Great Books to Read in the Summer

My Summer Reading List

For a while now, I’ve been on a non-fiction kick when it comes to reading. I love reading about historical people and events. But when I finished my last non-fiction read, I began looking back over the e-books I had saved on my iPad. This compilation of great books to read in the summer comes in part from revisiting old favorites, as well as a desire to read summer-inspired fiction.

While there are a lot of robust lists of new releases to read this season, my list of great books to read in the summer is full of old friends. I hope you find a new favorite — or revisit an old one — here!

This post is a part of my What to Read series, where I share themed reading lists and book guides based on genre, time period, theme, or author.
You can peruse more of my What to Read reading guides here!

Great Books to Read in the Summer

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

A hypnotic coming-of-age story, The Virgin Suicides follows the five fatally-melancholic Lisbon daughters. Jeffrey Eugenides paints a haunting portrait of what, from the outside, looked like the perfect middle-class American family. Bonus for this one: Sofia Coppola directed an equally hypnotic film version with Kirsten Dunst as Lux Lisbon, the protagonist of the Lisbon sisters.

Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.

P.S. Take a look at Sofia Coppola’s latest project, detailed in my May 24, 2023 Curated Content Series!

The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather

The portrait of a young, rural artist in the late 19th century, Willa Cather’s The Song of the Lark follows Thea Kronborg as she pursues a career in music. This has always been one of my favorite works by Willa Cather, and it stands well on it’s own; however, it is typically considered the second installment of three in a so-called “Prairie Trilogy.” If you want to follow the trilogy, pick up O Pioneers! first.

Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.

Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

Currently included in the Audible Plus catalog, Next Year in Havana was a fantastic audiobook, and I listened to it in a matter of days. Telling the multi-generational story of a Cuban-American family exiled from Cuba after Castro came to power, Chanel Cleeton taught me more about Cuban (and Floridian) history than I ever got in school. With various layers to the narrative, Cleeton’s Next Year in Havana had the potential to be confusing or disorienting, but was anything but. She leads the reader through the political unrest of then-and-now with a deft hand. I almost didn’t want it to end, until I realized it was part of a series!

Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavlier & Clay by Michael Chabon

Michael Chabon’s 2012 Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavlier & Clay is a must-read for any comic book lovers. Even if you aren’t a fan of comic books (can’t say that I am, myself), this book is a great read. Set in 1930s New York, Chabon’s novel follows two young boys in the city ahead of World War II. There’s a reason that it’s considered “one of the defining novels of our modern American age.”

Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The first novel by American literary giant Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye is a lyrical tragedy set in the 1940s. The young Black protagonist, Pecola, prays for blue eyes, in place of her natural brown. She wants to be as loved as the other blue-eyed American kids. The New Yorker heralded the book as paving “a new path through the American literary landscape by placing black girls at the center of the story.”

Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.

The Last Party at Silverton Hall by Rachel Burton

A gripping historical and contemporary romance story, Rachel Burton’s The Last Party at Silverton Hall is truly among the great books to read in the summer. This book bridges the story of two women in two different centuries. Their lives, it turns out, are impacted by a single night at a summer vacation destination. Described as a “heartbreaking tale of family, duty, and the secrets we keep from those we love most,” Burton’s latest novel will keep you engaged from start to end.

Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.

The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf’s first novel, The Voyage Out features a stream of consciousness narrative centered around a young woman traveling by ship from London to South America. It is a love story, in some ways, but more of a satire about social mores of Woolf’s time. Even if the novel covers the Edwardian era, many of the sentiments are enticingly contemporary for today’s reader.

Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.

Great Books to Read in the Summer - For a while now, I've been on a non-fiction kick when it comes to reading. I love reading about historical people and events. But when I finished my last non-fiction read, I began to look back over some old favorites of mine. This compilation of great books to read in the summer comes in part from revisiting old favorites, as well as a desire to read summer-inspired fiction. I hope you find a new favorite -- or revisit an old one -- here!

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

The Awakening is a classic summer read and one of the first that I thought of for my list of great books to read in the summer. This iconic feminist novel follows the protagonist, Edna Pontellier’s, self-discover through a summer romance and rejection of social conventions. Many of us likely read this in school at some point, but it’s worth revisiting with fresh eyes this summer.

Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.

The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud

I read Claire Messud’s The Emperor’s Children a few years back and it has really stuck with me since. It’s not a specifically summer-inspired book, necessarily, but a great fiction read regardless. The book follows three almost-thirty friends in New York City. The novel is calling my name for a re-read simply because of the dazzling descriptions of the city. If you’re looking for a well-written read about college friends and city life, give The Emperor’s Children a try.

Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo

Lisa Taddeo’s 2019 book about the lives and relationships of three women was widely acclaimed from the start. It’s non-fiction — it’s based on immersive reporting by the author — but it reads like fiction. Chances are, if you follow any bookstagrammers on Instagram, you’ve seen the stark white cover a few times. I was late to reading the book, though, so I’m including it here in my list of great books to read in the summer. If you were worried that Three Women might be over-hyped (like I had), you’re in for a pleasant surprise.

Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Like Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn HugoMalibu Rising is a fast-paced novel with an ensemble cast. A book with so many characters should not be so easy to follow. However Reid has a mythic talent for orienting her reader and leading them through a tangled web of family and social drama. The book follows the Riva siblings, four close-knit twenty-somethings continuously dealing with the fallout from major family losses. It is realistic in its emotions, dramatic without being over the top. All in all, a great, quick read. As far as great books to read in the summer go, this one perfectly encapsulates the warm weather vibe.

Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

Described as a must-read for fans of Madeline Miller, Clytemnestra is a stunning debut novel by Costanza Casati. This mythological historical fiction novel follows the lesser-known sister of Helen of Troy, Clytemnestra, whose story is known as one of vengeance and violence. Clytemnestra is no shrinking wallflower, but a powerful ruler in the ancient world, ruling in place of her warring husband during the Trojan War. She is dealt a cruel hand by the fates, and she responds in calculated kind. 

Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.

For a while now, I've been on a non-fiction kick when it comes to reading. I love reading about historical people and events. But when I finished my last non-fiction read, I began to look back over some old favorites of mine. This compilation of great books to read in the summer comes in part from revisiting old favorites, as well as a desire to read summer-inspired fiction. I hope you find a new favorite -- or revisit an old one -- here!

Quotes from The Awakening, The Emperor’s Children, and The Voyage Out.


Explore More Cats & Coffee Book Reviews

 *This post was originally published in 2020. It was most recently updated on June 12, 2023.