Summer is finally here and we all agree that it’s the best time to read a great paperback book outdoors. You can catch some rays while reading at last! Whether you like to read on the beach, on a park bench, or in your own backyard, this summer let your mind wander with these amazing books! Here’s what’s new from She Writes Press!

If you liked Spilled Milk by K.L. Randis, read Being Mean: A Memoir of Sexual Abuse and Survival by Patricia Eagle

In this heartbreaking memoir, Eagle reveals her childhood abuse and its effect on her to this day. Told through vignettes, she illustrates episodes of her father’s sexual abuse and anger, her mother’s co-dependency and her own disassociation. In order to survive the trauma, she must block out the memories, but in order to thrive, she must learn to acknowledge and live with them in a healthy way.

If you liked Riding the Bus with My Sister by Rachel Simon, read Edna’s Gift: How My Broken Sister Taught Me to Be Whole by Susan Rudnick

Susan and her sister, Edna, were inseparable growing up. Edna had physical and mental challenges that shaped her life, and her family’s lives for that matter. But when Susan discovered that she’d been born without a uterus, it was Edna’s example she turned to. Edna refused to let her challenges define her, so Susan found a way to not let her condition define her either.

If you liked Philomena, read Fixing the Fates: An Adoptee’s Story of Truth and Lies by Diane Dewey

In this true story, Dewey discovered that her biological father is, in fact, alive and living in Switzerland, and not dead like her adoptive parents told her. As she works to put together her family history and identity, she discovers that everyone seems to have their own version of the truth. It is only when she begins to trust her intuition is she able to find her own voice – and her tribe.

If you liked Eloquent Rage by Brittney Cooper, read No Thanks: Black, Female, and Living in the Martyr-Free Zone by Keturah Kendrick

In her debut book, Keturah Kendrick paints a picture of the 21st-century black woman who has unchained herself from the shackles of what she is “supposed” to be. Through eight humorous essays, she spotlights the cultural expectations of a “proper woman” and examines the rising trend of women staying single by choice. This chronicle of her journey is part memoir and part cultural critique.

If you liked Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate, read Return of the Evening Star by Diane Rios

In this sequel to Bridge of the Gods, we follow 12-year-old Chloe Ashton once again as she returns to Fairfax. A mysterious hospital is sending marauding ambulances into the countryside in search of patients, forcing everyone into hiding. Chloe and her friends must find a way to stop the bloodshed. Meanwhile, rumors of Silas the Stargazer and his animal army reach our heroes.

If you liked Pan Am, read Sky Queen by Judy Kundert

Katherine Roebling is a Chicago-based stewardess. It’s 1967 and the women’s movement is taking the U.S. by storm. As she adventures around the world, she is pulled toward her predetermined fate and the calling of her Native American ancestors. She ultimately creates her own path and takes up a new career at the Smithsonian – one that will take her on a journey of great personal growth.

If you liked DriverX, read The Joy of Uber Driving: A Wild Ride to Self-Love by Yamini Redewill

Yamini Redewill is a 79-year-old Uber driver who sees her Uber driving as a form of spiritual practice. Her memoir chronicles the twists and turns on her road to love and happiness. Her road was certainly a winding one – filled with obsessive love, sex, 11 years of celibacy, drugs, alcohol, spirituality, Buddhism and Hollywood glamour. In her book, she shares the wisdom that only comes with living a full life.

If you liked The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler, read We Never Told by Diana Altman

When Violet, the glamorous and beautiful divorcée, disappears for four months, she tells her daughters two things. One: she has a tumor in her stomach that she must get treatment for in Kentucky. Two: they must not tell anyone. Violet leaves her girls, Sonya and Joan, in the care of their maid, who has a heart attack partway through Violet’s absence. Although they are left alone and terrified, they still tell no one.

If you liked A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel, read You Cannot Mess This Up: A True Story That Never Happened by Amy Weinland Daughters

In this true story that never happened, an adult Amy Daughters finds herself back in time, forced to spend Thanksgiving with her nuclear family in her childhood home, including her 10-year-old self. Through her adult lens, she sees her childhood and childhood self with fresh eyes and comes to discover that memories are malleable and redefines her relationships with her family members.

(This article is sponsored by She Writes Press)

*Disclosure: The links above are affiliate links. These picks are editorially selected, but if you purchase, She Reads may get something in return. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.