13 Hyper-Specific Mood Reads to Add To Your Summer TBR List
Book covers for Normal People by Sally Rooney, The Girls by Emma Cline, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, Bliss Montage by Ling Ma, A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean, The Pachinko Parlour by Elisa Shua Dusapin, In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, and Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. All covers from Goodreads.
If you are anything like me, then you are a mood reader. You choose your next read purely on vibes, and there is nothing quite so good as a summer reading experience that checks all of the aesthetic boxes. Whether you’re sprawled out in the grass, lounging in a hammock, or spread eagle on the beach, chances are, your accessory is a book.
And while for some (ahem, me), summer is still a far-off dream, the best thing to do is prepare your summer TBR list and pack it tight with books that make you reminisce on high school summers in your hometown, staying out till 3 am with your friends, catching the sunrise on the beach, and hot afternoons with iced tea and a good tan. Even when your summers actually consist of sitting in an air-conditioned office, the beauty of reading means escaping into little fictional vacations, where the only thing that stands between you and the ocean is a 6’2” morally gray love interest with an insane amount of tattoos and a heart of gold (none of my recommendations have this plot, unfortunately).
And, if you’re really like me, then the vibes of some of your books can be just a little bit too specific sometimes. In the summer, you want books that cast hazy shadows on your bedroom wall in the afternoon; you want books that taste like limoncello gelato; you want books that feel like dipping your feet into cold, blue water; you want books that sound like great, towering pine trees blowing in the breeze; you want books that smell like a burning bonfire or burgers on a grill or freshly-mown grass.
I get it.
In the words of Harry Styles, I have a book for every occasion, and this one just so happens to be summer and all of the hyperspecific vibes that come with it. Without further adieu, here are 13 of my top recommendations to get you into the summer spirit:
The Girls by Emma Cline
Nothing says “welcome, summer” quite like a murderous, psychedelic cult in the 1960s. Emma Cline’s novel, The Girls is a scalding testament to the summer vibes; in the heat of northern California, lonely teenager Evie Boyd runs into a group of girls that captivate her with their carefree attitude and aura of abandon. Evie becomes fully enraptured by the mesmerizing Suzanne, who draws her into a soon-to-be-infamous cult and the man who leads Evie and the others to destruction. With themes of girlhood and growing up, this book is a haunting summer read.
2. Normal People by Sally Rooney
Ever crave a summer of pretentious people, cigarettes, short bangs, and falling in love with your chaotic best friend in Dublin? Then Normal People is perfect for you.
Marianne and Connell find themselves growing closer, but only behind closed doors. At school, Connell is popular and a soccer stud, while Marianne is known as the lonely, independent, “weird” girl. When they both study at Trinity College in Dublin, however, they find their roles reversed. The two are always irresistibly orbiting one another, even when Marianne finds herself on a path of self-destruction. This book is a study of the human psyche and a commentary on class issues and the complexities of family and friendships, and it will effectively ensure that you have a “sad hot girl summer.”
3. Bliss Montage by Ling Ma
If the stories don’t perfectly encapsulate summer, at least the cover does.
Bliss Montage by Ling Ma is a collection of short stories that are so warped and out-of-the-box yet perfectly exaggerated. Her commentaries on womanhood, pregnancy, motherhood, marriage, and immigration stimulate thought and provoke both wonderment and trepidation, and the prose is stunning. You’re sure to have an enlightened summer reading Bliss Montage, and it is a requirement to eat an orange while doing so.
4. Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman
In 2017, when people said “summer,” they meant “Timothee Chalamet in the Italian countryside in 1983.”
For some, this is still true; at least to an extent. Call Me By Your Name made a name for itself when the film came out in 2017, but the book is just as stunning cinematically. The novel follows Elio, a 17-year-old in Italy living for the summer at his family’s 17th-century villa in Lombardy, Italy. He meets Oliver, a doctoral student working for Elio’s father, and their relationship is blossomed in the crystal clear Italian waters and sun-soaked splendor.
5. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
This book is the epitome of laying on the couch in your underwear next to a fan blowing on high in the afternoon heat.
The Secret Life of Bees is a gorgeous book set in 1964 in South Carolina, and tells the story of 14-year-old Lily Owens, whose life was altered and haunted by the death of her mother. After a series of events, Lily escapes town and finds herself in Tiburon, SC where she is taken in by three eccentric Black beekeeping sisters, who teach Lily about bees and honey and divine feminine power. At its core, it is a touching coming-of-age story of found-family, civil rights, and summer in the American south.
