Summer reading list: The books we can't stop recommending (part 2)
Missing those childhood summers when you could read for hours without a care in the world? We're bringing back that magic with our favorite fiction, memoirs, and pure escapist reads for those lazy midsummer days.
In part 2 of our summer reading series, we're diving into seven categories of books designed for pure enjoyment. We also get honest about how our reading habits have evolved over the years, share what's currently stacked on our summer TBR lists, and challenge each other with book picks we have to report back on.
Whether you're craving light entertainment or something that completely transports you to another world, this episode will give you plenty of options for your summer reading stack.
📌 Time Stamps:
[00:05:00] "The one your book club will actually want to discuss"
[00:08:00] "Perfect beach read for lazy days"
[00:11:00] "Audio book for your summer road trip"
[00:16:00] "I can't put it down page-turner"
[00:19:00] "Guilt-free escape"
[00:24:00] "Cozy evening read"
[00:27:00] "Books that make you want to put your phone away"
[00:31:00] What's on our summer TBR lists
📚 Books Mentioned:
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
We Are The Beast by Gigi Griffis
Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Educated by Tara Westover
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Breathless by Amy McCulloch
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Claire Pooley
A Bit Much by Lindsay Rush
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
Instructions for Traveling West by Joy Sullivan
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
The Hour of Land by Terry Tempest Williams
Beach Read by Emily Henry
Shades of Magic trilogy by V. E. Schwab
Rich Girl Nation by Katie Gatti Tassin
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
God of the Woods by Liz Moore
We Solve Murders by Richard Osmond
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Transcript
Emily Batdorf: [00:00:00] Are you drowning in money questions, but too embarrassed to ask? Tired of scrolling endlessly through conflicting financial advice that leaves you more confused than when you started? Welcome to the Finance Girlies Podcast, your cozy corner for all things finance. I'm your host Emily.
Cassidy Horton: And I'm your host Cassidy. We're both finance writers for brands like Forbes Advisor, USA Today Blueprint, and Yahoo Finance. Throughout our careers and personal lives, we have come to one realization: When we keep our money worries to ourselves we end up feeling alone. That's why each episode we tackle those burning questions you've been afraid to ask with no judgment, no jargon, just real talk about real money. Ready to finally get answers? Let's dive in.
Cassidy: Welcome back to the Finance Girlies.
Emily: And welcome to part two of our summer reading list [00:01:00] special.
Cassidy: Last week we talked about our favorite finance, career, and personal development books, and today we're sharing all of our favorite fiction books and fun reads, plus the books on our TBR list that we plan to stack by our beach chairs this summer.
Emily: But before we start, Cassidy, I wanted to ask you, were you a big reader as a kid?
Cassidy: I was a really big reader in elementary school. I forget, do you remember what that program is called?
Emily: Accelerated reader?
Cassidy: I think that was it. Yeah. Like the accelerated program.
Emily: You would take, like quizzes on, on the computer.
Cassidy: Yes.
Emily: Yeah, I was obsessed with that.
Cassidy: Me too. I loved it. Loved it. Loved it. And then something shifted like in middle school and high school, and I did not read as much outside of what I was required to read for school. I partially think that it's because I, and I know this is well beyond, like were you a big reader as a kid, but just kind of my reading journey over my adult life was a [00:02:00] really big reader as like a younger kid. And then something shifted in middle school and high school where. I don't know. I think the only thing I was encouraged to read by the adults in my life was like, either the Bible or devotionals, or books written by like, leaders of churches. And it was just so hard to get into all of those. So I really didn't read much as an adult outside of what I needed to read for college and stuff.
And then when the pandemic hit, I was like, I really wanna get back into reading. I think I'm gonna start with fiction books. I think too, I thought like if I read a book, it had to be a book that was actively helping me better my life. Like it had to be in the realm of self-development or else it wasn't worth reading.
