What my friends are reading this summer | Reads With Friends
100 book recommendations from 24 bookish friends: your summer TBR
This summer, my friends are reading a sprawling range of 100 books and are generously sharing their summer reading lists with us. We have mood readers, classic lovers, horror fans, someone crawling out of a reading slump, people who love summer and one who hates it. There are backlist favourites and new releases, indie‑press gems and translated fiction, classics and children’s books, western epics and family sagas, prizewinners and quiet sleepers, and some non-book bonuses to watch out for.
Here’s a table of contents to help you find your next great summer books for your TBR:
Brittany Viklund at In Joy: Five summer novels spanning western epics, speculative fiction, and a quietly summery English classic.
Brittany lea at you had me at ‘book club’: Two immersive new releases—a celebrity memoir about fame, illness, and work, and a dual‑timeline thriller about psychic experiments and their fallout.
Chantel Grant at Chantel-LaVonne’s Substack: Unsettling psychological mystery, a legal thriller, a political read, and a tender contemporary romance.
Charlotte at The Hidden Book Nook: During Charlotte’s favourite season, she’s reading three exciting summer novels and looking forward to the Elle prequel to Legally Blonde.
Tara B at Mood Reader by Tara B: Two ambitious doorstoppers and two book club picks, from political satire to multigenerational sagas and a sweeping Korean family epic.
Hayley Milliman at Public Practice: Two deeply personal novels, including this year’s International Booker Prize winner.
Kate Beddow at The Written Life: Rereads and new-to-Kate books, featuring nature‑driven literary fiction, myth retellings, a food memoir, writing craft, and Katie Clapham’s book about life inside her own bookshop.
Mariella Hunt at The Tearoom: Five arts and history picks, from Little Women retelling to a children’s classic, art‑inspired fiction, artist biography, and magical Boudicca.
Mike at Books on GIF: Four indie‑press titles, including a rediscovered 19th‑century novel, an award‑winning debut, Italian noir in translation, and Cold War magical realism.
Erin Greenawald at Forevers: Three plot-driven books that will leave you on the edge of your seat, including a space opera.
Aflina at Lucky Cat Letters: Four whimsical, magic‑filled comfort reads, including a nostalgic pick from Aflina’s school library.
Elle at Elle Reads Library Books: Five summery reads promising bad behaviour in Côte d’Azur, love spanning borders, a luxury resort, and a sci-fi with Neanderthals.
Deborah Linn McNemee at Keeping Classics: A classic, a retelling, and fascinating fiction.
Gabriella Prior at Gaps in the Armoire: Four relationship‑rich books about friendship, grief, investigative nonfiction, and fantasy rooted in Polish folklore.
Sabie at Chanterelle Solace: Summer is Sabie’s least favourite season, and she’s trying to appreciate it this year by focussing on books about adventure, including a YA fantasy with cottagecore vibes.
Kelly Mayfield at Book Beveling: Kelly’s summer reads are the opposite of light. This season, she shares with us a book that’s something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.
Jill at Library of Things: Jill is slowly climbing out of a reading slump this summer with two new-to-her titles, a re-read, and a film.
Joseph Mitchell Jorgensen: Three long‑awaited books from his TBR after a year as an English major—a foundational classic, an Indigenous horror novel, and a C.S. Lewis sci‑fi adventure.
Antonella at Anto wants to know: Intellectually curious choices spanning colour history, 18th‑century science, history of mathematics, and immersive Victorian social history.
Gonca Ata at Fresh off my shelf: Books from Gonca’s own reading challenge to read a long novel she’s been avoiding, a writer she’s never read, a classic, a graphic novel, a bestseller, and finally, a children’s book. There are also three exciting events she’s looking forward too.
Laura Faulkner at laurafaulkneristyping: A collection of fascinating novels new and old, set in Paris, Ireland, Scotland, and the airport.
lauren at book talk with lauren: Five buzzy titles that would be at home on anyone’s summer reading list.
Michelle by Sundaze Book Café: Five very different books, with notes about how Michelle found and collected her physical copies.
Suki at Book Goose: Six summery picks, including books that are all over Substack this year, including Kin (which Chantel Grant reviewed for us on Reads With Alicia) and Yesteryear.
Brittany Viklund at In Joy with Brittany Viklund
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. I have been wanting to read Ishiguro’s work for a while now, and this one has been on my TBR for a few years now. I really enjoyed the book Annie Bot by Sierra Greer and the perspective of artificial intelligence in a human world. The synopsis of this book gives me a similar taste of that book.
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden. I hear only good things about this book, and the countryside setting is exactly what I’m craving in a summer book—something saturated in nature and warmth.
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. I have nothing profound to say about this book except that something about a big chunky western book takes me back to warm afternoons scrolling daytime cable TV and watching whatever was available, many times some type of old-timey western. This book feels like a callback to those days. Plus, what better time than the summer to get swept up in a thick floppy paperback?
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. I’ve wanted to read more of Butler’s work since reading Parable of the Sower, and Kindred, her most well-known standalone novel, is exactly what I want to be reading this summer.
A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr. I’ve been craving more classic literature in my reading diet, and this book, about a man who spends a month in the country in the summer, is at the top of my classics list for the warmer months. As a mood reader, this sounds perfectly summery to me.
brittany lea at you had me at 'book club'
Famesick by Lena Dunham
Anybody who has spent any amount of time on the internet over the last decade almost certainly has come across the name “Lena Dunham”. She’s borne the brunt of more backlash than any one person should have to bear in one lifetime. Regardless of where you stand on the topics that have caused her name to be splashed across headlines, her newest memoir, Famesick, is quite a feat.