6. In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
Julia Alvarez’s novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, is a beautiful blend of historical fact and fiction perfect for summer. Set during the days of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic in the 1960s, the novel is inspired by the true story of the murder of the three Mirabel sisters, who worked in an underground plot to overthrow the government. These influential women—known as “las mariposas,” or “the butterflies”—are some of the most inspirational women I have ever read about, and is no doubt one perfect for those revolutionary summer feelings.
7. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Nothing will beat a summer of betrayal, infidelity, and 70s rock n’ roll.
Daisy Jones & the Six has quite literally taken over the internet after the Amazon Prime adaptation was released (and highly, highly recommended), and this book is perfect for all of your 70s summer vibes.
Daisy Jones and the Six is a fictional band, very Fleetwood Mac-esque, and extremely popular. From coast to coast, they took over every soundwave in the 70s, their sound defining an entire era of music. Until July 12, 1979, when the band played a show that was later deemed their very last, and the band split. No one knew why; until now.
Written in the form of a documentary transcript, the book is the story of Daisy Jones (a summer icon down to her very bones) and The Six’s lead singer, Billy Dunne, and is not short in drama and good music, and just overall incredible vibes. Read this before everyone starts having a Daisy Jones summer (I’ve already ordered a new wardrobe for the occasion).
8. The Pachinko Parlour by Elisa Shua Dusapin
Summer in the U.S. is great, but how about spending a summer in Japan? Dusapin’s novel, The Pachinko Parlour, takes place in Tokyo, where the heat of the summer permeates the pachinko parlour that her grandparents opened when they came to Japan from Korea during the civil war. As Claire tutors 12-year-old Meiko for the summer, the novel divulges a discussion on identity, loneliness, and “otherness.” This novel has been described by others as “crisp” and “enigmatic,” and doesn’t that just make you think of summer? Just me?
9. A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean
We are traveling back to America with this great American classic, this time taking place in Montana; and more specifically, in the rushing green waters of Montana’s Big Blackfoot River. A River Runs Through It is a story based on Maclean’s own experiences as a young man. Maclean writes about his relationship with his brother, his relationship with the river, and the way that fly fishing was able to mend a rift between them torn first by gambling and alcoholism.
As someone who honestly finds fishing a very boring pastime, this book is anything but. Maclean’s novella is about love and family and grief, and it is a stunning book that has been argued about for many years over whether or not it deserves the title, “The true American novel.” In my opinion, it does.
10. The Pearl by John Steinbeck
It was very difficult to pick just one Steinbeck novel that worked toward the ultimate summer aesthetic, but after much deliberation, I chose The Pearl; a short, delicious morsel of a novella that depicts a story of simplicity, man’s greed, and love.
The Pearl is one of Steinbeck’s many masterpieces and stars Kino, a poor diver who collects pearls from the bottom of the gulf beds in order to feed his family. One day, Kino finds a pearl larger than any seen, and with it comes promises of security and comfort that are short lived. Based on a Mexican folk tale, The Pearl is a beautiful little novel to read while laying in the sun, questioning capitalism and human nature. What could be better?
11. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Another novel that swept the internet off of its feet several years ago is Where the Crawdads Sing. Delia Owens’ novel is a stunning and heart-wrenching book that takes place in the muggy heat of the Carolina swamps, where young Kya “Marsh Girl” Clark was first abandoned by her family and left to fend for herself.
Having only the marsh to guide her, Kya becomes independent and learns to make a life for herself in her own little bubble, but when people start looking from the outside in, Kya quickly learns that humans cannot be trusted like the marsh can.
This book is a dazzling exploration of the companionship between humans and nature, perfect for your summer vacations to South Carolina.
12. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
If you are looking for a book that feels like the way the August sun burns your skin, this one is it. The English Patient is a novel taking place in an Italian villa at the end of World War II, when four damaged lives come together under one roof; the war nurse, Hana, a maimed thief named Carvaggio, a sapper named Kip, and the English Patient—a burned, nameless man who is confined to his bed upstairs due to his injuries, and whose memories of passion, betrayal, and rescue lend the plot of the book.
Bouncing between the villa in Italy and the Sahara desert, this novel is just, hot. But more than that, it’s a damn good book, with a stream-of-consciousness prose that feels like the bumbling, mindless heat of a late August day.
13. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Summer is the season for swashbuckling pirates, tropical islands, buried treasure, and lots of rum. Which is why Treasure Island is such a great summer read.
One of the most classic pirate tales of all time, Treasure Island’s Jim Hawkins comes across a treasure map and sets off with an adult crew in search of the buried treasure, including treacherous (and positively ridiculously named) Long John Silver. Buccaneers and buried gold, what more could you want?
