Lorrie's Endless Summer Reading Guide

How I curate ideal summer reading vibes and 49 books that will keep you turning pages this summer and beyond!

Summer afternoon—summer afternoon;

to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.

-Henry James

A Few Thoughts on Summer Reading

I like to think of my annual June reading guide as a this-summer-all-the-way-into-next-summer TO BE READ list. My reading selections don’t change with the seasons, requiring that I read fluff by the beach when it’s hot or chilling mysteries when it’s cold.

I’m a year-round mood reader who likes literary, character-driven books with a scattering of page-turning, plot-driven books as in-between reads. I love it when landscape is a character. Getting lost in long family sagas does not deter me. Speculative fiction intrigues me. I don’t like scary and I’m trying not to roll my eyes at romance.

Here’s what’s different about summer reading for me: It’s the amount of time I dedicate to reading and intentional decisions that change my reading vibes from mid-June to mid-August.

That’s because June feels like a natural transition month. School is over. As a former full-time teacher and parent of a college student, the academic schedule is baked into my circadian reading rhythm! The weather beckons us outside and society as a whole seems to slow down a bit which means the possibility of more reading time. Plus, I’m not in teaching/creating content mode for a few short weeks. I am just a reader who loves books!

Here’s what I do to create my desired summer reading vibes (unhurried, self-paced, self-selected, mood dependent, super enjoyable, and genre diverse):

• I take an extended break from screens and publishing weekly newsletters on Substack.

• I don’t teach Family of Writers, lead retreats, or schedule Once-in-a-While Book Club meetings.

• I pause my own participation in two additional and beloved book clubs. That means I get to read whatever the heck I want without any pressure to finish in time for a scheduled discussion. I don’t have to prepare comments.

• I try to resist using Post-its, book darts, and highlighters. I want to turn pages with abandon and savor the experience. I spend so much time reading like a writer (and teaching students the significance of that essential practice!), but during summer I just want to BE in whatever book I’m reading.

• I schedule regular reading time into my calendar without guilt or telling myself I should be doing something else.

• This summer, I want to make sure that some of my reading sessions include afternoons on the beach.

While creating this year’s endless summer reading guide, I focused on…

• Including backlist books (published at least one or two years ago). In the past, I read the latest and greatest buzzy books that were predicted to be summer hits and I was often disappointed. An added bonus is that many of these books are already on my shelves or they’re easier to get from the library. Even more importantly, my kindred reading friends have already given them a trusted thumbs up!

• Creating at least one section that’s based on a themed flight of books. Spoiler alert: the theme is writing and creativity.

• Paying attention to book recommendations from favorite Substackers and people I talk to in real life like folks who come to the Once-in-a-While Book Club, and my longtime kindred reading friends, Lesley Tibbits and Dana Hunt.

• Getting suggestions from booksellers who own and or work in independent book stores. During a recent visit, I had the great fortune to meet with Elizabeth Barnhill (adult book buyer at Fabled Bookshop in Waco, Texas), and Avery Shelburne (previously the children’s book buyer at Fabled Bookshop). Plus, I recently discovered Annie B. Jones who owns The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia. I love her recommendations.

• Expanding my bookish podcast listening. Right now I’m loving Book Riot and From the Front Porch (Annie B. Jones).

• Noticing books that are on BOTH of these New York Times lists:

  1. 100 Best Books of the 21st Century (as voted on by 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help from the staff of The New York Times Book Review) AND

  2. The Reader’s Choice version of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.

• Seeking out a few titles in genres I never read. I’m looking at you romance!

• Selecting a variety of books that fit different purposes, moods, travel, and capacity!

Lorrie’s 2025 Endless Summer Reading Guide Stats!

• There are 16 categories.

• There are 49 books in the list. (63 if you count all the additional titles referenced within descriptions that accompany books.)

• 17 were published in 2025.

• 9 were published in 2024.

• 23 were published in 2023 or earlier.

• The oldest book was published in 1996.

• Three books haven’t been published yet, but all are available in July and August.

• So far, I’ve read three of the books on the list. (We’ll see if I picked well when I share reviews at the end of each month, starting up again in September.)

