for you to consider. Enjoy!

The New Couple by Alison James – The perfect new house in the perfect neighborhood, the perfect husband, and an adorable daughter, but it’s all a lie including her perfect new name. Who is Stephanie Hamlin, and what is she hiding?

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan  - In a two-year span, Ali’s mom died, and her husband left her. Though she’s a professional organizer, her life is a mess, and she hasn’t exactly had time to hit the gym or read the latest fashion blog. When she finally takes off her wedding ring, she meets someone. Ethan is smart and charming, and best of all seems to like what he sees when he looks at Ali. Being a newly single mom is tricky, too tricky for a new relationship, but maybe a summer fling is just what she needs.

The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre – Non-fiction- Oleg Gordievsky was the son of two Soviet agents of the KGB. He was born to be a spy, but Oleg became disillusioned with his country and went to work as a double agent for MI6 in 1973. To protect his life,  his identity was kept secret from even MI6’s closest allies, the CIA. In the waning years of the Cold War, the Americans sent an agent to discover his identity. Unfortunately,  that agent was Aldrich Ames, the man who later became infamous for spying for the Soviets.

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson – From 1915 to 1970 almost six million Blacks fled the South to escape Jim Crow Laws, segregation, and discrimination to move to northern and western cities in search of better lives. This exodus changed the face of America. Wilkerson tells the story through the lives of three amazing people.

A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan – This is the story of how the Ku Klux Klan tired to take over America and the woman who stopped them. During the roaring twenties, the KKK hated Blacks, Jews, Catholics, and immigrants in almost equal measure. D.C Stephenson became the grand dragon of the KKK in Indiana less than two years after his arrival there. Stephenson had a plan to bring the group out of the shadows and normalize their hatred by wooing church leaders, politicians, and judges. It almost worked, but the deathbed testimony of Madge Oberholtzer brought them down. How vulnerable are we today?

Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson – Crichton’s wife Sherri saved her husband’s notes from the passion project he was working on before his death in 2008. She decided to entrust the completion of the project to master storyteller, James Patterson. A history making volcanic eruption is about to destroy the big island of Hawaii, but  a decades old government secret guarded by the U.S. military is even more explosive. How are these stories related and is there still hope to save the island?

Red Rising by Pierce Brown – Darrow is a Red, lowest caste in a color-coded society. He’s been told that his labor will one day make the surface of Mars livable creating better lives for everyone. When Darrow learns he and his people have been lied to and the ruling classes are already living in comfort on the surface,  he tries to infiltrate the highest caste, the Goldens. Can he overthrow the callous ruling caste and get justice for his people?

1984 by George Orwell – I know you’ve probably read it, but now is a great time to do it again. Winston Smith is a mid-level worker at the Ministry of Truth in England which is now known as Airstrip One in Oceania. The world is in a perpetual state of war and the Thought Police claim to monitor your thoughts and deeds. Winston secretly hates the party and wants to rebel. He keeps a diary and begins an affair with a woman named Julia. Sex is strictly forbidden outside of marriage and then it is only allowed for procreation with permission from Big Brother. Can Winston and Julia break free?

Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant by Ulysses S. Grant – Grant was dying of throat cancer when he wrote his memoirs which were edited by Mark Twain. Grant made the decision to be brutally honest about his successes and failures. Often dismissed by historians as a failure and a drunk, Grant was exceptionally intelligent and a tactical genius on the battlefield.

The Most Human: Reconciling with my Father Leonard Nimoy – by Adam Nimoy – Being the child of a celebrity has its challenges, and being the son of Leonard Nimoy and also being called Mr. Spock’s son was not easy. Most people who knew the Nimoy family thought they were close, but Adam Nimoy struggled to form a relationship with his father. He discusses how they ended up on parallel journeys, marriages ending in divorce, battling addiction, and finding recovery. Adam talks about the ninth step of recovery – making amends to each other which they were able to do before his father’s death.