Dunham writes about her life from right before creating the hit TV show Girls, all the way through the six seasons, and to what her relationship with work looked like after. It’s not just about Girls, or about her work. It’s about her experiences with chronic illness from discovery, searching for cures and fixes, to finally accepting this is her life, and about her friendships, flings, and long-term relationships.
We see a side of Dunham that has made it through the trenches to the other side and seems calmer, steadier, more at peace. She’s able to reflect on her life—her mistakes, her challenges, the lessons she’s learned over time—and own it all. She admits what she’s done wrong and doesn’t shy away from the hard conversations. She also lets the reader in on terribly painful life experiences that make you really feel for her and see how she could have eventually ended up vulnerable to other situations down the line.
Famesick chronicles her experience of being famous, of being sick, and of just being human, with a wry humour and a tender hand. It’s relatable to anybody who has made mistakes, felt out of place or out of their depth, and made it out to the other side.
The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen
A couple of months ago, I was granted an advanced reader’s copy of Sarah Pekkanen’s (author of You Are Not Alone, and The Wife Between Us) The Women in White, set to be released on 4 August. It’s the kind of book that makes me want to devour everything Pekkanen has ever written.
The Women in White jumps back and forth through time, from 1964 to the present day. In the past, the novel follows a group of four women who have been chosen to participate in an experimental psychic program at a university, due to their unique abilities. In the present, we follow Riley, a newly divorced home-care provider to Betty, who was one of the women from ‘64, who appears to be living frozen in time—from the decor of her home, to her limited knowledge of the world outside her front doors.
As the novel progresses, we see that the experiments were not as innocent as they first appeared to be, and it becomes clear that the women involved suffered as a direct result.
The pace of the book is perfect, you’re never in either time period for too long—only long enough that you’re caught up, but left wondering what’s going to happen next.
This is—in my humble opinion—the perfect book to bring to the beach, or on a solo coffee or picnic date, as it will surely hold your interest and entice you to keep reading as long as you are able to.
Chantel Grant at Chantel-LaVonne’s Substack
My summer reading stack is already shaping up to be one part mystery, one part emotional excavation, and one part “I need to talk to somebody about this immediately after I finish.” (At least I hope!) ☀️📚 I usually read lighter books during the summer.
Strange Pictures by Uketsu. I have read every book in this series thus far and am looking forward to this one. I love reading Uketsu’s books in one sitting. They are unsettling in a quiet, psychological way. A perfect road trip or beach book for me.
Judge Stone by James Patterson and Viola Davis. Honestly, Viola Davis attached to anything immediately gets my attention. I am curious to see how justice, power, and character collide in this story.
The Emergency by George Packer. I am drawn to books that help me better understand the emotional and political texture of the world we are living in. This feels timely in the deepest sense.
This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan. I have heard this book holds tenderness and heartbreak in the same hand, and those are often the stories that move me the most. I read Before I Let Go, which I loved, so I am looking forward to another one.
Charlotte (The Hidden Book Nook) at The Hidden Book Nook
My favourite season is right around the corner. Summer. The season of outdoor plans, spontaneous trips, and most importantly, my birthday! I always find myself reading the most during summer, there’s just something about sitting in the sun with a book that is me in my prime. Alongside that, I also end up consuming lots of other media from road trip playlists to travel vlogs, and light, easy TV. So I’m really excited to put this list together and share some of my summer picks for the next few months.
The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson. The cover, a lone woman stretched out on a sun lounger with a sprawling beach ahead of her, immediately gives summer-in-a-book energy. Then I read the blurb, which describes it as “frothy” (a term I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen used for a book before) and genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, and I was sold. This feels like the kind of fun, easy beach read I’ll want to throw in my bag this summer.
The Lowe Job by Grace Alexander. Political scandal? Yes please. The Lowe Job sounds completely unhinged in the best way. It’s giving unique, chaotic, and just genuinely fun. And honestly, that’s exactly the kind of energy I want from a summer read. The cover alone is also guaranteed to stand out on the shelves, so colour me intrigued. I’ll definitely be picking this up.
Valley of the Moms by Hannah Selinger. Released on 2 June, Valley of the Moms is a bit outside my usual reading lane since I don’t typically gravitate toward thrillers, but The Stepford Wives meets Big Little Lies comparison has me intrigued. After how much buzz Yesteryear got, I’m really curious to see how this one tackles themes like wealth disparity and social ambition, and whether it ends up sparking the same kind of conversation. Definitely not my standard beach read, but it’s one I’m keen to pick up early so I can follow along with all the release chatter.
Elle. Now, I can’t guarantee this is going to end up being a good recommendation, but if you’re an early-2000s rom-com superfan like me, then I have a feeling you’re just as excited for the release of Elle as I am. It’s a prequel to Legally Blonde, which already has me fully onboard. And honestly, a 1 July release date feels kind of perfect for it. Summer is not the time for dark and heavy TV, so give me a pink, fun, comedy any day of the week.
Tara B at Mood Reader by Tara B
Can a mood reader make a summer reading list and actually follow through on it? Probably not—reading by mood means never quite knowing what I’ll want until I want it. But I’ve been trying to imbue my adult reading life with some of the magic of my childhood summers (which were long and leisurely). So two of my picks are the doorstoppers I’ve sworn to finish before Labor Day, in the States—we shall see. The other two are for the Hot Book of the Month, an IRL book club I started this year at my favorite independent bookstore in D.C.
Rasputin Swims the Potomac by Ben Fountain. A satire built straight from real figures and the actual moment: it hands us a reality-TV president clawing to keep power, a country tilting toward authoritarianism, and a reporter named Clarence Thomas Jr. It’s been a heavy stretch for those of us who live in the District, and I’m hoping a satire such as this can turn some of our collective dread into catharsis.
