Summer is flying by, and with that the time to read. The team of editors at Where Ideas Grow has chosen a few books to recommend as perfect summer reads, not necessarily because they give off warm, beachy vibes, but because they all have in common one factor: it will be hard to put them down, and summer is the perfect season to fall in love with new stories. Have you read any of these?
BECCA
The books I choose to read over summer have to be ones I won’t be able to put down. Ones I can spend full days out in the garden or at a park with friends reading until my eyes hurt. They have to make me fall in love with summer. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of those books that kept me hooked throughout and made me really excited for the height of summer! I read it for the first time at the beginning of June whilst on holiday in Seville and the whole book encapsulated summertime. Set in the 1980s on the coast of sunny Malibu, the book tells the story of a much anticipated end of summer party and the 24 hours leading up to it. It’s exciting and exhilarating, and as you learn more about the host family, the lead up to the annual celebration becomes intense as you follow each of their journeys towards their desires and uncover hidden truths that could break them apart, or bring them closer together. I loved the change in character perspectives throughout the book and the backstory behind the Riva family, spanning from the 1950s, up until the present day 80s summer party full of chaos and thrills. It was the perfect book to read on the balcony watching the sunset whilst the descriptions made you feel as though you were on the beach right next to the Riva family. I would definitely add it to your summer reads list!
RACHEL
My first summer book recommendation is Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree. If you think light-hearted read equals a summer book, then this is the one for you. Written like a hallmark movie set in a fantasy setting, the book follows a sweet, barbarian Orc called Viv who wants to stop living life as a mercenary and start her own coffee shop. Starting a new life in a new city, Viv meets new people and creates the first-ever coffee shop in the city. Along the way, she makes friends who turn into a found family, battles city politics, and grapples with old frenemies. Sweet and short, it’ll be an easy read – probably in any café you go into where you may see characters pop out of the book and come to life (though the ones in the book may lean more humanoid than human)!
My second recommendation is Dracula by Bram Stoker. I first read this book in the summer after I finished my undergraduate degree- fair warning, not the kind of book to read when you’re alone in the house and hearing random noises when you’re also reading about a non-human scaling the walls like a lizard. But it is a great book, and even the nearest film adaptations (Francis Ford Coppola, I’m looking at you!) miss out on some of the best parts of the book. The start of the book begins in May, as Jonathan Harker travels to Transylvania to meet with his mysterious client Count Dracula and help him finalise his ownership of his house in England. Cue the realisation that this man is not all he seems, through the form of letters and diary entries. Simultaneously, Jonathan’s fiancée, Mina, is writing to her best friend Lucy over the summer to distract herself while her betrothed is away. Lucy, in turn, is having her hot girl summer and having three proposals in one day, which culminates in her engagement. A lot happens, and that’s even before we’re a third of the way through the book. It’s a classic for a reason, and it’s also available in the form of Dracula Daily, a substack or email subscription which allows you to read the diary entry or letter for the day it is dated on e.g. on 8th July, there was the diary entry from Dr Seward entered on 8th July. It’s an amusing read, especially since the characters in the novel don’t realise they are in a gothic horror until about halfway through the book.
My third and final recommendation is The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald. What screams hot girl summer more than a mysterious, rich neighbour putting on booze-filled parties throughout a summer in 1920s New York? Especially when the mysterious, rich neighbour is secretly in love with the narrator’s cousin and has been attempting to get back into her life with an elaborate scheme. It’s the stuff that modern summer romance reads are made of. It’s also a short book, so if you want a classic that’s a short read, that’s another point in its favour. If you want to understand what it visually looks like, then Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation from 2013 is a great way to see the visual opulence and wealth that Fitzgerald is writing about, with a modern musical accompaniment that makes it feel contemporary and intoxicating.
BRIGITTA
Set in 1950s Paris, Giovanni’s Room follows the tumultuous relationship between the narrator David, an American expatriate, and Giovanni, an Italian bartender. David’s long-term girlfriend, Hella, has gone to Spain to rethink and reflect on their relationship, and so David heads to Paris, ostensibly to do the same. While this book isn’t explicitly set in the summer, the movement of all three characters to different countries to ‘find themselves’ and look for better lives has always felt like summertime to me whenever I’ve read and reread it. The passionate and intense atmosphere of this short novel, and particularly the cramped space of the titular Giovanni’s room, also makes this great summer reading. Baldwin is an absolutely brilliant writer, and if you have never read one of his books before, Giovanni’s Room is a great place to start. It is an expertly crafted exploration of identity, shame, masculinity and, above all, the importance of love. Be warned, it is not an overwhelmingly happy novel and, despite its short length, it isn’t what I’d call light summer reading. However, it is a beautiful and vital story that will make you reflect on yourself, and one I think everyone should read at least once!
LUCIANA
Whilst England is boiling at the moment on a scorching summer, I am back home in Bolivia. And northern hemisphere summer means southern hemisphere winter, so while technically I am on my summer break from uni, the seasons are inverted, and I can’t really think of a sunny beach read from my landlocked country. However, in my city, mornings and nights are cold but days are warm. A regular winter day here can go from 7 degrees to 25, all in the span of 24 hours. So my book recommendation, The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley, is a book for all seasons that varies in mood and themes, just like the temperature.
Each book in the series follows one of the six adoptive daughters of millionaire philanthropist Pa Salt, who has now died and left each of the sisters a letter, coordinates of the place they are from, and an object of importance in their biological family. Each woman embarks on a journey of self-discovery, belonging, and love. As readers, we get two perspectives and timelines: the sister’s, and an important woman’s in her family ascendance. I am recommending book one specifically, because the protagonist, Maia, finds out she is from Brazil, very far from the Swiss mansion she grew up in. Both stories are enthralling and captivating, and the Europe/South America duality makes it a summer read that can work on any hemisphere 🙂
ROSIE
A darkly funny read, My Sister the Serial Killer follows Korede as she repeatedly rushes to her sister Ayoola’s aid when she has murdered another boyfriend, always supposedly in self-defence. When Korede begins to notice details that do not match with Ayoola’s version of events, as well as the latter’s ability to cope with her drastic actions with little care or acknowledgement, Korede begins to question her sister’s intentions in dating.
My Sister the Serial Killer is a gripping, fast-paced read perfect for summer. The writing is engaging and witty, exploring sisterhood and morality whilst dealing with some difficult topics such as an abusive father figure. It was particularly interesting to be in Korede’s point of view, the seemingly ‘moral’ sister, rather than Ayoola’s, who actually commits the murders. This adds to the mystery and confusion that Korede experiences whilst assisting her sister in cleaning up the crime scenes, whilst questioning the specifics of what happened. This is a great, quick read definitely worth picking up this summer!
ANNA
The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis is one of my recent reads, and now one of the best books I have ever read. It will have you flipping through the pages so quickly and eagerly that it may also act as a great fan to take to the beach on warmer days.
The premise is the downfall of an esteemed monk, who gives in to his questionable desires – thus leading to a chain of events that will forever tarnish his reputation should they be discovered. I will try not to give too much away, but rest assured this story features an unforgettable cast of characters; visual, detailed scenes; dabs of sharp, witty humour; and devastating consequences. The devil himself also may make an appearance. I’m not sure I have ever read a book that has had me on the edge of my seat as much as this one, especially in the last thirty or so pages, when everything taking place in the book felt so on fire I thought it was going to combust in my hands.
Perhaps not a gentle, whimsical summer recommendation, but definitely one that will stick with you for a long time.