And so giving myself permission to like really dive into fiction books just totally reignited my love of reading during the pandemic. So I've been back on the reading train, but yeah. Were you a reader as a kid? And how was that journey for you?
Emily: Oh yeah, I was a big reader. I remember in fifth grade, that's when we did the Accelerated Reader program. That's like the first [00:03:00] time any of my teachers did that. And we also had homework every day. We had to read, like, 20 or 30 minutes and then write a summary of whatever we read and we could read anything.
And I just honestly loved that homework. I would like, read on the bus on the way home from school sometimes, and at the end of the school year, I got an award for the most books read or something.
Cassidy: That's so cute.
Emily: And then as I got older, like high school, I think, like you, I kind of just read the books we were reading in school, but I do remember during summers like getting really into reading again, like there was a while where every summer I would reread the Harry Potter series.
And then I just remember like, going to the library and getting a stack of all kinds of things and just like reading for hours in the summers. And then again, I think I kind of took a bit of a break in college and then, I'm a big reader again, so I love it, all, [00:04:00] all times of the year.
Cassidy: I love the feeling of being like, there is this book that I want to spend all of my time reading because I'm hooked and I absolutely need to know what happens next. That is a feeling I chase anytime I'm reading a book.
Emily: Me too.
Cassidy: And if I don't have that feeling, it's really hard to make it all the way to the end.
Emily: Mm.
Cassidy: So, it might take me six months or I might just drop it all together.
Emily: Okay, let's switch gears and talk about some fun reads to get lost in this summer.
So these are books that have brought us a lot of joy and delight that are just totally worth a read this summer for those times when you just want something a little more fun or casual or easygoing. So we'll kind of go through again by category and talk about, like, what we got from these books, what themes they have, and why we recommend them.
[00:05:00] So let's start with the one your book club will actually want to discuss: books that spark conversations as refreshing as summer cocktails. Cassidy, what is your choice?
Cassidy: Okay, so my top pick here, and it's one that, it was an Emily recommendation. It is Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, and it's actually been turned into an Apple TV little, like one-series show that stars Brie Larson as the lead. And this is just such a cute book.
But yeah, it is about this woman who was a chemist in an era where many women were not chemists, and it's her navigating all of that and just kind of working through that system and being stubborn, like I said, but also being so funny. Like the book, the book is just so well written. Read it. Period.
Emily: I think it's, you just have to read it because it's hard to like, wrap up all of its goodness, because one, it's just so cute, but it's [00:06:00] also so thought provoking and like empowering in a way as a woman. So yeah, if you haven't read it, you just, you gotta read it.
Cassidy: It's so true. It's so hard. I wanna be like, my favorite part is blah de blah, but like, you don't wanna have any spoilers either. Okay. What's yours?
Emily: Okay. My pick is Fire Keeper's Daughter by Angeline Booley, and this is another one I recommend to anyone who will listen. This is actually a young adult book about a young woman in Sault St. Marie, Michigan. And she is half Anishinaabe, half, and the other side of her family is French. And so she's got kind of this, identity that she's grappling with as she's like, coming of age and she finds herself in the middle of this murder mystery. And this is another book that you'll just fly through. 'Cause there's suspense, [00:07:00] there are great characters. The main character, I just love her. Yeah, it's just one of those books that makes you angry in like a really cathartic kind of way and makes you think about the world in a different way.
And objectively, I think it's a really entertaining story, but it's also, there's a lot of important topics in it that I think any young adult or older adult should read. So highly, highly recommend.
Cassidy: Mm-hmm. That one's on my list too, of books I need to read.
Emily: Nice.
Cassidy: Okay, the next category is the perfect beach read for those lazy days when you wanna sink your toes in the sand and get lost in a story.
And I'll start by saying, my original pick here was Beach Read by Emily Henry, because I mean, it's in, it's in the title. And I do recommend it. Maybe it's an honorable mention. But my actual pick for this category is We Are The Beast by Gigi Griffiths. And this is a young adult novel. [00:08:00] It's, it's fairly short, honestly, I think I read it over the course of two or three days and I was reading just like an hour or two a night.