Country People by Daniel Mason. Supposedly a departure from North Woods, Mason’s critical darling. A family decamps to the Vermont woods, where the husband is twelve years late on a PhD about Russian folktales, the truffle dog has no truffles to find, and a local legend may not stay one. I love a book that makes me laugh out loud, and early readers swear this one delivers.
American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee. Lee’s debut, Free Food for Millionaires, was my favorite book of all time for years—back when I read less and it was therefore possible to have a single favorite—and Pachinko only deepened the devotion. Her first novel since is another chonker that follows a Korean family across three continents, bound by an almost religious devotion to education. I somehow have an ARC (please don’t be jealous—I’m as stunned as you are, and the only lesson here is to be very, very kind to your booksellers).
The Sisters by Jonas Hassen Khemiri. Six hundred and fifty pages following three sisters, a family curse, and half a century stretched between Stockholm and New York. My other doorstopper, and the one I’m genuinely excited about—I just want to sink into a family saga this size and stay a while.
P.S. Alicia and I are reading Maria Semple’s Go Gentle together this July. If you’ve read it or are planning on reading it, I hope you’ll tune back in for our thoughts.
Hayley Milliman at Public Practice
Smallie by Eden McKenzie-Goddard. Smallie has topped my “must read” list since I first learned about it. It has everything I like in a novel: family dynamics, multiple timelines, an examination of what it means to live far away from your home.
Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ (trans. Lin King). This year’s International Booker Prize winner AND a novel about Taiwan, food, travel, and history? Absolutely. As someone whose mother is from Taiwan, I’m always looking for more Taiwanese stories, and this one sounds amazing.
Kate Beddow by The Written Life
My summer reading list is a mix of books I want to reread this year, and books from my TBR pile. I don’t regularly reread books, but sometimes I just feel pulled to a book I have already read, and I always read it slightly differently, and get something different out of it.
When I Sing, Mountains Dance by Irene Solà. This book was recommended to me by my daughter, who studied it for her master’s in creative writing. I love the sound of this nature-based story and love that there are magical elements woven in too. The blurb on the back ends:
A fiercely imaginative, elemental story of love and loss—in this time, and in all of time—When I Sing, Mountains Dance is a giddy paean to the land in all its interconnectedness.
I’m looking forward to reading this one.
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint. I can’t believe I haven’t read this book already. I love retellings of myths and this is one that I am less familiar with, so it should have made its way to the top of my list sooner. One of the reviews on the back compares it to Circe, which I devoured. I have heard Jennifer interviewed a few times, and if her writing is as enchanting as her oral storytelling I know this will be a favourite of mine. This one will probably go on holiday with me.
Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci. I first read this book when it first came out, around five years ago, and I loved it. Stanley Tucci is, unsurprisingly, a wonderful storyteller. I love the way he weaves his life story through his experiences with food and favourite recipes. As someone who is gluten- and dairy-intolerant, there are very few of the dishes that I can recreate faithfully, but this summer I intend to do the best imitation I can. The perfect summer book filled with tales of travels to Italy and delicious food.
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. Probably every fourth or fifth book I read is a nonfiction book, and often they are either about writing or psychology. I love reading other people’s ideas and thoughts on the writing process. There is always so much to learn, and I always come away from these books with a few nuggets of new knowledge to improve my writing process. I’ve had this book recommended by a few people and am looking forward to finding out what all the fuss is about.
Receipts from the Bookshop by Katie Clapham. I haven’t even bought this book yet, but it is definitely going to be on my reading list this summer. The only thing I love more than reading about bookshops is visiting bookshops. I have read so many books over the years about bookshops but I know this one is going to be a firm favourite. I can’t wait to get a copy and make a start on it.
Mariella Hunt at The Tearoom
March by Geraldine Brooks. Earlier this year, I read Brooks’ novel People of the Book and was entranced by her manner of storytelling. March is a shorter book, but the premise fascinates me: what happened in the world of Little Women when Mr. March, Marmee’s husband, left for war? It is speculated that, for personal reasons, Alcott deliberately refrained from mentioning Mr. March too often. I’m eager to read Brooks’ take on it.
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie. I have been revisiting old, beloved children’s books this year. In doing so, I’ve been intrigued by how differently they soothe us when we open their covers as adults. Peter Pan is one of those novels that can be found on nearly every child’s bookshelf as they learn to love literature, even if it’s only an abridged version. I want to know if Peter and his Neverland have something to tell me now that I am in my thirties.
Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser. Certain novels become more than just books because they focus not only on the written word, but also on well-known works of art. There is a reason why Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier became a classic. I want to read Mona’s Eyes not only because the plot sounds deeply moving, but because my favorite kinds of books are those that make us want to see the masterpiece that inspired them.
Frida by Hayden Herrera. My love for art-based historical fiction goes hand in hand with a fascination for artists, humans who created visual treasures we still appreciate today. The biography Frida is waiting for me on my shelf, and I can’t wait to reach for a glass of lemonade and learn more about the life of Frida Kahlo, whose distinctive appearance and creative painting style feel immortal. Sometimes, the artist’s story is even more interesting than the art itself.
Boudicca by P. C. Cast. As a history lover, Boudicca is one of those obscure yet impossibly loud figures who has always inspired wonder and admiration in me. P.C. Cast has written a novel about her that includes magic, and Boudicca + magic sounds like the perfect summer read. I expect to cheer her on and later write a glowing review. I know that, in reality, the historical facts surrounding her are blurred—but books exist to fill in the blanks and place us in the moment, even if that moment occurred hundreds or thousands of years ago.
