Not Another Summer Reading Guide

My summer reading vibe, 5 offbeat backlist recommendations, plus my Weekly What

Jun 07, 2025

Can we all agree summer reading is the elite reading season? The general buzz, abundance of seasonal reading guides, and overwhelming number of promising books publishing certainly appears to support this theory.

I think we all feel a little freer in the summer—I know I am the best version of myself in the summer months, and my reading reflects this. Though I have long been an adult, the beginning of summer still conjures the echo of a long school break stretching ahead of me, a feeling of freedom always too fleeting.

Growing up, summer reading meant spending an afternoon at the library perusing the stacks and filling my tote bag with fresh books with which to complete my summer reading log; lazy days spent disappearing into literary worlds while lying in a hammock stretched between shady trees in my backyard; staying up even later than usual with my current read because there was no school to worry about the next day.

Adult summer never quite manages to be as lazy or idyllic as childhood, but summer reading is still a feature for me. Whether on my woods-adjacent backyard deck (where I can be found any spare moment, weather permitting), alongside our community pool in between doling out snacks and sunscreen reapplications, or with my toes in the sand and surf at our annual beach vacation (my absolute peak reading experience) good summer reads make the season bright!

I am a firm believer that any genre can offer a proper beach/pool/travel/summer read. What we are chasing with this season’s reading is more of an experience, a vibe, a feeling, and this may look a little different for each reader. What I look for when it comes to summer reading is an immersive reading experience. For me, this can mean a plotty page-turner I don’t want to look up from, a romance to sweep me away, a gripping literary novel, or a long and leisurely story to sink into and stay awhile; I desire effortless engagement for maximum enjoyment.

There are a lot of excellent summer reading guides available—like, so many! We are undoubtedly living through some sort of reading guide golden age—And I love reading them all (unless they’re computer generated slop or otherwise thoughtlessly thrown together.)

This is not another summer reading guide (as promised) but being that I am forever curious what people are reading and recommending and I love hearing about something a little more under the radar, today I am sharing five offbeat summer reading recommendations that I have read in previous years for your summer reading consideration.

Browse these books on Bookshop.org

Tell me:

What does summer reading mean to you?
Have you read any of these titles?
Do you have any more under the radar/offbeat/unexpected/backlist books on your summer TBR?
Which summer reading guides do you enjoy perusing?

Reading

The Ancients by John Larison. The titular Ancients are ostensibly us, now, our present civilization. Set many years into the future the characters appear to me, a a reader in present day, as primitive, maybe something out of ancient Rome, but we quickly realize they’re our decedents far in the future who have mythologized our present as their distant past while living long after some sort of major realignment and facing the reality of their own changing climate. The story follows a mother stolen into enslavement, her three children left behind in their dying seaside village, and a wealthy merchant’s heir recently ascended at a time of crisis. With elements of sci-fi, fantasy, and history, The Ancients offers some really interesting world building and fascinating perspective as it explores the perpetuity of humanity.
Disco Witches of Fire Island by Blair Fell.
At the end of the world there will be suffering, there will be chaos, there will be death. But still, there will be dancing. Dancing is the only hope to overcome the Great Darkness. Dance, Disco Witches, dance!.

—Disco Witch Manifesto #157
In 1989, friends Joe and Ronnie’s first summer on Fire Island doesn’t go as planned. When their promised bartending jobs don’t materialize they become involved with two older men rumored to be part of some sort of coven. This is a fantastic premise that manages to fit a lot of nuance about the gay community at the tail end of the AIDS epidemic. There’s also some romance, magical realism, and the author is drawing from real life experiences in this entertaining and touching summery story.

Listening

The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry. I don’t tend to read a lot of historical fiction, mystery, or plot-forward books, but that’s exactly what Patti Callahan Henry writes and I’ve really enjoyed two of her previous novels: Once Upon a Wardrobe and The Secret Life of Flora Lee. All three of these books are historical mysteries centering the magic of books with a hint of the fantastical, and each incorporate real life literary elements. Callahan Henry tells a great story and all the better when it’s a story prominently featuring books! The Story She Left Behind is my least favorite of the three books I’ve read from this author, I found the story spun its wheels a bit here and there, but still plenty to appreciate.
They Coined It: A Mad Men Podcast. I decided I needed a rewatch podcast to accompany our Mad Men rewatch and this one is scratching that itch.

Watching

Mad Men, Season 4 (DVD!) We are about halfway through season 4.

Eating & Drinking

Chicken Alfredo by request. We grilled the chicken and served it with a side of broccoli.
Salad with Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken. This has become my go-to chicken marinade when we’re eating it atop salads. It’s easy to throw together and the flavors go well with other ingredients. In addition to chicken I had berries, blue cheese, avocado, and pecans on my salad with balsamic dressing (I like Marzetti Simply Dressed.)
Another round of these Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos because I had most of the ingredients on hand and leftover Cilantro Lime Crema—no one complained about seeing these on their plates again so soon. Served with a side of fruit.
Grilled burgers with fries from the freezer for an easy mid-week meal.
Wraps made with Just Bare chicken and Ranch Wedges (6-8 small potatoes cut into wedges, drizzled with EVOO, tossed with ranch seasoning, bake ~40 mins at 375-degrees, stirring halfway) that I threw together late in the week on what is traditionally our leftover night when I found we had no leftovers. Might have to adjust my meal planning a bit now that the kids are off school for summer.
A double batch of Cheddar Bacon Egg Bites in the Instant Pot for breakfast upon request.

Links + Loves

A wealthy widow built a library and opera house on the border between Quebec and Vermont, a symbol of binational friendship. Now U.S. officials are restricting access to Canadians. (NYT)
I enjoyed this interview with Taylor Jenkins Reid. (NYT)
Another AI hallucinated book list. (Semafor) “A senior editor at Business Insider sent around a list of what she called “Beacon Books,” a list of memoirs and other acclaimed business nonfiction books, with the idea of ensuring staff understood some of the fundamental figures and writing powering good business journalism.” This amidst steep staff reductions where those who keep their jobs are being pressured to utilize AI—unreal.
The Bestselling Books of the Week, According to All the Lists. (Book Riot)
Best Reviewed Books of the Week. (Lit Hub)
“The Pitt” and “ER” Show the Opposing Realities of Doctors and Patients. (Electric Lit) “ER is a miracle of a show, and so is The Pitt. Neither can be everything to everyone, but they keep our faith that we can interpret life’s unfathomable moments through art. At least, they show us that we still have enough faith to try.”

That Bookish Life {Stacked}

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