But it is this story that's set in the French countryside and I forget what year, like maybe the 1700s or something. And this beast is terrorizing this small village and no one really knows what's going on. But these two gals use this opportunity to sneak some women out of their town who are in not so good, like, family situations.
And it's just this book about like, as women, we are the beasts. Like we, we can do these hard things, like, kind of vigilante-type things. And you read the book, it, it is like, kind of heavy in some parts because you just hear about like. All these women that are essentially being abused in this town in some way or another just because the men are seen as superior in [00:09:00] every way.
And you just see how as a society that affects the women in this town. And then these two gals here are like, we're gonna do something about this, like we are, this is not gonna be our reality. And so you see them using this event that's going on in their village to like, make a better life for themselves.
And it's a really cute book.
Emily: Hmm. I'll have to read that one.
Cassidy: Mm-hmm.
Emily: My pick for this category is called Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan. And this was just a fun book. Kevin Kwan wrote like, the Crazy Rich Asians.
Cassidy: Mm-hmm.
Emily: And Lies and Weddings has I would say a very similar vibe. It follows this big wealthy family through all of these conflicts with each of the adult children, as they navigate getting married and breaking up and all of these different life events. And I don't remember how many weddings are part of this book, but there's a [00:10:00] lot of weddings and that's just like, it's really fun.
And it also takes place over, like, multiple continents. I think I remember it being pretty long. But once you get into it, you kind of fly through it. So just a fun, kind of like, glitzy, glamorous, funny entertaining book.
Cassidy: Hmm, that sounds so fun.
Emily: Yeah.
Cassidy: Okay, up next is the audio book for your summer road trip, and these are books that will hopefully make those miles fly by as you are hearing an excellent book.
So I can go first and I will give a little caveat by saying that I have personally discovered that I love listening to memoirs on road trips, especially when they're read by the author, because you can envision that person talking to you as you're driving.
And so back in 2019, for example, when I was moving from Georgia to Seattle, it was like, 50 hours in the car, and I listened to a lot of music, of [00:11:00] course, but I also downloaded Bossy Pants by Tina Fey, which is her memoir, and I listened to the entire book two times through because it was so entertaining.
It really did make the miles fly by. Like I was laughing, I was learning, and I felt like Tina Fey was in the car with me, and it just ended up being a really fun experience. So because of that experience, the audio book that I would recommend for a summer road trip is, I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy. The book somehow teeters this line between being really funny and also about a heavy topic. So the book is about Jeanette McCurdy, who played Sam on iCarly.
It is about her journey as a child actress and the relationship that she had with her abusive mom who kind of like, forced her into acting and just all of the things that came with that. And it is a really heavy book, but it is [00:12:00] also somehow, like, very entertaining at the same time, and so you, you'll be entranced on a road trip if you listened to this book.
And I'm Glad My Mom Died stayed at the New York Times Best or stayed on the New York Times bestsellers list for 80 weeks and like, like 52 weeks so for an entire year this book was on the bestsellers list, which just shows you how popular it was. And for good reason, like I'm not shocked seeing that.
Because it was truly, truly such a good book to the point where I honestly want to read it again. So yeah, highly recommend. But what about you, Emily? What's on your, summer road trip audio book list?
Emily: Yeah, I, also picked a memoir. I feel like the kind of book I want for a road trip is like, you, either a memoir or some kind of like, adventure story or mystery, but I was like, struggling to come up with either of those. So I chose memoir as [00:13:00] well. Another super popular one that was also on the bestseller list, I'm sure for weeks and months on end. And that is Educated by Tara Westover.
And I know this is a bit of an older book, so I'm sure a lot of people have already read it, but I guess if you haven't highly, highly recommend it just kind of, it's one of those books that, and I actually have read it twice, but just like, makes you think so differently about the world.