Mike (Books on GIF) at Books on GIF
I’m looking to read a few books by independent publishers this summer, including:
The Morgesons by Elizabeth Stoddard. I read a book a year from Mandylion Press, an imprint that “unearths lost literary gems written by women & weirdos in the (very) long nineteenth century.” In The Morgesons, the author “leaves little to the imagination in this bildungsroman about a weird girl and her even weirder sister growing up in New England,” according to the cover description. The sisters, Cassandra and Veronica, are “adored by men, hated by women and feared by their parents.” This sounds like it could be a lot of fun!
Ruins, Child by Giada Scodellaro. When I saw that Scodellaro, fellow New Yorker, had won The Novel Prize, I instantly added Ruins, Child to my TBR. I don’t know much about this debut novel, but I’ll read just about anything from publisher New Directions—they rarely miss. The novel follows six women sharing a space and “creates a new ethnography of place and an ode both to communal ruins and to resistance,” according to the back-cover blurb. It is “remarkable for its sweep, wit, and the sway of its liquid mosaic narrative.” I need to know what “liquid mosaic narrative” means!
Quo Vadis, Baby? by Grazia Verasani. My wife and I once attended a talk about translated literature that featured Jhumpa Lahiri and Katie Kitamura. Their discussion made the act of translation sound like a challenging yet fun way to learn a language. I’ve studied Italian on and off and thought, hmm, maybe translating a novel could be a fun project. Researching potential titles led me to Verasani’s novel, but Taylor Corse and Juliann Vitullo had beaten me to the punch. Quo Vadis, Baby? follows a private detective named Giorgia Cantini who “investigates the tangled affairs of unhappily married couples.” The book, published by Italica Press, seems part hard-boiled noir and part critique of Italian society, and I’m excited to read it for Women in Translation Month this August.
The Witch of Prague by J. M. Sidorova. I found out about Homeward Books at a book swap event at an arts center in my Brooklyn neighborhood. A representative from the imprint was there promoting their forthcoming release, The Witch of Prague. I ordered it sight unseen, and when it eventually arrived, I learned the novel is a work of magical realism that follows a teenager named Alica in Cold War Czechoslovakia. She answers a newspaper ad and becomes a secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she is “surrounded by surveillance, corruption, and rancid abuses,” according to the cover description. A mentor’s gift has mystical qualities that gives Alica power—but at what cost? Sounds intense!
Erin Greenawald at Forevers: A Place for Friends
The Parisian Heist by Jo Piazza. I inhaled Jo Piazza’s two previous books—Everyone is Lying to You and The Sicilian Inheritance—on a beach vacation this spring and they had everything I look for in a summer read: thriller vibes with excellent pacing, a bit of escapism into an exotic location, rich characters and even richer friendships. Her upcoming release promises to deliver the same with a hefty dose of art history, European adventure, and family secrets. Sign me up for a day on the dock this summer tearing through it.
The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke. I can’t wait to dig into this mystery co-written by one of my favorite authors, V. E. Schwab, and her friend Cat Clarke. Six struggling authors are invited to spend a weekend on a famous author’s private Scottish island, only to find out that he is dead and they are in competition to ghostwrite the ending to his last novel to save their careers. So curious to see the twists and turns that these friends came up with in their collaborative work!
Homebound by Portia Elan. Gosh I just keep hearing about this book and want to get my hands on a copy! Set in the 1980s, teenage Becks makes it her mission to finish the game her beloved uncle left her after his passing, work that apparently has ripple effects far into the future in unexpected ways. And I guess there’s some space and/or time travel involved? It sounds a bit like if Emily St. John Mandel’s Sea of Tranquility met Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow—a speculative, sci-fi exploration into human love and connectedness.
Aflina at Lucky Cat Letters
The Rose and The Dagger by Renée Ahdieh. The sequel to a duology, it follows a queen who’s been separated from her king after a siege of their castle and dark magic interrupts their life. The relationship between the two was sizzling and questions were just beginning to be answered. Summer is the perfect time to sink my teeth into this tale.
A Good Day Starts With Cats and Books by Satori Satori. I have never read a light novel before but this has cats, bookstores, and the bonds of a community who meet through their love of reading. A perfect palate cleanser.
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo. I’ve been a long time fan of this author. This sequel is a gritty, magical story drenched in mystery elements. With occult themes embedded.
Saffron the Yellow Fairy by Daisy Meadows. I used to take this author out from the school library and finish the book in one day. I read the first 2 books of the series and am looking forward to reconnecting to the whimsy this summer.
Elle (Elle Reads Library Books) at Elle Reads Library Books
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan. Sagan was eighteen when she wrote this slim, scandalous classic about a seventeen-year-old summering on the French Riviera who decides to sabotage her widowed father’s engagement. Summer is the best time to read a classic set in a sun-soaked Côte d’Azur villa where everyone is behaving badly.
The Lowe Job by Grace Alexander. When Lili Lowe is caught in a compromising position with her married politician boss, her former-talent-agent mother decides the family won’t manage the scandal so much as monetize it. Lili and her three sisters are thrust into a media circus they can’t quite control. It’s being pitched as Vanity Fair meets the Kardashians, which is exactly the kind of book I want in my beach bag.
The Time in Between by María Dueñas. Sira Quiroga, a young Madrid dressmaker, follows a lover to Tangier in the years before the Spanish Civil War and ends up running a couture atelier that becomes a front for Allied intelligence. The combination of pre-war Madrid, Tangier, and a couture house running Allied intelligence is exactly the kind of sweeping summer read I want to disappear into. It also doesn’t hurt that my friends won’t shut up about this book. :)
People Watching in the Desert by Cali Adeline. Sonny Magee, a lonely young woman raised by an indifferent grandmother, comes into a sum of money and turns up at a luxury Arizona resort, where she observes the other guests with sharp, prickly humor and slowly lets the world in. It’s giving White Lotus in the desert vibes. Perfect for a summer day!
