I read some fantastic books this summer and I cannot wait to share them with you! This list includes The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton, Foster by Claire Keegan, and A Bluestocking’s Guide to Decadence by Jess Everlee. All three were amazing and written by great female writers.
- The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton.
This book was absolutely fantastic, as India’s books always are! The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love, is the perfect summer read! It follows rival ornithologists Beth and Devon who are both racing across England’s countryside as part of a competition to find the rare deathwhistler bird. The bird is rumored to have magical powers, and whoever finds and captures it will become Birder of the Year, a position that will greatly improve the winner’s professional life.Â
From their very first interaction, Devon finds Beth to be beautiful, intelligent, and extremely good at her job. However, he cannot, at any cost, let her know this because of their rivalry. And of course, this becomes harder when the two ornithologists are forced to team up to have a chance at finding the rare bird. It also becomes even more difficult when all of England suddenly starts following their progress and shipping them together!Â
India Holton’s characteristic humor and creativity shines throughout the book just as it did in her Dangerous Damsels series. Her books are lighthearted, fun, and adventurous just much as they are romantic and dreamy. Her characters are so wonderful and feel so real! I felt exactly like I was an ornithologist tramping across the country in search of the deathwhistler alongside Beth and Devon. Â
I’m so excited for the rest of the series and I cannot recommend The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love more!
- Foster by Claire Keegan.Â
Foster is a “long short story” in Keegan’s words about a quiet Irish schoolgirl who is sent to live with her mother’s cousins for the summer. Her family is poor and one less mouth to feed is no small relief for them. She’s used to being the problem child in a family with little time, but she flourishes in this new home. I absolutely adored this story and cannot recommend it enough. It’s emotional but very good. And at only 89 pages, it’s definitely worth the read.
Related: My Top 10 Books EVER
- A Bluestocking’s Guide to Decadence by Jess Everlee
I am absolutely obsessed with this book! From the very first page, I was hooked. A Bluestocking’s Guide to Decadence takes place in Victorian London and follows Emily, or Dr. Emily Clarke, and Jo Smith, a bookshop owner. Jo is in a lavender marriage with her best friend and business partner, Paul, and lives an unconventional but simple and content life. When Paul’s companion, an actress named Vanessa, gets pregnant, Jo’s life is threatened to be upended. She decides the best course of action is to try to be useful, so she writes to Dr. Emily Clarke to request help caring for Vanessa.Â
The two women are immediately at odds and do not get along. The natural way that Emily and Jo progressed from “enemies” to friends to lovers THROUGH LETTER WRITING (!!!) was so well-written. I think my favorite part of this story was the correspondence through letters that captured the unfolding romance between the two. The chemistry between them was undeniable and amazing. It made my heart so full! I especially liked how communicative Jo and Emily were– if an issue arose, they figured it out and it made their bond stronger.Â
I loved Jess Everlee’s writing style and the way she brought every character to life. Every line of dialogue was well thought out and so realistic. I felt like I was living their lives alongside them and the other characters that made up their unconventional families. Speaking of families, the found family in this book was amazing. I can’t stop thinking about this story! It is definitely now one of my comfort stories.
Let me know if you decide to read any of these!