And it's a story about a woman who grows up in a really small, not even a town, but grows up in rural Idaho. She's one of, I can't remember, like six or seven kids, a Mormon family, and her parents essentially keep her from any sort of education outside of the home, and it's essentially her story of learning about the world because she is so sheltered.
Like, I think it, there was a, a part of this book [00:14:00] when she goes to, she eventually goes to college and learns about the Holocaust, like as a 18 or 20-year-old. Like this was just something she did not know about because of how she was so isolated growing up. So it's just a fascinating book and like, inspiring in how she pursued this life for herself.
Yeah, similarly, just like we'll have you on the edge of your seat, miles will fly by highly, highly recommend.
Cassidy: Yeah, that would be an excellent road trip book. 'Cause she, she's essentially raised in like, a survivalist Mormon household where like she's kept out of school, she's taught that doctors are bad. Like pretty much the entire world is bad. So, and then it's like her discovering, yeah. So she's like reflecting on these things that she was taught as a child and these like deep-seated beliefs that she held because that was the only information that she had. And then like slowly becoming educated and like undoing all of that. And then she ends up going to Oxford.[00:15:00]
Emily: Mm-hmm.
Cassidy: Yeah. So just a very, very cool story.
Emily: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Okay. Next category is the, I can't put it down a page turner for when you need a book that keeps you up way too late. I love this like, image of staying up in the summer, super late, reading a book, like it is like, kind of nostalgic. I feel like I did that with, you know, Harry Potter and books like that as a kid.
But what is your pick?
Cassidy: Okay. I was gonna say, quick side note. I have not read the Harry Potter books ever, and I've heard that they really stand their ground. Like even if you are an adult, reading them, it's not just one of those things that you like, get really into when you're a kid. Like the books still hold weight. So maybe they should be on my TBR list for the summer, little Harry Potter series?
Emily: I think so.
Cassidy: I’ve heard it’s good! Okay. The book on my list, the, I can't put it down page [00:16:00] turner. This book had me hooked. I read the whole thing in 24 hours, which is kind of unlike me. And that book was, drum roll please. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins, read. Have you read this book?
Emily: No, but I've read some of her other books and really enjoyed them.
Cassidy: Okay. It is about a lady who has seven husbands over the course of her life, and I will not give anything away, but you are figuring out why she had these seven husbands and it's not just all because you know, like they were in love and she got married and it didn't work out, and then she got married again.
They're just like all interwoven and for different reasons, and then they all culminate and like this plot twist of sorts, and it is just a really good book. It was truly a page turner for me, like I could not wait to finish it, but I just recommended it to a dear friend and it took her like six months to get through it.
She was like, I'm really trying and I'm not into it. So I will throw that caveat out there, but [00:17:00] it was a page turner for me, so yeah.
Emily: Interesting. Okay. Noted. I'll add it to my list. My pick for this category was a book that was recommended to me by a friend called Breathless by Amy McCullough and I have since recommended this to another of our friends. We're all actually in a book club together and she also loved it. So it's, it's been going around my circle. But anyway, this book, I will say it's not like maybe the most artfully written book, but it's one of those books that you just, you read it for the plot and the plot keeps you engaged.
So this book is about a journalist who gets invited on this expedition to climb not Everest, but another like, high Himalayan Peak. And she's invited by this famous mountaineer. And so she's like really [00:18:00] excited. She's not an experienced climber, but she is joining this expedition so she can interview this climber for this big piece she's writing for a magazine. And right away all of these, like suspicious things start happening before the expedition even begins somebody's found dead. They're on a mountain. There's mysterious things happening. It's just like the spookiest atmosphere. But it's just like a really fun, fun read. And yeah, you gotta find out what happens.
And I will add, this author has another book, a newer book, I think with like, a similar plot that takes place on like a, I wanna say like an Antarctic cruise or something. I haven't read it yet, but I for sure, I'm going to, it's on my list. So if you like this, there's more.
