Welcome to our first episode of Novel Nights, where we, Francesca from Under the Covers Book Blog, Laura from What to Read Next, and Victoria from the BiblioLifestyle, dive into summer tropes and the New York Times best books list.
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Novel Nights: Summer Tropes & NYT 100 Best Books of the Century
Here’s a quick recap of what you can expect from this chat.
NYT 100 Best Books of the Century
Did you take a look at the best books of the 21st century as per the New York Times? In case you haven’t, you can find the list here. Francesca was salty about the fact that the list doesn’t have any romance, thriller/mystery or fantasy so we had a discussion about it. Do you agree with the books chosen for the list? Which ones do you think are missing?
You can also find the Reader’s list here.
List of Summer Tropes Mentioned
We covered some of the best tropes to read in the Summer
- Summer sports: the Summer Olympics are just around the corner and what better way to celebrate watching them then by reading a book about the sports too.
- Wedding theme: Another fun activity, and usually fitting of the season, are weddings.
- Summer camp: Whether adult or new adult romances, summer camp romances always bring playfulness and fun.
- Beach/Lake house | Rich people’s beach house: Live vicariously through the rich people in your books! Books set in locations like the Hamptons, Martha’s Vineyard and Fire Island to name a few.
- Vacation/Road trips: go on a trip with your new favorite books!
Book Recommendations
Find some of the book lists for book recommendations that fit the tropes. For specific book recommendations, take a listen to our episode.
Under the Covers Recommendation Lists:
- Summer Olympics romance books
- Soccer romance books
- Baseball romance books
- Wedding romance books
- Destination wedding romance books
What to Read Next Recommendation Lists:
Resources and Guides
We also encourage everyone to download Victoria’s summer reading guide, packed with book recommendations, summer activities, and even a fun summer reading challenge. You can also download the Under the Covers Book Tropes list and her latest free summer guide.
Upcoming Live Shows
Stay tuned for our future live shows

We have an exciting calendar planned, and we can’t wait to chat with you every Thursday at 7 p.m. Eastern time.
Join the Conversation
We want to hear from you! Share your favorite summer tropes to read?
Read more
- 2024 Summer reading guide | book recommendations
- 2024 Most anticipated releases
- All our summer read book reviews
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