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For many people, summer means beach trips and packed itineraries. If you’re anything like me, however, it means finally having the time to sink into a good book.
As the weather gets hotter, perhaps there is no better way to enjoy the season than with a cold glass of iced tea, the AC on full blast and a tome worth getting lost in. But which one?
These five titles are a great place to start. Each promises a different tale, a unique perspective and a contented smile by the final page.
1. If you need to slow down: ‘Exhausted: An A-Z for the Weary’ by Anna Katharina Schaffner
Self-help books can sometimes feel heavy-handed, but Schaffner’s Exhausted takes a more thoughtful approach so you don’t feel overwhelmed. Burnout has become a common part of modern life, and this nonfiction work gives us a much-needed, clear why.
In accessible prose, burnout coach Schaffner unpacks the emotional, physical and psychological anatomy of exhaustion.
One enlightening aspect that stands out is the assertion that exhaustion has almost become a pandemic of its own in today's post-COVID-19 world, bolstered by unresolved emotions, micro negativity and the byzantine demands that come from navigating life.
If you want your summer read to be eye-opening and feel restorative, Exhausted is a good place to begin. It might even help you reset and start healing.
2. If you want something light and witty: ‘Confessions of a Bookseller’ by Shaun Bythell
If summer feels like the right time for something amusing and offbeat, Confessions delivers exactly that. Bythell’s memoir captures the everyday joys and frustrations of running a bookstore in Wigtown, dubbed Scotland’s National Book Town.
Since it’s written as a yearlong diary, there’s no sweeping plot that ties all entries together into a cohesive narrative (unlike Bridget Jones's Diary). But that’s part of its charm.
With sharp wit and dry humor, Bythell turns ordinary encounters into something unexpectedly entertaining. It illustrates the brainy joy, the eye-rolling frustrations and the hilarity of a slow life in an enduring vocation that most might dismiss as tedious.
Elevated by the author’s sardonic yet amusing writing style, you’ll have reconsidered your career choice by the end of Confessions.
3. If you love clever suspense: ‘The Queen Who Came in from the Cold: Her Majesty The Queen Investigates’ by S. J. Bennett
In the mood for a mystery that feels strange yet oddly believable? Bennett’s reimagining of Queen Elizabeth II as an amateur detective navigating the tensions of the Cold War offers exactly that.
Set in the early 1960s when the space race and the Cold War kicked into high gear, the story begins with a suspicious death aboard the royal train. Alongside her loyal assistant Joan McGraw, the queen is pulled into the most delicate (and dangerous) chain of events that could lead to not only a higher body count but also political stakes and reputational damage.
Bennett balances regal elegance with sleek suspense, weaving in enough historical details to make the premise surprisingly convincing. The result is a smart, charming and ideal crime novel for anyone who likes their mystery polished with a bit of wit and grace.
4. If summer romance isn’t your thing: ‘Solitaire’ by Alice Oseman
Oseman’s debut novel offers something more refreshingly truthful than a breezy romance as it follows teenager Tori Spring, who is struggling through the most frustrating years of her life. Like many of her peers, she feels disconnected from the optimism everyone expects from youth.
Then a mysterious figure known as “Solitaire” begins disrupting Tori's high school life, forcing her to confront the confusion around her. Is Solitaire a teacher, a student or maybe Tori's new friend, Michael Holden? As the story unfolds, so does the reality of growing up.
Best known for her Heartstopper graphic novel series, Oseman writes with honesty. Don’t expect a romance that helps teens live and learn. Rather, Solitaire delves into the messiness of figuring yourself out, facing the universal, chaotic pain of growing up full-on.
If you find summer romance overrated, then Solitaire can be the sharp and relatable fiction you never knew you needed.
5. If you’re craving perspective: ‘If Cats Disappeared from the World’ by Genki Kawamura
The premise of If Cats Disappeared might sound whimsical at first glance: A dying postman, visited by the devil, is offered extra days to live in exchange for erasing one thing from the world at a time. But beneath this surreal concept is no simple tale of the macabre. Instead, it’s a journey of loss, a meditation on gratitude and a search for life’s meaning.
Written by the Japanese producer behind the blockbuster anime Your Name, Kawamura’s first novel delivers simplicity and emotional clarity. Each impossible bargain or feel-good moment gives space to pause and reflect.
If summer is your time to slow down and look inward, If Cats Disappeared from the World offers a new perspective on life and death. It illuminates the oft-forgotten fact that each second of each breath is worth celebrating, not despite the inevitable oblivion, but rather because of it.
