We’ve just passed the summer solstice, the days are lovely and long, and I finish teaching for the summer in two weeks time. Time to get my summer reading list planned out.
I’ve got a bit of a mixed TBR pile at the moment. Three ARCs from NetGalley, some audiobooks, and quite a few books that have been making a buzz recently – it’s time to find out if they match the hype.
I’d like to share three books with you that are yet to be published, as you may not have heard about them yet.
The Weight of Angels by John Boyne
The Weight of Angels is an upcoming historical fiction novel by bestselling Irish author John Boyne, scheduled for publication in September 2026. I’m lucky to have secured an ARC and am very much looking forward to reading this one soon.
The novel is an ambitious “what-if” alternate history exploring the life Oscar Wilde never got to live. In real life, Wilde famously filed a disastrous libel lawsuit in February 1895 against the Marquess of Queensberry, who had accused him of homosexual behaviour. This choice led directly to Wilde’s imprisonment, public ruin, and premature death in Paris penury at age 46.
Claws Out by Bella Mackie
A new novel by Bella Mackie? Yes, please! This one is out in August 2026 and I’ve got it on my NetGalley dashboard already. I’m keeping everything crossed that it’s as good as her previous quirky novels.
Ruthless social-climber Diana Leyland targets wealthy writer David Farrand to secure a lavish Hampstead life. Diana is highly skilled at ensnaring men, having already married and buried three wealthy husbands, accumulating wealth with each suspicious death. However, her grand scheme hits a major snag in David’s entitled and deeply suspicious daughter, Cat. Refusing to let Diana charm her way into the family fortune, Cat launches a fierce, retaliatory crusade. She vows to drag Diana’s murky, potentially murderous past into the open before her father becomes husband number four.
Damages Carried Down by Michael Keefe
Damages Carried Down is my summer wildcard. It’s a debut novel and sounds just like the kind of thing that I like. It’s not out until March 2027.
A multi-generational family epic unfolds across three distinct timelines. In 1914, German infantryman Josef Müller deserts the battlefield, stealing a British identity to reinvent himself as Joseph Moore. Decades later in 1939 Brooklyn, his daughter Kate uncovers his hidden past, drawing her into a treacherous romance with the son of a brutal crime boss. By 1984, teacher Maggie Moore discovers Josef’s secret war journal, exposing long-buried trauma that forces two families to face the high price of deception. It is a sweeping saga of guilt, survival, and inherited burdens.
Have you read any of the books on my summer reading list? Which would you read first? Are any worth listening to the audiobook rather than reading a physical copy?