The Shadows Tomorrow by Noelle Michel. In the near future, scientists have recreated Neanderthals from DNA fragments and reintroduced them on a nature reserve, where the clan becomes the subject of a hit documentary series. The novel moves across multiple POVs, including the clan’s grieving leader and the scientists in Paris running the project. Books like Timeline and Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton were what I always read during summers growing up, and this feels like the inheritor of that legacy.
Deborah Linn McNemee at Keeping Classics
A Classic, A Retelling, and Fascinating Fiction.
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. I’m a lover of classics. I honestly have no idea how I passed this one by in my younger reading years. The back of the edition I have says that this book has “led generations of children to laugh and cry—but mostly laugh” since 1908. I like books that make me mostly laugh. I’m in!
Sense and Suitability by Pepper Basham. Classic retellings are my jam. I’m beyond excited to read this retelling. I started this fun novel in the spring but had to pause to read an ARC for Star Light, Star Bright by Adelyn Besterlling, an Emma retelling (two thumbs up!). At the same time, I was listening to The Healer’s Apprentice, a Sleeping Beauty retelling, by Melanie Dickerson (also two thumbs up!). While each story is unique, each also contains a brand of love triangle and plenty of old-fashioned manners and customs. My ADHD-fuelled, end-of-year teacher brain can be taxed only so much, so I set Sense and Suitability aside to pick up again later. My brief peek into Pepper Basham’s novel tells me it going to be fun and funny and sweet, the perfect summer read.
Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green. I know I just said I like books that make me mostly laugh. This one sounds a bit ominous, but I am familiar with John Green’s wit. While I’m not expecting humor, I’m betting John Green will present this fascinating history in a clever, memorable way. It will be nice to read a nonfiction that’s not for writing research. But who knows if it will stay non-research. Story ideas are everywhere.
Gabriella Prior at Gaps in the Armoire
Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth. I tried to read this last summer but the library’s version was a PDF so I bought the book. Books about friendship dynamics are always a favorite of mine especially when there are romantic feelings involved. I will forever pick a literary fiction-esque romance book rather than a regular romance book. When the author isn’t focused on how the two characters get together there is more room to explore the complex relationship.
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth by Patrick Radden Keefe. I recently read Say Nothing by the same author and I haven’t read a book so thoroughly researched before. I listened to a podcast of him talking about his research for London Falling, and I have high hopes for it being just as well researched as Say Nothing. It did just come out so I will be reading it as soon as it’s off hold in my library.
My Friends by Fredrick Backman. I gave my copy of this book to my mom to read first and she loved it. My mom is notorious for feeling indifferent about a lot of the books she reads so her telling me to read this is high praise. This book spans multiple years and centers around a group of friends which is a different format than his other books I have read. I’m excited to see how he works within that timeline.
Uprooted by Naomi Novik. Last summer I read her Scholomance series and I finished all three books within a week. There is something so fun about her world building. I don’t feel the typical info-dump monologue that you typically get from fantasy books yet I could picture everything so clearly. On a side note, Uprooted is based on Polish folklore. I am Polish and I feel like this book would be a fun way to get an intro into something I haven’t previously explored.
Sabie🍄🍂 at Chanterelle Solace Chanterelle Solace: Cottagecore Fantasy Books & Cozy Games
Summer has always been my least favourite season but this year, I’m trying to learn to appreciate every season as they come! While these may not be summer focused books, they definitely take you on an adventure and to me, summer is associated with holidays, adventures and changes.
Wild in Love by Nicole Cubba. This is a second book in an interconnected series and book one was set on the sea with a STEM related plot so I thought this would be perfect as it’s set in Australia, has fake dating and workplace romance while having ADHD and dyslexia rep (I’ve got ADHD and always love reading books that feature ND main characters).
The Harpy Knight by Sara Omer. This is one of my most highly anticipated books of 2026 and it’s book 2 in an epic fantasy series that is inspired by Turkic cultures in Southwest Asia. I’m SO excited to see how it’s going to progress from book one and I won’t say any spoilers about this one but book 1 had gryphons, political intrigues and so many twists in it. 👀
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron. No matter what season we are in, I love reading cottagecore books because while I may be living in a city at the moment (and not in a cottage, unfortunately), I am mentally in my future cottage and decorate everything as if I’m there already and my book taste is not safe from this either. 😂 This book is a YA fantasy duology featuring a character that can control plants and is a discovery journey of who she is as a witch while exploring her identity.
What Feeds Below by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne. Now this is a darker book, a horror or more specifically sporror! This is basically a mushroomcore book with horror elements and has been advertised as being a great book for those of us who love mushrooms, botanical and video game vibes. 👀
In the Country I Love by Alaa Al-Barkawi. My last book on this list is a YA fiction that focuses on grief, friendship and family. It’s written by an Iraqi-American author and focuses on Islamophobia, racism and so much more. This has been described as Sad book and I cant wait to go through an emotional rollercoaster with the characters.
Kelly Mayfield at Book Beveling
Summer reads have the reputation for being light and fun. Mine tend to be the opposite. Since I work at a school, I save longer and more cerebral books for summer break when I have more mental energy. With June being a month associated with weddings, I decided to borrow the traditional rhyme to help me pick four titles from my (overly ambitious) TBR.
Something old: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (2004). I’ve been on a family saga kick this year and haven’t read this one yet. This Pulitzer Prize winner is the first in a tetralogy. It’s epistolary, set in 1956 in the form of a letter from a dying minister to his son.
Something new: New Skin by Sarah Wang (2026). A mother-daughter story with a mother addicted to plastic surgery and her horrified daughter who is trying to rescue her. Set in LA, New Skin is certain to have commentary on how US and Asian cultures are both beauty-obsessed. Throw in a reality TV angle and we’ve got a Yesteryear-esque set up for a different subculture.