Cassidy: Very fun. The very next category we're gonna talk about is the guilt-free [00:19:00] escape. So this book is pure enjoyment with zero shame. And my choice for this category was Romantic Comedy by Curtis Seinfeld. And if you are at all an SNL fan, so Saturday Night Live, I highly recommend this book.
It's about this person who is a sketch writer for The Night Owls, which is a late night live comedy show that airs every Saturday, AKA, Saturday Night Live, but different, and the very first third of the book is her going through one week of like prepping for that Saturday show and like pitching sketches in like, the board room and then seeing those come to life and all of that stuff.
And the person who's the guest is like both the host and the musical guest for that week. And so a lot of times they try to pitch sketches that the guest will like, because the guest is gonna be like the main person starring in them. So it's a little like enemies-to-lovers kind of [00:20:00] situation. And then like the next section of the book is like a series of email exchanges, which to me, I, you feel like you're getting a peek. You're like, I'm gonna read all these emails.
It's a really sweet story, but it is a romantic comedy of sorts, and it's just a really, like, light, fun read, but if you are someone who really likes SNL, it does, it is factually correct for a lot of the stuff. Like Curtis, who wrote the book, did all of this research, like, watched everything available on SNL, even attended like,live shows, like reached out to people.
So a lot of the things that are going on fictionally in this book are based on real world examples of how SNL operates behind the scenes. So it's kinda like you got a glimpse into both and it's just, it's a good book.
Emily: Hmm. I love when books do that.
Cassidy: Mm-hmm.
Emily: Okay, my pick for this category is a book I actually just finished for book club called [00:21:00] Vero Wong's, Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto. And I had never heard of this book before, I don't think, before my book club picked it, but it was like universally loved.
And my book club, for context, is like, a very diverse group of people, like all ages. And everyone seemed to really like it, so, and me included. It is about this older woman who runs a tea shop in Chinatown in San Francisco and one day goes downstairs to a tea shop and finds a dead body.
Cassidy: Hmm.
Emily: And she just takes it on herself to solve what she is calling from, the very start on murder, by befriending all of the suspects and just trying to figure out what happened. And it is so funny. Like this character is just like one of my favorite [00:22:00] characters from a book ever. And there's all these like intergenerational friendships.
And yeah, it's just a really funny, lighthearted, just enjoyable read.
Cassidy: Okay, I am gonna add this to my TBR list because I love when the like main person in a book is just really funny and like their thoughts are funny
Emily: So funny.
Cassidy: And they're making you laugh.
Emily: She also, one of the highlights is that she keeps like a detective journal, and so like you'll get to read like right out of her journal and it's so funny. So funny.
Cassidy: Okay. This might be the very next book that I read. We're over here naming categories. I'm like, I've got my next book. You have just given it to me. This sounds so good. Yeah. Yeah.
Emily: It's really cute and there's a sequel I just learned, so I haven't read it yet, but. Vera’s back.
Cassidy: Okay. I am gonna add [00:23:00] one. Okay. Have you read the book? Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine?
Emily: Okay. Funny story. I've started it and then like, I had it on Kindle and it got returned and so I never, I never got to finish it and I plan to someday, but.
Cassidy: Mm-hmm.
Emily: I haven’t.
Cassidy: It was one of the first books that I read early into the pandemic, and I just remember being like, this girl is so funny. Like, her thoughts just made me laugh so much the way she viewed the world and stuff. And I, yeah, the, the book ended up being a page turner too, purely because of the humor, you know, it's just such a good, like little dry sense of humor that she had.
Emily: Yeah.
All right. The next category is the cozy evening read: perfect for winding down after a summer day. And my pick for this is a book I read recently recommended to me by my mom, and we share, I'd say, a similar taste in books. But she really nailed this [00:24:00] one.