Housekeeping Before ALL THE BOOKS!

• If you would like to make your own list of books to read this summer, here’s a darling zine you can print and carry with you wherever you go.

• While I’m not sure this amazing Summer Reading Bingo created by Rachel Thompson matches my current brain capacity, I think it’s totally amazing and want to do it in a very loose way! I wish I had thought of this idea when I was teaching fifth grade!

Without further ado, here are all the categories PLUS the first book I’ll reach for within each delightful curation. Go HERE if you would like to see ALL 63 titles and commentary included in my Endless Summer Reading Guide since it’s way too long to include in this post!

Readers, it’s time. Let’s get to the short list!

---

Lorrie’s 2025 Endless Summer Reading Guide*

*That will probably keep us turning pages until next summer!

The Short List

• Literary Fiction: These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner (1998)

• Historical Fiction Which is Also Literary: Still Life By Sara Winman (2021)

• Thriller/Suspense Which is Also Literary: Flashlight by Susan Choi (2025)

• Fiction That’s Not Fluff But Works Well Beside Any Body of Water With or Without Distractions: The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Johnson (2024)

• Dear, Dear Epistolary Novels: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (2025)

• Nonfiction/Memoir: A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhurst (releases on 7/8/25)

• Lorrie’s Curated Summer Stack That’s Helping Her Decide if Writing is a Beloved Hobby or Something MORE: Dear Writer: Pep Talks and Practical Advice for the Creative Life by Maggie Smith (2025)

• Dang! I Can’t Believe I Haven’t Read These Backlist Beauties: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (2023)

• Nonfiction Mental and Physical Health: Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict by The Arbinger Institute (2006)

• Poetry for the Iambic Pentameter in Us All: Joy: 100 Poems edited by Christian Wiman (2019)

• Jesus Books for Quiet Mornings Before Anyone Else is Awake: Windows of the Soul: Experiencing God in New Ways by Ken Gire (1996)

• The Genre I Usually Avoid: Romance: How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang (2024) June 12 UPDATE: I tried. I really tried. The plot is predictable, which I guess it can be comforting to know what’s around every turn, but when it got to the sex scenes, I couldn’t keep going. I never thought of myself as a prude, but maybe I am? (I mean last year I loved The Ministry of Time and that has some of the best sex scenes ever so I’m not that squeamish!) Maybe I like innuendo better? Anyway, this is a DNF for me. Can anyone give me a romance that’s literary, with an unpredictable plot, and implied spice? That might be the best fit for me!

• Buzzy Summer Books I Want to Read, But I’m Saving for Winter or Spring Because I Cannot Buy Another Book Until The Holidays: The Names by Florence Knapp (2025)

• MORE Buzzy Summer Books I’m Skipping Even Though Everyone Will Be Talking About Them: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2025)

• And last but not least, books for kids that aren’t just for kids!

  Middle Grade Fiction (3rd-5th grade and adults): Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell (2024)

• Picture Books For All Ages: The Illustrated Walt Whitman by Ryan G. Van Cleave (2024)

---

Well, that’s more than enough!

**Be sure to check out the complete list with information about all 49 books HERE.**

Let me know what’s at the top of your summer reading list and beyond.

Always reading and writing,

P.S. I have three more Substack posts scheduled for June. Then, it’s reading books, rafting down the Colorado River, camping in our trailer at Jalama Beach, and getting my beloved daughter ready to go off to college. That means I’ll be taking a break until late-August when I return with new posts. Next week, I’m sharing the Summer 1-Hour Retreat. Then, the following Friday, it’s a post with lots of ideas for fast, easy, and fabulous travel journals. Finally, I’ll share my Equation for a Happy Creative Summer with the hope of inspiring you to create one, too!

P.P.S. The September Once-in-a-While Book Club reading selection will be announced on July 25th via this Substack email and on my Website.

P.P.P.S. Here’s what I’m adding to our Little Free Library today: The Book Club for Troublesome Women (mentioned in this guide!), The Body Keeps the Score, and Beautiful Writers. Enjoy!