Something borrowed: Possession by A. S. Byatt (2012). This is my close friend’s favorite book. I’ve started it twice and I’m determined to make it through this time. I understand it’s a precursor to the dark academia genre. I read Donna Tartt’s The Secret History last summer and I’m curious as to how the two will compare.
Something blue: A Well-Trained Wife by Tia Levings. This memoir of a woman immersed in the neo-patriarchy Quiverfull movement has been on my TBR since it came out. It’s enjoying a resurgence of interest thanks to Yesteryear, prompting me to bump it up my list.
jill at Library of Things
I’ve been having a hard time with reading lately—call it a never-ending reading slump. In the last two weeks, however, I’ve noticed a shift. I’m not sure what to call it or how it started, but I feel like I’m slowly crawling out of that dark hole, and I’m grateful. I’ve got two new-to-me titles, one reread, and one film I’m dying to dive into this summer.
What Is Queer Food? How We Served a Revolution by John Birdsall. I watched a friend of mine pick this up at a market last fall, and I quickly picked it up when I saw it at an event a few weeks ago. I’m queer and I love food: eating food, cooking for my beloved friends, and learning about food and its place in various cultures and moments in history. Needless to say, I’m locked in already.
Three Castles Burning: A History of Dublin in Twelve Streets by Donal Fallon. I found this in an Irish store in my city and knew immediately that I had to read it. Based on the podcast of the same name, Dublin historian Donal Fallon takes readers on a journey through Dublin’s history, as told through the stories of the artists, migrants, and workers who walked its most notable streets. It’s thoroughly researched and incredibly engaging; I’m two chapters in and I feel as though I’ve learned so much already.
The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow. I read this in January after my e-book hold on Libby came through before my hold on the print version. I don’t know about y’all, but sometimes I blow through e-books way too quickly and the words don’t seem to stick as much. That said, this book absolutely rearranged my cells and altered my brain chemistry even when I read it on my tiny phone screen, and I want to hold that hardcover copy in my hands and underline the phrase “who is free, who loves another?” in every color pen I have at my disposal.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (dir. Jane Schoenbrun). 2026 has been a hell of a year for the horror film genre. Between Hokum, Obsession, and Backrooms, I’ve been thoroughly impressed with everything I’ve seen, but I haven’t anticipated any film quite like Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. The latest from Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow), it follows a young, queer director (Hannah Einbinder of Hacks) tasked with rebooting a slasher franchise and her relationship/obsession/psychosexual affair with the original film’s leading lady (Gillian Anderson). Schoenbrun described it as Portrait of a Lady on Fire set in a Friday the 13th sequel (doesn’t that just sound wild?!) and it won the Queer Palm at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. I love Anderson and Einbinder and I Saw The TV Glow is incredibly important to me personally, so my hopes for this one are quite high, indeed!
Joseph Jorgensen
One of the hardest parts of being an English major finishing their undergraduate classes is not having time to read for pleasure. I have spent hours reading for classes and completing research papers while my TBR is growing out of control. While I’m still in classes for this summer ,I have a lot more time to read, and these are the first 3 books that I’m taking off my TBR this summer.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Early this spring I was able to attend a writing conference where a panel of authors talked about improving dialogue in your own writings. The panel unanimously praised Jane Austen for pioneering the modern novel and creating engaging dialogue. Ever since then Pride and Prejudice has been on my reading list. I plan to use both the audiobook and a paper book to read this one during my summer break from classes.
Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones. One of the most interesting courses I have taken in English literature has been my contemporary American literature course. My professor was very knowledgeable and chose an interesting but very narrow selection of books and authors. Notably we didn’t read a single book by an Indigenous American author in the course. I started looking for several books to round out my readings from the course and first on my list is Stephen Graham Jones’s Buffalo Hunter Hunter.
Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis. This has been on my list for several years now, I am a very big fan of C.S. Lewis and while I have read many of his other books, The Space Trilogy is one I have been putting off. With my summer break in full swing this is another book that I really want to finish!
Antonella (Anto wants to know) at Anto wants to know
The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St. Clair. Well, for this one I’m kind of cheating because I have already started it a few times, but was struggling with concentration. The Secret Lives of Colour is one of those books I love and can’t stay away from: nonfiction that’s full of cool facts. Here the author explores 75 different shades of colors by telling us where they come from but also their influence on other areas like art and politics for example. My goal is to walk away from it as a color expert and probably already enrolled in a few more courses about color so we will see.
The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes. Again, keeping up with my huge nonfiction hyperfixation. This book I found while doing some research on Reddit explores the scientific revolution of the 18th century Britain and how it affected all the science that came after that. It also explores the relationship between romanticism and science, which I don’t know much about, so I’m really intrigued.
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. I thought this one was a BookTok thing but I discovered that it actually is a 1995 science fiction novel that was translated to English and made it almost everywhere. The story focuses on a group of 39 women and one kid who are prisoners kept in a cage until they get the opportunity to escape, only to face a world where there are no people whatsoever. I mean, the title always caught my attention enough to make me have it in the back of my mind, and when I read more about its main argument, I had to add it to my list.
Mathematics and Its History by John Stillwell. I’m on a self-imposed journey to become good (or at least not terrible) at maths, so I decided that maybe choosing one book to keep understanding where math comes from historically can help me make sense of it. Yes, I’m also doing the practice and maybe crying a bit, but I hope the book will help mostly with motivation.
How to Be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman. This historian lives the Victorian era in first person (work, food, routines, and even hygiene habits) and shares the experience, which is a really particular way to teach history, and that’s what caught my attention, of course. She does this for a lot of different periods, but I’m particularly interested in this edition because, well, I’m particularly into the Victorian era.
