The 2026 Summer Reading Guide is here.

In this post, you’ll find:

2026 Summer Reading Guide CHEATSHEET
Instructions on how to access our FULL 2026 Summer Reading Guide.

How to Access our full 2026 Summer Reading Guide

Our full 2026 Summer Reading Guide (including full write-ups for every book in the Guide and supplementary lists) is available as a downloadable PDF for members of our Patreon Community (sign up here) and our Paid Substack Paid Community (sign up here):

We’re currently running a limited time free trial for both Patreon (7 Day Free Trial) and Substack (30 Day Free Trial), which will get you access to our full PDF Summer Reading Guide, plus our entire back catalog of bonus podcast episodes for the duration of your trial period.
The free trials will be open through Friday, May 22 (the Friday of Memorial Day weekend).
Of course, you can still get our full Summer Reading Guide after May 22. It just won’t be as part of a free trial. Our Patreon and Substack communities are each $7/month and include the same bonus content. Just choose the platform you like best.

Get the Guide from Patreon

Get the Guide from Substack

Summer reading means something a little different to everyone — and this year’s Guide reflects that more than ever. Whether you’re in the mood for something light and easy, fast-paced and immersive, more substantive, or a little unexpected, you’ll find it here.

As a team, we read widely — and that range shows up across the Guide, from easy-to-sink-into stories to books with more depth, plus a few darker-leaning picks for those of you who don’t change your reading taste just because it’s summer. For me, the sweet spot is always a book that pulls me in quickly and keeps me there — immersive, engaging, and easy to fall into, but still with enough substance to feel worthwhile.

This year’s Guide is a true team effort, with picks from Catherine, Chrissie, and me — and every book featured here is one we’ve personally read and recommend. Below, you’ll find our Cheatsheet: featuring our 6 top picks with full write-ups, along with a list of all selections from the Guide.

Looking for more? Browse our previous Summer Reading Guides: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).

2026 SUMMER READING GUIDE CHEATSHEET

Our overall top picks include full write-ups. You’ll find a complete list of all selections at the end of the post.

Our Top Picks

Summer Haze

CELESTIAL LIGHTS by Cecile Pin (March 24, 2026)
Literary Fiction | 256 pages | Great on audio

Ollie is born on the day of the Challenger disaster, and from there his life unfolds in this slip-sliding, interwoven narrative that moves between and around a ten-year mission to Europa and the memories that surface alongside it. There’s a certain emotional distance in Ollie’s voice that might not work for everyone, but for me it felt like it matched the scale of what he’s doing: this long, quiet, almost unfathomable journey, and the way he processes it by turning inward and sifting through the life that led him there. Pin’s writing is gorgeous, and she perfectly captures what makes Ollie extraordinary but deeply human. —Chrissie

Also available at: Bookshop.org | Libro.fm

HONEYSUCKLE by Bar Fridman-Tell (March 24, 2026)
Fantasy | 336 pages | Great on audio

Honeysuckle tells the story of Rory and Daye — two childhood friends unlike any other. Daye is a blodeuwedd, made by spell work from flowers, whose life is tied to the season. As the years go by, their friendship gets complicated, and between Daye’s exploration of who she is as an individual and Rory’s obsession with keeping Daye from falling apart with the seasons, Fridman-Tell brings up deep themes about control and agency. Fairytale in both its all-encompassing atmosphere and the kind of tension that rolls in like a slow-moving, heavy fog, this was a stunning debut and one of my favorite reading experiences this year. —Chrissie | 5★ (+ Catherine)

Also available at: Bookshop.org | Libro.fm

THE POET EMPRESS by Shen Tao (January 20, 2026)
Fantasy | 400 pages

Wei is the daughter of a Chinese farmer who learns she is to marry the heir to the throne in this mesmerizing debut. All of the royal sons have magical powers, yet the populace languishes near starvation. Wei is unversed in nobility, politics, and magic, but must gain the prince’s trust even as she grows to despise him. This plays out within the intricate world built by Shen Tao. Expect full immersion into the realities and fantasy of dynastic China as one young woman embarks on a journey of discovery, both about herself and the man she’s supposed to marry. In a world where words can kill but women are forbidden to write, this is a story of contradictions and the things we do for love. —Catherine | 5★ (+ Chrissie)

Also available at: Bookshop.org | Libro.fm

Something Fast Paced / Intense

NO ONE’S COMING by Kevin Hazzard (March 3, 2026)
Nonfiction | 336 pages

The best nonfiction I’ve read since The Only Plane in the Sky, No One’s Coming is the real life story of “the most daring medical rescue in history.” In 2014, a group called Phoenix Air was called in to try to rescue two American medical volunteers who had been infected with Ebola during the 2014 epidemic in Liberia — and, to attempt to bring them home to the U.S. for treatment. This story is thrilling, heart-pounding, has colorful characters, has sky-high stakes, and educates you about Ebola and how people treated it during the 2014 epidemic. Even readers who don’t normally love nonfiction will love this one. —Sarah | 5★

Also available at: Bookshop.org | Libro.fm

Something Light / Fun

THE UNSELECTED JOURNALS OF EMMA M. LION by Beth Brower (2019–2021)
Historical Fiction | Vol. 1–5 | Great on audio

For anyone looking for pure delight, run to get this series. Emma is a 20-year-old woman in late 1800s London who owns a house she’s only recently been allowed to move back into after her uncle — made her guardian — squandered the money her parents left her. Each volume continues her daily diary as she deals with that horrendous uncle, takes in a lodger to help with the bills, and explores the eccentricities of her beloved neighborhood. We meet all kinds of characters, from outrageous to imperious, silly to mysterious, and with each volume, Emma and the main cast become more clearly defined and familiar. These books are simple, but not silly; light, with deeper undertones. —Catherine | 5★

Also available at: Bookshop.org | Libro.fm

Something with Substance

WHISTLER by Ann Patchett (June 2, 2026)
Literary Fiction | 304 pages

One of my favorite books of the year so far is full of emotion: warmth, love, sadness, heartbreak, joy, and humor. And, it’s incredibly voicey. While at the Met, 53-year-old Daphne Fuller and her husband notice an older gentleman following them around. He turns out to be Daphne’s former stepfather, Eddie Triplett, who had gotten divorced from Daphne’s mother when she was 9 years old. This opens the door for Eddie and Daphne to reconnect and dig into what happened during his very short marriage to her mother. And Eddie Triplett is a truly memorable character — right up there in the Hall of Fame with Cyril from The Heart’s Invisible Furies. —Sarah | 5★

Also available at: Bookshop.org | Libro.fm