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Beach reads, bestsellers and Canadian authors to read right now

Our summer reading list includes captivating thriller novels, new Canadian classics and some fun romance novels.
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Restock your nightstand with a host of new titles for summer.

Want to add an addictive new book to your nightstand collection? We’ve compiled a list of favourites from renewed best-sellers to Canadian award-winning novels to coffee table books.

We have frothy beach reads, historical fiction and a few thrillers mixed in, as well as prestigious new classics like Five Little Indians. Read on for a list of our August must-reads and be sure to check out our Amazon Storefront for more titles.

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Although it was released in 2016, Colleen Hoover’s novel about a love triangle and domestic abuse is in its 59th week on the New York Times bestsellers list thanks to #BookTok. Many of Colleen Hoover’s other novels are climbing the charts, including Ugly Love, November 9, Confess, Hopeless, Reminders of Him and the new book It Starts With Us, which retells the story from It Ends With Us from the perspective of a different character. $13.97 (paperback) on Amazon.

Five Little Indians: A Novel by Michelle Good

With an impressive list of awards (winner of Canada Reads 2022 and the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction), this story follows the lives of five Indigenous children who are taken from their families and forced into a residential school and their life after release. It’s a devastating and heart-wrenching story about generational trauma and community. $16.13 (paperback) on Amazon.

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

Ruth Ware, a prolific thriller writer, is back with another intriguing mystery about a woman searching to find out who murdered her charismatic best friend from college. $18.11 (paperback) on Amazon.

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hiller

Based in Toronto, Jennifer Hiller’s latest novel is as thrilling as her previous four. Things We Do in the Dark is about a woman who is arrested for the brutal murder of a celebrity husband — and that’s just the start of her problems. $13.99 at Amazon.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Any lover of Hallmark movies and rom-coms will appreciate the classic “big city career woman in the country” storyline with a slight twist: instead falling in love with a local lumberjack, she keeps running into an irritating acquaintance from the city. $15.84 (paperback) at Amazon.

Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola

Bolu Babalola is quickly becoming a romance novel superstar and for good reason: her charming new book earned a coveted spot in Reese Witherspoon's monthly book club. Using a classic rom-com "fauxmance" storyline, Babalola's writing is full of warmth and electricity. (A sequel is already in the works.) $17.99 (Kindle) or $34.64 (hardcover) at Amazon.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The story of a reclusive movie star who stepped out of the spotlight in the '80s who decides to tell her life story to a struggling journalist takes some unexpected twists. Like her other novels (Daisy Jones and the Six and Malibu Rising), Jenkins Reid is able to write historical fiction (set in '60s, '70s and '80s) in lush detail. $13.79 at Amazon.

Vancouver Was Awesome: A Curious Pictorial History by Lani Russwurm and Bob Kronbauer

Sure we’re a little biased, but we think Vancouver Was Awesome makes an excellent coffee table book. Take it home for yourself or gift it to a new B.C.’er, a lifelong resident or an expat who lives abroad. It’s filled with interesting historical tidbits and plenty of nostalgic photos. $24.95 at Amazon.

Tom Ford by Tom Ford and Bridget Foley

If you’ve been wanting to add the ubiquitous Tom Ford coffee table book to your collection (it’s a favourite of influencers and seems to make its way into every décor photo shoot), it’s currently on sale. $151.10 at Indigo.