Gonca Ata at Fresh off my shelf
The calendar says summer has arrived. The June air hasn’t quite agreed yet, but I’ve already started planning my summer. As always, this year too, I want to remember summer a little through books.
I’ve set myself a small reading challenge: a long novel I’ve been avoiding for a while, a writer I’ve never read before, a classic, a graphic novel, a bestseller, and finally, a children’s book I chose for the child still living inside me.
2666 by Roberto Bolaño
Let me start with the most ambitious book on my list. 2666 is one of those novels that makes you hesitate before even sitting down at the table—not only because of its subject, but because of its sheer size. The name itself feels almost like a synonym for its page count.
What draws me to it, though, is slightly different from what draws most readers. While battling a terminal illness, the author originally planned the book as five separate volumes. His intention was to leave the royalties to his children as an inheritance. After his death, however, his publisher decided to release it as a single work.
A long narrative centered on femicides, painfully realistic, pointing directly at one of the deepest wounds of our time… I don’t read this book only as a novel, but also as what remains of a father, a writer, and what he leaves behind. I have a feeling 2666 will be one of those books I won’t only read for a long time, but think about for a long time too. If you’re looking for a reading experience that lingers until the late sunsets, maybe you’ll choose it too.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Readers, I believe, fall into two groups: those who love the classics, and those who find them boring. I belong to the first. Still, I believe books—like people—have their own timing. We sometimes meet them at the wrong time; sometimes they appear exactly when we need them most.
Over the past months, I kept encountering Jane Eyre in other books, in book clubs, in conversations with friends. At some point, I stopped thinking it was coincidence and started thinking it was a sign. As if the book was quietly winking at me. I decided to answer its call this summer. Wait for me, Jane Eyre—it’s time we meet.
I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee
This is perhaps the most emotionally driven choice on this list.
When I read the first book, I honestly didn’t feel a strong motivation to continue. I had felt the weight of its darkness and despair so deeply that at times I found myself thinking, “Does the author really feel like this?” That sense of realism pulled me away from the usual pleasure of reading a bestseller.
This is Baek Sehee’s final book; she is no longer alive. Knowing that she passed away, and that her organs were donated to give life to five people, shifts the entire reading experience into something else entirely for me.
A text about depression, anxiety, death, or mental health—read also as one of the final traces a person leaves behind in the world—I’m saving it for a sunny summer day, so its darkness can perhaps dissolve into something gentler.
Ulis by Fabien Toulmé
Ah, Fabien Toulmé! Those who don’t know him are the lucky ones—there are still so many wonderful things waiting to be read this summer.
If superheroes, anime, or fantasy stories are not your thing, but the idea of reading a novel in graphic novel form excites you, then you’re in for a treat; he is someone who will absolutely surprise you.
Knowing I’ll read it in one breath—and regret finishing it too quickly—Ulis already feels like a warm summer wind that stirs something inside me before it even begins.
What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada
I’ve always believed children’s books are also meant for adults.
Kobi Yamada’s 2014 IPPY Gold Medal-winning book speaks not only to children, but to anyone who has ever been a child. It tells the story of how an idea is born, how it grows, and why believing in it requires courage.
I once read this book with my daughter years ago. This time, I will read it only for the child still inside me. Lately, I’ve been thinking about what to do with my ideas—which ones to nurture, which ones to let go. I’m sure it will open a window into my adult mind and create a soft, warm summer breeze.
Events I’m looking forward to
My reading list is actually much longer than this, but for me summer also means long dinners shared with loved ones, garden conversations, films watched outdoors, concerts attended in light dresses, and new places waiting to be discovered, along with a fair amount of travel.
So for those in California like me—or those who might find themselves passing through—I wanted to add a few events I’m especially looking forward to this summer.
Harry Potter 25th Anniversary Drone Show. One of the most magical worlds of my childhood is being lifted into the sky. The show at Dodger Stadium is a once-in-a-lifetime summer night experience for any Potterhead. We already got our tickets!
Gustavo Dudamel at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. A final chance to experience music in the same hall with the legendary conductor. Dudamel, now approaching the final period of his tenure with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is one of the most special items on my summer agenda.
Toy Story 5. My favorite animated film is back! It continues to bridge my childhood and my child’s world, telling the story of a generation growing up with screens rather than toys. That alone makes Toy Story 5 even more exciting to me. I’m not only watching it for nostalgia, but also to see how it looks at childhood today.
Wishing everyone a summer so full that you might one day say, “it could be a book in itself.”
Laura Faulkner by laurafaulkneristyping
Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. Two women meet in Paris and fall in love. I don’t know about you but that’s exactly the kind of book I want to read this summer. Full of love, longing and regret it’s about the lives we almost live and the choices we don’t make. Millwood Hargrave is a fantastic, emotionally intelligent writer and I can’t wait to have my heart bruised and battered by this one. I expect it will have me booking a trip to Paris by the end of the summer.
Land by Maggie O’Farrell. If Maggie O’Farrell has one fan, it is me. I love all of her books; from Elizabethan England to Renaissance Florence and even the infamous 1976 British heatwave—she can transport you to any time or place and writes it brilliantly. Land takes us to Ireland in the late 19th century and explores the aftermath of the Great Hunger from the perspective of a father and his ten-year-old son as they take on the project to map the whole of Ireland.
You will never understand how the land remembers, how deep the roots grow.