It's called Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Claire Pooley. And this is an adorable book about, similarly, I'd say to Vera Wong, it's like this older woman who just her antics are hilarious. Essentially it's about this group of strangers on a train in London who know of each other but don't know each other.
And so they all call each other like, crazy bag lady or serious and beautiful reader. I'm getting these wrong, but…
Cassidy: That's cute.
Emily: One of them is like something, something man spreader. But anyway, they all get to know each other, by like, some happenstance and their lives just all kind of become intertwined in like these funny ways.
And this is one of those books where, like reading the back of it, I was like, mmm, this sounds like it could be kind of interesting. But like, it's not really grabbing me. But it was so, just [00:25:00] so good. Like so, made you feel so warm and fuzzy. The characters are adorable, and just the whole story, how it wraps up at the end is just so well done.
Cassidy: It's funny that you mentioned that this book is similar to your last pick. 'cause the titles are so similar too. It's like Vera Wong's, Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, and then Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting.
Emily: Yeah. Huh. I didn't even realize that.
Cassidy: That's cute. Okay. My favorite thing to do if I want like, a cozy evening read is to reach for a book of poems.
A lot of people will read before bed. I cannot read before bed. I've tried so many times. It puts me to sleep like no matter how interested I am in the book, it's like page two in, I am dozing off and I can't comprehend, and then I have to go back and read the next day. 'Cause I was like, fighting for my eyelids to stay open.
So usually my strategy for a cozy evening read is to just read a few poems. Like if you're feeling really awake, maybe read 15 poems. But. Some of my favorite books of poems [00:26:00] are A Bit Much by Lindsay Rush. She is also a copywriter by trade and she is just so freaking hilarious. And her poems are, you know, like a lot of women are taught that they are too much.
And so her whole thing is about, like, embracing being a bit too much and seeing it as this really good thing instead of this thing to be ashamed of. And so those are kind of like the bulk of, that's the bulk of her poems. But I have so many dog-eared in that book. And then also I do have a few of Rupi Kaur’s books as well, so, Milk and Honey and then The Sun and Her Flowers. Those are both good ones too.
And then I also have on my nightstand right now, Instructions for Traveling West by Joy Sullivan. And a lot of these are like poets that I follow on Instagram. Then if I find out they have a book, I'm like, I'm buying your book.
So all of those are good.
Emily: I will take those suggestions. I know you've shared some of Lindsay Rush's poems with me [00:27:00] before, but, this is crazy to say. I don't think I own any poetry books and it's just not something I tend to gravitate toward. But I would like to broaden my horizons, so.
Cassidy: Yeah. I have found recently that anytime I enter a bookstore, I am kind of drawn to the poetry section first.
Emily: Hmm. Wow. I'll have to guide myself there next time.
Cassidy: The next category is the types of books that make you wanna put your phone away and just be. Like, live in that kind of experience. So these are books that are compelling enough to help you disconnect from everything else going on. And my top pick. It's like one of the first books I read during the pandemic, was The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. It is, no joke to this day, like one of my top five favorite books.
Emily: Hmm.
Cassidy: Okay, so the book bounces back and forth between two different time periods, and one of the time periods is like 18th century France. And the other time period is present-day New York. And I don't think I'll give too much away because you find this out almost [00:28:00] immediately, but it's the same person living in both time periods because something has happened.
So she keeps bouncing back to when it was the 18th century and she was living in France and then her life now in present day New York. And the book just bounces back and forth and it is so beautifully written, I don't know how many pages the book is in real life, I read the ebook version and I remember it being like, over a thousand pages, like the ebook.
So it's probably the size of like, a Harry Potter or Hunger Games or something like that. But yeah, it goes by so fast because the time periods are bouncing back and forth. And then also the storyline itself is so unique, so beautifully written, so captivating.
