{"id":522062,"date":"2026-06-28T02:38:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T02:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/522062\/"},"modified":"2026-06-28T02:38:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T02:38:19","slug":"9-books-to-add-to-your-summer-reading-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/522062\/","title":{"rendered":"9 books to add to your summer reading list\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

From thrillers and memoirs to romcoms and murder mysteries, there\u2019s something for everyone\u2026 Here are our nine picks covering all types of genres:<\/p>\n

\n 1. For the thrill-seekers\u2026 Judge Stone by James Patterson and Viola Davis (Century)\n <\/p>\n

Hot on the heels of link-ups with Dolly Parton and former US president Bill Clinton, author James Patterson is back with his latest collaboration \u2013 and this time, he\u2019s teamed up with Hollywood star Viola Davis.<\/p>\n

Judge Stone is a page-turner of a legal thriller, set in a small Alabama town, where Judge Mary Stone presides over the courtroom. She finds herself in the middle of a national debate when she\u2019s handed the most controversial case of her career \u2013 whether or not to prosecute a local doctor, who performed an abortion on a 13-year-old girl.<\/p>\n

With simmering racial tensions and a hot button issue like abortion, Judge Stone\u2019s town soon becomes a tinderbox \u2013 and everything she does is being watched by the rest of the U.S.<\/p>\n

\n 2. For the history buffs\u2026 Agrippa by Robert Harris (Hutchinson Heinemann, out Aug 27)\n <\/p>\n

Anyone looking to jet off towards the end of the summer holidays could do worse than pick up a copy of Agrippa, the latest novel by Conclave author Robert Harris.<\/p>\n

Harris breathes life into well-known characters from Roman history in Agrippa, set in the aftermath of Julius Caesar\u2019s death. It follows the story of Caesar\u2019s nephew, his heir Octavius \u2013 who went on to become the Emperor Augustus \u2013 and his friend, Agrippa.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s told from the perspective of Agrippa, who\u2019s writing his memoirs at aged 50 \u2013 thinking back to meeting Caesar, fighting Mark Antony and Cleopatra, and above all: his relationship with the ruthless Octavius.<\/p>\n

\n 3. For the romantics\u2026 International Relations by Zac Hammett (Zaffre)\n <\/p>\n

What is a summer reading list without a romcom? Zac Hammett\u2019s latest book, International Relations, has all the romcom tropes we know and love, which makes it such a satisfying beach read.<\/p>\n

It follows diplomat Max, who\u2019s after an ambassadorial position in Athens \u2013 but is told his chances against rival Quentin would be much improved if he had a partner. So Max does what anyone in a romcom would do, and hires an actor, Hunter, to pretend to be his boyfriend \u2013 and you can probably guess what happens from there\u2026<\/p>\n

\n 4. For the crime enthusiasts\u2026 Thornbird by E Kennedy (Electric Money, out July 2)\n <\/p>\n

College-set romcom Off-Campus, based on Elle Kennedy\u2019s book series, has become a breakout show for Prime Video. Fans might be surprised to hear Kennedy is going down a completely new route for her latest YA release.<\/p>\n

\"ThornbirdThornbird by E Kennedy is perfect for lovers of crime fiction<\/p>\n

Writing as E Kennedy, the author is exploring the world of crime, thrillers and murder mysteries in Thornbird. The book\u2019s protagonist, Ryan Shipley, is back in her small Tennessee hometown, 10 years after her serial killer father was sent to prison.<\/p>\n

Old secrets start coming to the fore, with Ryan digging deeper and deeper into what\u2019s actually going on in her town.<\/p>\n

\n 5. For the feel-good readers\u2026 Two Sisters by Laura Dockrill (HQ)\n <\/p>\n

Author Laura Dockrill is responsible for the most heartwarming edition to this summer reading list. As the title suggests, Two Sisters follows Leonie and Nora \u2013 two sisters who happen to be complete opposites.<\/p>\n

Adventurous Leonie left their home of the Isle of Pitte, while Nora \u2013 who prefers home comforts \u2013 stays back. But when life catches up with Leonie, she\u2019s forced to return to the Isle of Pitte, where she\u2019s reunited with Nora \u2013 and while the two might be completely different, both are equally lost in life.<\/p>\n

\n 6. For the mystery lovers\u2026 The Keeper by Tana French (Viking)\n <\/p>\n

Readers are in safe hands with any new release from Tana French. The Dublin-based crime writer is back with her latest thriller, The Keeper, and it\u2019s just as gripping as you\u2019d expect from her.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Keeper by Dublin-based crime writer Tana French is ideal for lovers of mystery novels<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the third instalment in the Cal Hooper series, but can easily be read as a stand-alone novel. In a remote Irish village, local girl Rachel goes missing \u2013 and is found dead in a river. What follows is a pacy murder mystery, with retired Chicago detective Hooper on the hunt for the truth.<\/p>\n

Nothing is straightforward in this case, particularly as Cal\u2019s fiancee, Lena, doesn\u2019t want him anywhere near the case \u2013 but they soon become embroiled in the drama.<\/p>\n

\n 7. For the gossipers\u2026 Famesick by Lena Dunham (Fourth Estate)\n <\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to miss the hype around Girls star Lena Dunham\u2019s new autobiography. It\u2019s the actor and writer\u2019s second memoir \u2013 following 2014\u2019s Not That Kind Of Girl \u2013 and covers her journey with fame, from being catapulted to the world stage as a 25-year-old thanks to her TV show Girls, up until today.<\/p>\n

A lot of the book covers her health issues, but there\u2019s plenty of juicy tidbits about the famous people in her life \u2013 including her former partner, musician Jack Antonoff, and Girls co-stars Adam Driver and Jemima Kirke.<\/p>\n

\n 8. For the debut buffs\u2026 Good People by Patmeena Sabit (Viking)\n <\/p>\n

Anyone who likes to sink their teeth into a buzzy debut should look no further than Good People by Patmeena Sabit.<\/p>\n

It takes the idea of the American Dream and turns it on its head. The Sharafs arrive in the U.S as Afghani refugees, and manage to build a life for themselves \u2013 living in an exclusive neighbourhood, and sending their children to top schools.<\/p>\n

Everything is, on the surface, perfect. Until the eldest daughter, Zorah, dies in an unthinkable tragedy \u2013 and the whole family find themselves on trial in the court of public opinion.<\/p>\n

At it\u2019s core, it\u2019s a thriller and a mystery \u2013 with added layers exploring what it means to be a \u2018good\u2019 immigrant.<\/p>\n

\n 9. For the film nerds\u2026 Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke (Fourth Estate)\n <\/p>\n

Yesteryear has been one of the break-out books of the year so far, so it\u2019s well worth putting on your summer reading list to see what all the hype is about.<\/p>\n

\"YesteryearYesteryear follows \u2018tradwife\u2019 influencer Natalie, who lives a highly Instagrammable life on a ranch<\/p>\n

It follows \u2018tradwife\u2019 influencer Natalie, who lives a highly Instagrammable life on a ranch making sourdough bread and taking care of her children. But one day, she wakes up in the 1880s and the lifestyle she\u2019s portrayed on social media suddenly becomes altogether too real \u2013 and she can\u2019t quite work out what\u2019s actually going on.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a thrilling and darkly funny read, with Hollywood star Anne Hathaway set to produce and star in the film adaptation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From thrillers and memoirs to romcoms and murder mysteries, there\u2019s something for everyone\u2026 Here are our nine picks…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":522063,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[288,93,61,60],"class_list":["post-522062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-books","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=522062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/522063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=522062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=522062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=522062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}