Said The Dead by Doireann Ní Ghríofa. Another Irish writer who I have been a fan of since I read her spectacular work of autofiction A Ghost in the Throat. Said the Dead is about a woman who trespasses in a derelict mental hospital in Cork, uncovering the voices of the women who were once held there. I love the way Doireann Ní Ghríofa writes women and the way she blurs the lines between fact and fiction. I can’t wait to dig into her lush, lyrical prose again for this spellbinding story that amplifies women’s voices and their lived experiences.
John of John by Douglas Stuart. I pre-ordered this as soon as it was announced, Young Mungo and Shuggie Bain are two of my favourite books and if Douglas Stuart is new to you then please read them first, you are in for a treat! I find the Scottish islands so interesting to read about, and can’t wait to be transported to the Isle of Harris for this one. John-Calum returns to the island after art school and has to navigate the tension between his identity, island life and his familial duties. Stuart is such a thoughtful writer and his characters always become like real people that you adore and will never stop thinking about.
Sky Daddy by Kate Folk. Linda tries her best to lead a normal life. But once a month she escapes to the airport to secretly indulge in her true passion: Linda is sexually attracted to planes. Okay, this is a departure from my usual type of read (pun intended!) but I’ve seen so many good things said about this one and I think the summer is the perfect time to try something new and unique. And luckily I’m not going abroad this summer so I don’t have to worry about it putting me off my plane journey! ✈️
book talk with lauren at book talk with lauren
Mazywood by Tananarive Due. It is no secret to my subscribers that The Reformatory was my #1 favorite book of all time in 2025. This is Due’s newest novel and I think I’ve finally emotionally recovered enough to get back into one of her books. She is one of the best writers I’ve ever read. Although not coming out until October, I can’t let this ARC sit for too long!
Kitten by Stacey Yu. This is a debut coming out that I can’t wait to dive into. As a dog mom to a very spoiled, well-pampered baby, the premise of this book feels SO relatable. A woman develops an obsession with her boyfriend’s cat and her life starts to go off the rails a bit? I GET IT!
Flashlight by Susan Choi. Shortlisted for both the Booker Prize and Women’s Prize for Fiction, I’ve been very curious about this title and actually bought it at a bookstore many months back! This was also the June pick for book club with lauren so I really can’t wait to read and discuss it with subscribers!
Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ (trans. Lin King). I’ve been loving translated fiction recently and this just won the International Booker Prize. I know nothing about it really (this is totally intentional on my part. sometimes I like to go into a book without knowledge!!) except that it’s getting RAVE reviews. I’ve got it on order at my local bookshop!
Girls Our Age by Phoebe Thompson. Considering the fact that I hurt my shoulder in my sleep and couldn’t lift it for a week—because this is the peril of being in your 30s—I desperately need a book to remind me of the emotional rollercoaster that is every woman’s 20s, and that shoulder pain ain’t nothing but a thang.
Michelle at Sundaze Book Café
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao. One of my reading goals for 2026 was to reread more books from my personal library, and I’m planning to reread Water Moon as part of that commitment. This rollicking magical fantasy novel is set in a Tokyo backstreet pawn shop where those who are lost can pawn their deepest regrets and decisions. I loved the ethereal adventure ambience of this book and the heartwarming characters—it feels like a Studio Ghibli story in the best ways!—and I can’t wait to revisit it soon.
East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Ahead of the Netflix adaptation, I’m looking forward to reading my first-ever Steinbeck! I’m also hoping to read his The Grapes of Wrath, while we’re all here for a Steinbeck summer.
The Travels by Marco Polo. My fiancé recently visited Venice, where I picked up a copy of The Travels as my souvenir book. I love to collect a meaningful title from each place that we visit, and am thoroughly excited to learn more about the Venetian merchant’s travels to East Asia.
Persuasion by Jane Austen. One of the only Austen books that I haven’t read! I found a gorgeous vintage 1980s copy recently, and think this will be a perfect companion for my summer evenings by the lake.
Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake. Finally, I’m planning to continue Peake’s trilogy by reading Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake. Jessie Lethaby at The Unseen Review here on Substack has been running a slow read, and I recently finished (and loved) Titus Groan, the first in the series. It’s immersive, haunting, fantastical and luxuriously meandering—I’m loving it!
Suki (Book Goose | Book Club & Blog) at Book Goose
Book Lovers by Emily Henry. I don’t often read contemporary romance, but this summer I want a bit of everything! I love a good book about books, especially when it involves romance.
Rites Of the Starling by Devney Perry. I loved the first book so much and couldn’t wait for the sequel! The world in the first book intrigued me so much that I couldn’t put it down. I am taking my time and finding a good weekend I can pour through this one.
Kin by Tayari Jones. I have heard so many good things about this book, I knew it was going to be a part of my summer reading. One of the book clubs I occasionally attend had this as their pick and although I wasn’t able to make the meeting I still grabbed a copy to read for later.
Into the Blue by Emma Brodie. My Libby app estimated I’d get a copy in three months! I miraculously came across a copy at a different library and snagged a physical copy instead. I am very excited to read this one. I’ve seen it pop up on my timeline, and several book Substackers have recommended it.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach. The synopsis got me, I was looking for a fun read that didn’t seem to take itself too seriously and I think I found it! One fellow book Substacker said it was one of her favorite reads this year so I knew I had to try it out.
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. I’m a little late to the game, but blame the incredibly long hold line at the library! I requested it back in April and only recently received a copy of this book. I read a different book called Trad Wife and I’m very interested to read this one and compare it. My summer pile needed a little of everything so I’m excited to get through this one.
What a fantastic spring reading list from my friends! Which of these incredible books are you adding to your TBR, and what else are you reading (or watching) this summer? Chat with us in the comments!
It’s so fun to see what so many other substackers are reading and up to!!
I loved being part of this Alicia, thank you so much! Also I’m taking a lot of good recs from here so I can get into those once I finish the ones from my list 📚