Hi friends,

Welcome to August. Summer reading Bingo cards are due Friday, September 9 — a little over a month from now — so I thought it was a good time to spotlight a few favorite books that will help you get five-in-a-row.

And, now, what to read if …

You’re Looking for a “Beach Read” (however you define it)

Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan

I did not know Lies and Weddings, the latest from the author of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy, was a retelling of Anthony Trollope’s Dr. Thorne until after I started. I also haven’t read Dr. Thorne, but am fortunate enough to have a friend, Aya Martin Seaver, who writes a Trollope newsletter.

She explains, “There’s a reason Julian Fellowes adapted this novel in 2016; it’s a classic Victorian story of marriage, romance and complicated property inheritance. Trollope begins with the mystery of Mary Thorne, a ward of Dr. Thorne’s: is she a lady or an illegitimate daughter of a country doctor? The stakes escalate when her childhood best friend Frank falls in love with her. Can they marry for love or must Frank restore his family’s wealth by marrying the face-cream heiress, Martha Dunstable? There’s a rich load of side characters, a confusing will and a secret baby.”

Kwan’s retelling, set in modern day, features Rufus Leung Gresham, the future Earl of Greshambury, whose mother, a former Hong Kong supermodel, is scheming to find him a rich wife to solve the family’s money problems. She figures her daughter’s multi-million-dollar wedding is the perfect place to find her son a bride. The only problem is that Rufus has no interest in going forward with the plan because he’s in love with Eden Tong, the literal girl-next-door who lives on the Gresham estate with her middle-class father.

While I’m not sure I loved Lies and Weddings quite as much as the Crazy Rich Asians books, it’s still frothy, fun and the perfect summer read. Set in luxe cities and hotels from Marrakesh to Hawaii, and featuring a hot mic scandal, a contested will and multiple Lamborghinis, I devoured this novel in a single weekend.

Additional options include: Adrienne Brodeur’s Wild Game or It Happened One Wedding by Julie James

You Need to Check the “Book that Takes Place over the Summer” Box

Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson

Few books have