Book Smart: Ruth Ware's 'It Girl,' Jennifer Weiner's 'Summer Place' & more books to binge

Summer reading helps children develop their skills yet we tend to forget that it also has many perks for adults. Reading boosts memory, enhances brain function, and even promotes empathy. But as a psychologist, it's the somewhat less obvious benefits that are important to me. It's easy to dismiss summer “beach reads” as guilty pleasures. The reality is, however, reading is a serious and invaluable “stress buster.”  I would argue that it’s an important and often overlooked form of self-care that aids in relaxation, provides comfort and offers an escape from difficult times.

We all have our favorite go-to genres – historical fiction, mystery, thriller, romance or sci-fi.  These may be the kind of novels that best distract us, comfort us, or inspire us. Regardless of personal preference, remember that a daily dip into a really good book also offers a kind of invaluable companionship. A book that grabs you and holds you can be a reliable constant over the course of days or weeks and can make you feel less alone.

With plenty of summer weeks still ahead, here are a handful of choice companions to choose from.

'The It Girl'

"The It Girl" by Ruth Ware is an intensely absorbing, dark and propulsive murder-mystery.

Hanna Jones is immediately awed by her roommate at Oxford University.  April Clarke-Cliveden is bold, brash, wealthy, beautiful and even a little cruel. Yet, the two form an immediate friendship despite their differences and Hannah’s secret attraction to Will de Chastaigne, April’s boyfriend. Tragically, one night Hannah discovers April’s strangled body in their dorm room. She also witnessed an older, male, college porter, John Neville, exiting their building stairwell.

Although John Neville is ultimately convicted of the murder, Hannah’s life is derailed. The media haunt her and now, 10 years later, when she is finally married and pregnant, she is plagued by new evidence that calls John Neville’s guilt into question. Fearing that her testimony was responsible for an unjust conviction, Hannah feels compelled to unearth the truth. Hannah’s obsession ultimately threatens everyone and everything she holds dear.

'The Matchmaker's Gift'

"The Matchmaker’s Gift" by Lynda Cohen Loigman (coming out Sept. 20) is a wonderfully captivating, beautifully written and totally uplifting tale of historical fiction about the power of love.

At the tender age of 10 young Sara Glikman discovers her true gift: she can find love matches between two soulmates in the most unexpected places. But on the streets of New York’s Lower East side in 1910, matchmaking was actually big business among older devout Jewish men and Sara’s magical gift was a threat to their traditions and income.

Two generations later, Sara’s granddaughter, Abby, discovers she too has this magical gift. Abby is a successful Manhattan divorce attorney. When she inherits her beloved grandmother’s personal diaries detailing the many matches she had made, she also discovers a mysterious promise left unfulfilled. Is Abby willing to sacrifice her hard-won career to keep her grandmother’s promise to a stranger? Will Abby embrace her unique talent of finding love for others in unexpected places and possibly even for herself?

'The Summer Place: A Novel'

"The Summer Place: A Novel" by Jennifer Weiner is a juicy, charming, family drama of unexpected entanglements and surprising consequences.

Sarah Danhauser is shocked but accepting when her 22-year-old stepdaughter Ruby unexpectedly announces her soon-to-be marriage to her pandemic boyfriend. Ruby has already set the wedding date at the family’s beach house on Cape Cod, which is owned by the family matriarch, Veronica. Veronica is thrilled to host everyone one final time before putting the house up for sale.

But there are definitely a few bumps and twists that must be navigated before the big day. Sarah’s husband, Eli, has been inexplicably distant in recent months as he confronts a long-ago lapse of judgment. The growing marital disconnection leaves Sarah seriously questioning her life choices,  Sarah’s twin brother, Sam, is recovering from a terrible tragedy and is also confronting big questions about who he is. And finally, Ruby is dealing with wounds left by her biological mother who abandoned her when she was a baby. When the big day arrives, secrets will be revealed and unexpected revelations shared that hold the power to either unite or break the family apart.

'The Christie Affair'

"The Christie Affair" by Nina de Gramont is a marvelous, fast-paced, and sizzling work of historical fiction that combines heartbreak, romance, revenge and female friendship.

In 1926, the famous mystery author Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days. This is a cleverly imagined recreation of events preceding and during her disappearance as told through the perspective of Miss Nan O’Dea, the young mistress of Agatha’s husband, Archibald Christie.  Nan’s story begins decades before in Ireland when she falls deeply in love with a young Irishman, a love affair ultimately not meant to be. Years later, Nan lures Archie Christie away from his beautiful wife, in a plot that has its roots in those earlier years. Does Nan’s desire for revenge really lie at the heart of Agatha’s mysterious disappearance or possible murder?

More Book Smart

Summer reads: 'Hotel Nantucket,' 'One Italian Summer' and more to throw in your beach bag

Page-turners: 3 great psychological thrillers, according to a clinical psychologist

Hot titles: Add 'Magnolia Palace,' 'Woman on Fire' and 'Girl in Ice' to your reading list

Adolescents in focus: Authors tackle troubled lives of teenage girls, including 'My Dark Vanessa'

Sisterhood: Stories about female friendship, including 'The Woman with the Blue Star'

Novels of self-discovery: The girls save themselves in these new books

Book Smart is a monthly column by Nancy Harris, of Scituate, a practicing psychologist and a former instructor of psychology at Harvard Medical School.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Ruth Ware's 'It Girl,' Jennifer Weiner's 'Summer Place' books to binge