Emily: We picked really different types of books this time, which is interesting. I guess we did for the last category too. So this time I chose a nonfiction book called The Hour of Land by Terry Tempest Williams. And I'm not sure if you're [00:29:00] familiar with this author. She is like one of my favorites. I would call her a nature writer, based in Utah. She grew up Mormon and was a practicing Mormon into her adult life and has themes in some of her books. But this is one of her more recent books at, at this point, it's not super recent, but I think it came out in like the late 2010s.
And it's essentially just like a collection of essays and each one is about a different national park. And like a story of her experience there. And, I will say this author's like, near and dear to my heart because she actually worked at the organization I used to work at out of college. Um.
Cassidy: Get outta here.
Emily: Yeah, at like an environmental education nonprofit in Wyoming.
So she, in some of her books, will reference these places. I know and, and I love that about her writing. But this book is so beautiful. [00:30:00] She shares, for example, she has a story about being in Glacier National Park for her, I think like her dad's birthday, with her big Mormon family.
And like a wildfire comes through and it's like a super intense essay. And then she has one about a trip she went on with her husband in Big Bend National Park in Texas in like the dead of winter. So each chapter is a different park and she just is, one of the most beautiful writers I've ever read. I think she has such a gift. So if you're like, at all interested in nature writing or like into national parks at all, I think it's probably worth a read. It's a really, really beautiful book.
Cassidy: Are they all nonfiction stories?
Emily: Mm-hmm. Yeah. They're all like personal essays. Yeah.
Cassidy: Yeah. Wow. That seems very cool.
Emily: Okay. Let's switch gears for this last section and talk about what is on our summer TBR list. So do you wanna go [00:31:00] first?
Cassidy: Yes. All of the books on my TBR list were recommendations from friends. So. Truly, I do not know much about these, but I trust the recommendation of the people who gave them. So that's what we're going off of.
The very first thing on the list is more Emily Henry books, just in general. The only Emily Henry book I've read to date is Beach Read and I have a whole group of friends who have read pretty much every Emily Henry book, and they sent me this order. They were like, start with Beach Read 'cause in our opinion it's the best. And then here's the order you should follow. And so I have that list. I bought Beach Read in November, and it is currently May. And it took me like six months to finish the book.
Like the book was good, but I just could not get into it and a lot of times it's hard for me to push through and like, keep reading a book [00:32:00] every single day if I'm just not really feeling it. So I finally finished that book and I do want to give more of her books a chance. So that's the first thing on my TBR list. Have you read many Emily Henry books or do you have any thoughts on that?
Emily: Yeah, I actually just read Beach Read and similar to you, I enjoyed it, but it definitely took a while to get into, and at no point was it really like a page turner for me. I like her books. I wouldn't say I'm the biggest fan, but.
Cassidy: Yeah, I agree. The second thing on my list, I have three things total, is the Shades of Magic Trilogy by V. E. Schwab. And this is recommended to me by Dear Friend who one of her favorite books is also The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which is by the same author.
So she was like, I read this trilogy and absolutely loved it. So I, honestly, I think I'll probably try it first out of everything on my TBR list.
Emily: What genre?
Cassidy: I think it is kind of like, mystical, magical world [00:33:00] building.
Emily: Hmm. Oh, adult fantasy.
Cassidy: Okay, there we go.
Emily: I'm curious.
Cassidy: Yeah, and then someone else recommended a series. It's the Part of Your World Series by Abby Jimenez.
Emily: I've definitely heard of that.
Cassidy: Yeah, like I think there's one book that even has somewhere in the title. So I think they're just kind of like light little books to read. So we'll see. Those are the three things on my list.
So what about you?
Emily: I think my list has been edited since I first made it, but the, number one on my list is Rich Girl Nation by Katie Gatti Tassin. And this is the Katie behind Money with Katie, whose podcast I've been a fan of for a while. I absolutely love her writing. She like, writes a weekly essay along with her podcast and I think she's super smart, an amazing writer, and I can't wait to read her book.So that comes out in June.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy, I'm actually reading that book [00:34:00] now. It was suggested by a friend. We're actually reading it for our book club. And so, which is why I've already started it. It is a book about a family who’s caretakers of this remote island off the coast of Antarctica.
