Summer is here! The season when the sun lingers, the breeze carries a promise of adventure, and we can finally carve out moments for ourselves. For me, summer has always been a time of self care through the simple pleasure of reading. Summer reads calm the spirit, transport us to new worlds, and offer the companionship of characters who remind us of our resilience, our humor, and our unbreakable hope.

In the quiet hours of a summer afternoon, I often find myself under a shady tree or a comfortable spot at home next to my Ultimate Concierge, a glass of iced tea in hand and a book resting on my lap. The act of reading isn’t just entertainment, it’s an act of self-love. It’s a gentle way to reconnect with myself, to reflect, to dream, and to give my heart and mind space to wander. In these sacred moments, I am reminded that caring for our inner world is just as vital as tending to our outer one.

This summer, I invite you to gift yourself the joy of soulful reading. Whether you’re seeking laughter, a touch of mystery, or stories that celebrate the strength of the human spirit, these seven books are my recommended companions. And here’s a special treat: I’m celebrating the art of self care with a Summer Giveaway… a chance for you to win a wonderful new summer book to add to your collection! Read to the bottom to learn how to enter and bring a little extra joy to your summer.

Summer Reads That are Good for the Soul

• One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

“I never anticipated Charlie Florek.

Good things happen at the lake. That’s what Alice’s grandmother says, and it’s true. Alice spent just one summer there at a cottage with Nan when she was seventeen—it’s where she took that photo, the one of three grinning teenagers in a yellow speedboat, the image that changed her life.

Now Alice lives behind a lens. As a photographer, she’s most comfortable on the sidelines, letting other people shine. Lately though, she’s been itching for something more, and when Nan falls and breaks her hip, Alice comes up with a plan for them both: another summer in that magical place, Barry’s Bay. But as soon as they settle in, their peace is disrupted by the roar of a familiar yellow boat, and the man driving it.

Charlie Florek was nineteen when Alice took his photo from afar. Now he’s all grown up—a shameless flirt, who manages to make Nan laugh and Alice long to be seventeen again, when life was simpler, when taking pictures was just for fun. Sun-slanted days and warm nights out on the lake with Charlie are a balm for Alice’s soul, but when she looks up and sees his piercing green gaze directly on her, she begins to worry for her heart.

Because Alice sees people—that’s why she is so good at what she does—but she’s never met someone who looks and sees her right back.” -Berkley

• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

“A charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow’s unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.

Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.” -Ecco

• The Wedding People by Alison Espach

“A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.

It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She’s immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe’s plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.” -Henry Holt and Co.

• The Getaway Girls by Dee MacDonald

“One morning, Connie McColl wakes up and decides to swap her ordinary life, for an extraordinary adventure…

Connie McColl is finally free to make her own decisions for the first time in decades. And when she meets glamorous Gill and downtrodden Maggie, at a rather dull flower arranging class, it seems that she’s not the only one dreaming of adventure. The three very different women all agree it’s about time they had a holiday to remember.

So they make a pact for this summer to be their best yet – and drive off into the sunset together…

As they meander their way along the beautiful beaches of France and onto the glorious delights of Italy in their luxury campervan, the new friends have plenty of fun and frolics in the sunshine. But the vacation isn’t quite what they expected…

Gill will do anything to have one last holiday romance, Connie has a surprise inheritance awaiting her in Italy, and Maggie has a secret that is going to catch up with them all…

In the end, all three women discover that the journey they thought would be their last really is just the beginning…” -Bookouture

• The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

“On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found…

For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.

But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.

Hailed as one of the best releases of 2023, this contemporary romance weaves a tale of realism across multiple timelines, cementing its place as a top pick in women’s general fiction. Its great acclaim has quickly spread, poised to be the latest and last book you’ll need to complete your must-read list for the year. For fans of Sally Page (The Book of Beginnings), Fiona Valpy (The Cypress Maze), Eve Chase (The Glass House) and Barbara Davis (The Echo of Old Books) and Jill Mansell (The One You Really Want).” -One More Chapter

• The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

“Four septuagenarians with a few tricks up their sleeves. A female cop with her first big case. A brutal murder. Welcome THURSDAY MURDER CLUB

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves the Thursday Murder Club.” -Penguin Books

• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

“Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.

But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.

Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.” -Vintage

Summer Reads Giveaway

I’m celebrating the art of self care this summer with my Summer Giveaway! What better way to honor yourself than with the gift of a wonderful new summer read? Follow these steps, then fill out this form to let us know you’ve completed them!

• Step 1: Join Honey’s Self Care Salon for Women Over 50 on Facebook.
• Step 2: Invite two friends to join the Self Care Salon, so they can experience the joy of self care and community, too.
• Step 3: Fill out this entry form to confirm you’ve completed the steps!

One winner will be notified by email on Monday, July 14th, 2025.

Summer offers us the perfect opportunity to slow down, savor the moment, and nourish our souls. I hope these books inspire you to carve out time for yourself. May you find comfort and perhaps a spark of new adventure in their pages. And remember: you are deserving of every bit of joy this season brings. Let’s dive in because our summer of self care begins now!