As much as I hate to say this, summer is almost coming to an end. If you're looking to enjoy these last summer weeks reading and relaxing by the sun (or the bath like me), here are my recommended reads. 

The Little French Bistro, Nina George

This book is about hope and open-mindedness. The story is about this German lady in her sixties who wants to end her life because of her unhappy marriage and existence. Despite everything, she ends up in a village in the South France and her life changes immediately. The sea and the people have a positive influence on her and she will start to become her true self! It was a lovely read that made me want to travel to the South of France. The descriptions of smell, colors and texture made this book an inviting read!

Marlena, Julie Buntin

Marlena is one of the books presented in the Belletrist book club! It's a coming-of-age about the friendship of two teenage girls, Marlena and Cat. Cat just moved to Silver Lake in Michigan and she immediately becomes friend with the neighbor, the intoxicating Marlena. Their friendship is strong and together they experience deceptions, drug abuse and the difficulty of being a teenager. Marlena dies suddently in the woods after a few months of Cat moving to Michigan, and the book is mostly about Cat's grief and her memories of that year. This story is heartbreaking yet inspiring. The emotions are so strongly felt and I only wanted to be there for the two main characters.

Les Petites Tempêtes, Valérie Chevalier

This book in French is a page turner and a love story. The narrator, Raphaëlle, recounts the moments in her life where she met people she loved: from friendships to romance. The rhythm is very fast, as the story starts when she is thirteen and ends 200 pages later in her thirties. I love that the story is mostly based in Montreal because it was easy for me to imagine the locations. Also, the author is a real poet and the writing was beautiful!

The Dead Husband Project, Sarah Meehan Sirk

The Dead Husband Project is a collection of short stories about love and death. Each story is deeply touching and relatable because of the human experiences recounted. I love the flow between them. It's a modern piece of literature featuring unexpected events and outcomes. It was the first compilation of short stories I've read written by the same author and I was pleasantly surprised! 

What book would you recommend this month?


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