And this mysterious woman shows up and it's all very, like, you know, something's going on, something big, but you can't, you, you're not sure what yet. And there's like this undertone of like, climate change disasters that are happening back on the mainland, which honestly that part I don't love. It's like, a little unnerving. But the story and the characters, it is all really good and really well written. So I'll be finishing that.
And then the last two are both mysteries. I really love. Mysteries, especially in the summer, they're just fun. One of them is God of the Woods, which I know is a newer book and has been popular recently. However, I just learned that my book club will be reading it. So I'm gonna save that until, I think September is when we're gonna read it.
And then [00:35:00] We Solve Murders by Richard Osmond. This author wrote. A series called the Thursday Murder Club, and similar to what we were talking about earlier, the main characters are so funny that it just makes the book so fun to read.
It's about these and I'm talking about his older series, is about these four main characters. They all live in like, a retirement community together and just decide that on Thursdays, they're gonna meet and like, solve unsolved murders. And I think his new book is kind of like a similar vibe and may also turn into a series. So I'm just excited to see what this author has in store for his next series 'cause I love his writing. So that's what I'll be reading and I'm sure a whole lot more, but that's what's on my list.
Cassidy: Okay. I love that. Are you up for an optional mini challenge of sorts where we pick a book for [00:36:00] each other to read and report back later this summer on what we thought?
Emily: Absolutely.
Cassidy: Okay. Do you already have a book that comes to mind? Because I do already have one for you.
Emily: Mmm, no, I don't. Hold on.
Cassidy: Okay.
Emily: Can I ask for your input? Do you want fiction or nonfiction?
Cassidy: Let's do fiction.
Emily: Okay. Then I choose Firekeeper’s Daughter.
Cassidy: Oh, okay. I'll read it. My pick for you is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab.
Emily: Ooh, okay. It's a big one I hear.
Cassidy: But it's a good one. It's so good.
Emily: I have heard so much about that book.
Cassidy: My gut instinct anytime someone's like, I've never read that before. I'm like, just read it. It'll be your favorite book. Just read it.
Emily: Okay, we'll see. We will see. And Firekeeper's Daughter is like one of my favorite books, so I am curious to see how you like it.
Cassidy: Yeah. I think I actually wrote it down like months ago when you recommended [00:37:00] it. And just haven't gotten around to it yet. Maybe there's like a long wait at the library or something, so it might be one of those that I just end up buying.
Emily: Yeah, it's worth it. I think.
Cassidy: We'll see.
Emily: If you have any thoughts on any of the books we talked about today or have other recommendations you think we should read this summer, please send them our way, whether it's a finance book or not.
Cassidy: Yeah. If you're anything like me, you may waffle back and forth between, like, reading a self-help, non-fiction book and then needing a fiction book as well. So maybe you listen to last week's episode and pick more of a, like, this book is gonna help me better my life kind of situation. And you pick a really fun book that we talked about today and you pair them together and you read them this summer and maybe you'll learn something. Or at the very least, they'll bring you some joy.
Emily: That's how I like to read. As always, you can leave a comment on this episode on Substack or email us at hello@thefinancegirlies.com.
Just as a reminder, the last episode of each month is reserved for [00:38:00] Finance Girlies Insiders, and that is our paid podcast tier. Insiders episodes are usually a little juicier and are episodes that we would rather share behind a paywall and not to the general public. So if you are curious about that you can subscribe on our Substack.
Cassidy: But that is it, and we will see you next week.
Emily Batdorf: That's a wrap on another episode of the Finance Girlies podcast. Nothing in this episode is meant to be taken as financial advice.
Cassidy Horton:Please do your own research and talk to a professional if you need advice. As always, if you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe, rate [01:02:00] and review. Love you. Bye.
