Top Ten Books That Remind Me of Summer

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

This week's topic: Top Ten Books That Should Be In Your Beach Bag or Ten Books That Will Be In My Beach Bag This Summer

I'm adjusting the topic a little bit because I'm not much of a beach-goer. If I DO go, I'll be sure to let y'all know what I brought, but for now I'll just list the top ten books that remind me of summer. And when I say "remind me of summer," I mean for a multitude of reasons. Not just because the book took place in summer (though some of them do!) :)

Fire by Kristin Cashore: I read this book in the summer. I read Graceling in the summer, too, but for some reason, this is the one that resonates with the idea of summer for me. Maybe it's an association thing--fire is hot just like summertime, or the cover is orange red and hotter colors. I'm not sure. All I know is that this book = summer in my mind. Also, this book = Dog Days Are Over by Florence + the Machine.

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles: I really, really like this trilogy. These three were the first books I'd ever picked up by Simone, and I am so grateful I found them. I'm fairly certain these were more that I read in summertime, and this book is my favorite in the trilogy. The romance is another thing that pairs this novel with summer for me. It's sweet, it's fantastic, and that's the way I think.

The Book of Luke by Jenny O'Connell: I BOUGHT this book during the summer of 2010. It was my first trip to a bookstore (Borders!) in Texas, and I was all kinds of excited to spend my money on some books. I flew through this book soon after buying it, and now it sticks out in my mind. The carefree cover helps a lot, too. And if you've ever seen John Tucker Must Die, this is a story sort of like that, but I like this ending way better. This is my favorite JTMD-esque story.

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen: The story takes place during summer--as do several of Sarah Dessen's novels--and also features one of my favorite Sarah Dessen boys. (Okay, so that's a trick thing, since I love them all even though I probably shouldn't.) Of all of Sarah's summer-set books, this one is always the first one to come to mind. I think this is the first to come to mind of all her novels in general for me. I love Dexter, and this whole story is sweetness personified. There's a lot said about love in here that was so enlightening for me to read--then again, that happens with lots of Sarah Dessen books for me :)

The Story of Us by Deb Caletti: Deb Caletti is one of my favorite contemporary authors, and my favorite book by her is actually Stay which also takes place during the summer, like this one. But this book is the one that reminds me of summer. Maybe it's because I read this one in a summer month. Maybe it's because I wasn't feeling well when I read it. Maybe it's because I cried like a baby at the end, even though I cannot to this day truly understand why. There are lots of reasons why this may be the one of Deb's books that reminds me of summer, but all I know for sure is that it does. And you should read it, because it's fabulous.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han: I didn't read this one in the summer. I actually didn't read any of this trilogy in the summer. We'll Always Have Summer almost made it, but it was the beginning of May. But I didn't need to read these in the summer, since these books are all about summer for people who have been close all their lives. This one isn't as carefree, but it is beautiful and I enjoyed all three of these books absolutely. The love triangle could be quite agonizing, but that didn't take the story down any for me. (By the way, I was Team Conrad. I heart me some Jere, though.)

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins: Fun, sweet, and adorable, this book is one that I can pick up at literally any time and enjoy. The lightheartedness of it makes it fit perfectly into the summer category of my brain, and St. Clair, y'all. ST. CLAIR. With his accent and his kindness and everything that is him. Goodness, I adore this book.

How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles: Yes, another one by Simone. This is actually my favorite trilogy by her. I'm not sure if I have a favorite book within the trilogy, so I'm just listing the first one. I first got into these books in the summer, but even if I didn't I know they'd still be on this list because they fit just like Anna did. They're funny, quirky, and I swoon my face off while reading. Avi is one of my favorite book boys of all time. ALL TIME, GUYS. That's a big deal.

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout: I was part of the Daemon Invasion in the summer of 2012 (our team ended up winning--check out the dedication in Opal!), and that was when I "officially" started getting into JLA. I read Obsidian in June, and then died inside until August when Onyx came out. Then I read that ASAP and waited forever and a half for book 3. But still, I got into this series and JLA in summer. The beginning of summer, to be exact. These books will always have a strong tie to those months for me, as will they to my favorite song: Mr. Jones by Counting Crows. OH, and it's also worth mentioning that Daemon and Katy's story begins in the summertime. So that's another thing.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson: This book is the epitome of summer reads for me. I read it in the summer, it takes place in the summer, and every summer since I read it, I've wanted to pick it up and take a trip down memory lane with Amy and Roger. It's extremely difficult for me to think of anything I dislike about this book; I just love so much about it. I love Roger, I love Amy, I love their adventure, I love their playlists, I LOVE IT ALL. And goodness, I swooned so hard. The very first book I ever think of when asked about my favorite summer read is always this story about Amy and Roger and their fantabulous detour that I had the best time reading. I can't wait to dig in this summer and read it again! 

And that's my list! Have you read any of them? Do they remind you of summer at all? Let me know! Also, if you did a Top Ten Tuesday post (even if you did it without modifying the topic), link me up so I can check it out! Just because I'm not much of a beach goer doesn't mean I don't want me some super fun beach reads. ;)