120 Book Recommendations for (Nearly) Every Kind of Summer Reader

Here at Goodreads World Headquarters, we take summer reading seriously. Summertime is especially conducive to the book-reading lifestyle: You’ve got more vacation time, better outdoor-reading conditions, and expanded daylight hours to make it all happen.
As part of our annual Summer Reading initiative, we’ve compiled this specially curated collection that takes a lateral-thinking approach to book sorting. Our intrepid editorial team has waded into the stacks to organize recommendations based on Reader Type. As you shall see, our approach is highly unscientific, somewhat improvised, and exceedingly practical.
Perhaps you’re the kind of person who likes a long book for summer reading. May we suggest a doorstopper selection from The Deep-Focus Reader collection. Maybe it’s just the opposite and your attention span suffers in the sun. Try a short story collection from The Busy Bee Reader selection. We like to think we’ve covered many, if not all, possible contingencies: The Gotta-Impress-My-Book-Club Reader! The Minimalist Packer Reader! We’re even committed to those of you who are dealing with winter just now, with cold-weather reads for The Southern Hemisphere Reader.
Scroll around the categories below to find your perfect summer read. You can click through the book cover images for more information about each title. Feel free to track your choices with the Want to Read button, and add any further suggestions or discoveries in the comments section.
The Very Literal Summer Reader:
I'm going to focus on books with "summer" in their titles.
The Top-Bunk Reader:
I'm looking for page-turners set at summer camp.
The On-Point Theme Reader:
I'd love nonfiction about summery activities and topics.
The Movie Buff Reader:
I'm an absolute book-to-screen fiend.
The Minimalist Packer Reader:
I need new paperbacks that won't weigh me down.
The Jet-Setting Reader:
I like reading novels where the characters travel (while I also travel).
The Deep-Focus Reader:
I finally have time to sink into a long book! Whaddya got for me?
The FOMO Reader:
I want to catch up on the buzzy recent books everyone's been talking about.
The Busy Bee Reader:
I've got a packed itinerary for summer, but I'll save time for short stories!
The Summer Lovin' Reader:
I'm always looking for a fling with a highly rated romance!
The Southern Hemisphere Reader:
It's not summer where I am. Can you show me some books set in cold climates?
The Lifelong Learner Reader:
I live for a super-niche nonfiction deep dive.
The Gotta-Impress-My-Book-Club Reader:
Show me some recent award-winning books, please.
The Outdoorsy Reader:
Inspire me to explore nature!
The Desperate Parent Reader:
PLEASE help me find some books to keep my middle schoolers reading over summer break.
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Jun 22, 2024 10:26PM

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All Thirteen, which is the story of the rescue of the soccer team trapped in a cave, is excellent.


If you haven't read The Love Story of Missy Carmichael by Beth Morrey, read it now. Like, immediately. I just read Sylvia's Second Act by Hilary Yablon, which was fun, if a tad unrealistic. Don't Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino has a young woman as its central character, but her great aunt is just as prominent and far more interesting. Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes isn't exactly about senior women (they're a bit younger than that if I remember correctly - I read it a few years ago), but it's not about 20 somethings and the setting and the hopefulness can't help but cheer you up. Try those for a start.
Where there is life, there's hope. May these books help you see possibilities for yourself.





There's Dune. You can go read that.

I haven't read Brother Cadfael in years. What can you tell me about Sister Frevisse? I used to the Templar Mysteries by Michael Jecks, but it's been awhile and I forgot where I left off, so I can't really help you, other than to recommend you actually start with Templar's Acre ( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... ); the 32nd book of the series, but the one with the earliest action: the seige of Acre during the Crusades.

I recommend the Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series ( https://www.goodreads.com/series/2813... ), along with a graphic novel called Pride of Baghdad, which tells of the US invasion of Iraq twenty-one years ago as if witnessed by the Baghdad City Zoo's lion pride (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... ) and Laika; which tells the story of the USSR's canine cosmonaut, Laika ( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... ).