Best Books for Summer Vacation
- Briana Azar
- Jun 30
- 5 min read
Now that summer is in full swing, I've made a list of a few books I feel embody qualities of a great vacation read -- absorbing, fast-paced, and on the lighter side. Bonus points if you're able to read by a body of water this summer.
I ate this book up last summer on a road trip across the country with my best friend and it was a perfect vacation read.
When a camper goes missing at an Adirondack summer camp in 1975, the town comes together to find the girl, whose brother went missing and was never found 14 years before. As the search unfolds, so does the drama involving the wealthy family who owns the camp and the working-class townsfolk who become entangled with the family's secrets.
This book has everything I want in a summer thriller -- a camp set in the woods, layered family dynamics, and a twist in the end I genuinely did not see coming. I stayed up long into the night, despite being exhausted from our roadtrip and exploration of new cities, to read the next chapter. If that doesn't scream summer vacation read, I don't know what does.
Adharanand Finn is a journalist who dives deep into the extreme sport of ultra running by completing the most famous ultramarathons in the world. I learned about the world of ultra running a few years ago when I read the best running book I've ever picked up, Born to Run by Chris McDougall. If you haven't yet read that niche classic, I also high recommend it. When I heard that people run ultramarathons (which is anything more than the marathon length of 26.2 miles) for fun and through all kinds of extreme settings, I was floored. Some ultramarathons are more than 100 miles, through mountains or desserts, rain or shine, and can last many days.
I was amazed that Finn wanted to explore this world by personally putting himself through multiple arduous races, detailing each race's twists and turns and how he was able to push through the pain. Not only was this exciting to read, but since Finn traveled across the globe to compete, I felt like I was being whisked away to exciting places to experience this strange niche world with him. Finn gives the typical running book background on the sport, describing its quick rise to a thriving global industry, and highlights some of its biggest names and their journeys. But my favorite part was hearing about these insane races through the eyes of a guy who jumped into this world feet first. He describes some of his legitimate breakdowns, including the strangest race I've ever heard of ---- a 24-hour race on a track.
Don't get me wrong, I will not ever be running an ultramarathon but that didn't stop me from getting sucked into this crazy but addicting sport. If you're looking for an exciting nonfiction book that effortlessly integrates running, travel, taking risks, and pushing past comfort zones, this is the summer read for you.
I couldn't write a post about summer vacation reads without including an Emily Henry. She is the queen of summer romance. It also doesn't hurt that she typically publishes right before Memorial Day, a clever marketing tactic that ensures I always read her novels as my summer begins.
Funny Story follows Daphne after her fiance abruptly ends their engagement by announcing he's in love with his best friend. Now stuck in his lakeside hometown with her dream job as a children's librarian, Daphne is forced by desperation to move in with her ex's best friend's ex, Miles.
Set over one summer, this story has all the ingredients for an easy, summer romance read. A hot book boyfriend, descriptions of heated days and steamy nights near water, enough tension and banter to keep me glued to the page, and everything working out in the end. I highly recommend reading this near a body of water, if possible.
There was a period in 2023 where I got very into feminine rage books. I derived strange satisfaction from reading stories where women were angry, violent, even cruel. Perhaps it was my way of channeling my own anger and frustration at the world, and it felt very cathartic.
My favorite of the handful I read was A Certain Hunger. Dorothy, a food critic and sexually liberated woman living in New York City, details her life and what eventually leads her to killing and eating men for pleasure.
Okay, you might be shocked and disgusted and I will admit, the gruesome nature of this novel is not for the faint of heart. But this story was incredibly absorbing and fun. I did not take it as a call to action, literally or figuratively. Summers gracefully weaves a narrative whose content might be grotesque but the unfolding is delicious (pun intended). I loved seeing an intelligent, successful, charming woman become unhinged, finding power and vindication in the strangest of ways. I tend to enjoy morally gray or entirely dark characters, and there was so much to explore in Dorothy's psyche. If any part of this description intrigued you, I think this would be a perfection summer vacation read.
I read this fantasy novel on a trip to the Outer Banks earlier this year with my mom and sister. I was immediately pulled into the story, and it held my attention for all 600 pages.
Vis is an orphaned teen in a republic whose foundation comes from the citizens ceding their Will to those more powerful. When he gets the chance to go to an academy that trains students to be the ones in power, he takes the opportunity while planning revenge against the very government who destroyed his family.
The world-building is a bit confusing at first, but holds firm and gets easier to understand throughout the book. Vis is stubborn, annoyingly talented, and principled, making for a typical fantasy main character, but one that is easy to root for. I loved the descriptions of the scenery and architecture, and it's clear Islington took lots inspiration from ancient Greece and Rome.
The last 10% of the book is exciting, twisted, and ends on a cliff hanger that had me pre-ordering the second book, which comes out this fall. For fans of Brandon Sanderson, or for those who enjoy a fleshed out and absorbing fantasy, this novel would be a perfect companion on any summer vacation.
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Happy reading, y'all.
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