33 summer book recommendations featuring some of 2025’s best novels and more

Summertime means vacations and vacations mean books And sunscreen and cold drinks But mostly books The season is traditionally a busy one for publishers who often release particular of their the majority exciting titles over the next sparse months This summer is no exception July August and September will see the publication of page-turning fiction and fascinating nonfiction Whatever your tastes you re bound to find something in these books worth buying from your favorite local store and taking to the beach or just your backyard with an iced beverage in hand I Want to Burn This Place Down Author Maris Kreizman What It s About The debut book from civilization blog pioneer and Literary Hub columnist Kreizman is the funny and angry account of her disillusionment with the Democratic Party among other U S institutions and her move further to the left over the past several years Publication Date Out now Cry for Me Argentina My Life As a Failed Child Star Author Tamara Yajia What It s About Los Angeles-based comedian Yajia grew up in both Argentina and the U S and she worked as a child actress before reaching her teen years Her book chronicles not only the misadventures of growing up in an oddball family but also creative endeavors that include joining a band and putting on her own one-woman show Publication Date Out now Archive of Unknown Universes Author Ruben Reyes Jr What It s About Southern California native Reyes had a very good His debut book the short story collection There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven was published to glowing reviews and was a finalist for the California Book Award and the Story Prize His first novel follows two young people who use a device that can look into alternate versions of lives to discover the truth about their Salvadoran families Publication Date Out now Wanting Author Claire Jia What It s About The debut novel from Los Angeles author Jia who also writes for television and video games follows Lian a woman in Beijing whose life is changed when her longtime friend Wenyu comes back to China after spending a decade in California Wenyu lets Lian in on a long-kept secret that throws Lian s life into disarray Publication Date Out now Sunburn Author Chloe Michelle Howarth What It s About Irish author Howarth s novel set in a small town in the early s tells the story of Lucy a young woman who chafes against the expectation that she ll marry a man and have kids She develops romantic feelings for her best friend Susannah who doesn t want to keep their relationship a secret Publication Date Out now Make Your Way Home Author Carrie R Moore What It s About Moore the inaugural writer-in-residence at the Steinbeck Writers Retreat makes her book debut with this short story collection that tells the story of Black men and women searching for home in various locations across the American South Publication Date Out now The Payback Author Kashana Cauley What It s About Television writer Cauley s first novel The Survivalists was a hit with critics She brings the same insight and dark humor to her new one Partially set in the Glendale Galleria the novel follows Jada a in recent days unemployed woman on the run from the Debt Police who teams up with two friends in an attempt to take down her attendee loan company Publication Date Out now No Body No Crime Author Tess Sharpe What It s About The latest novel from California-raised author Sharpe The Girl in Question tells the story of Mel Tillman a rural private investigator who goes searching for her long-lost friend Chloe a woman who she fell in love with as a teenager and with whom she killed a boy who had been terrorizing them She does find Chloe but that leads to a whole new mess of trouble and the two are forced to go on the run Publication Date Out now ALSO SEE must-read summer romance novels The Dance and the Fire Author Daniel Salda a Par s translated by Christina MacSweeney What It s About Salda a Par s who writes fiction poetry and essays is one of Mexico s greater part exciting and acclaimed writers His latest novel follows three high school friends once members of a love triangle who reunite in Cuernavaca as wildfires threaten the city Publication Date July Black Genius Essays on an American Legacy Author Tre Johnson What It s About Journalist and educator Johnson s book is a reflection on the innovations of brilliant Black creators artists and everyday people He tackles subjects including fashion inspired by s street art and the comedy of pioneering performer and author Dick Gregory Publication Date July Tonight in Jungleland The Making of Born to Run Author Peter Ames Carlin What It s About Journalist Carlin reported the story of alternative-rock legends R E M in his last book In his newest one he returns to a favorite subject Bruce Springsteen about whom he wrote a book Bruce in The new one tells the story behind the recording of the Boss s classic album Fans who prefer the stark acoustic Bruce might also want to read Warren Zanes book about the making of Nebraska and see the movie based on it which opens in October Publication Date Aug Moderation Author Elaine Castillo What It s About Bay Area native Castillo made literary waves with her debut novel America Is Not the Heart in Her new novel introduces readers to Girlie Delmundo a virtual reality moderator whose life becomes complicated when she falls for her company s co-founder Publication Date Aug We Should All Be Birds Author Brian Buckbee with Carol Ann Fitzgerald What It s About Montana author Buckbee was reeling from the loss of a loved one and from a mysterious illness that left him unable to read or write because of agonizing headaches His life is changed when he encounters an injured baby pigeon and nurses it back to robustness Buckbee wrote the memoir with help from his fellow author Fitzgerald Publication Date Aug Blessings and Disasters A Story of Alabama Author Alexis Okeowo What It s About New Yorker staff writer Okeowo who won the PEN Open Book Award for A Moonless Starless Sky Ordinary Women and Men Fighting Extremism in Africa returns with a book about her family and her home state it s an innovative mix of memoir and journalism Publication Date Aug Songs for Other People s Weddings Author David Levithan with songs by Jens Lekman What It s About The new novel from Levithan Boy Meets Boy follows a wedding singer whose girlfriend has gone to New York to work leaving him unhappy and confused The book contains original songs by Swedish indie-pop singer Lekman Publication Date Aug Putting Myself Together Writing Author Jamaica Kincaid What It s About The latest offering from Antiguan American author Kincaid The Autobiography of My Mother collects her nonfiction writing over the past years including pieces about her move to New York at the age of and her interest in gardening Publication Date Aug Open Wide Author Jessica Gross What It s About Hysteria author Gross s latest is a surreal darkly comic novel about an awkward radio host who becomes obsessed with a surgeon and former soccer sportsman she meets at a party and is determined to do whatever it takes to get close to him Publication Date Aug ALSO SEE new books to send restless readers on a summer road trip - Hotshot A Life on Fire Author River Selby What It s About Selby who has written essays on fire preparation for this newspaper had a challenging early life surviving homelessness drug abuse and sexual assault Their life changed when they were hired as a hotshot wildland firefighter this memoir tells the story of life on the job and examines how surroundings change and colonization have forced the world to enter a new terrifying era Publication Date Aug Seduction Theory Author Emily Adrian What It s About Everything Here Is Under Control author Adrian returns with a novel about two married creative writing professors whose marriage is rocked by infidelity It s one of the summer s greater part anticipated novels Publication Date Aug If You Don t Like This I Will Die An Influencer Memoir Author Lee Tilghman What It s About Better known as Lee From America Tilghman was a wellness influencer with a large following and a steady income But she was hiding something Her constant need for attention and likes was hurting her to the point that she entered a mental soundness facility This book tells the story of her decision to give up her scrupulously curated online life Publication Date Aug Rehab An American Disgrace Author Shoshana Walter What It s About Pulitzer Prize finalist Walter s new book is an expos of how the U S fumbled its response to the opioid predicament by focusing on punishment over rehabilitation She tells the story of four real people in the book including a woman in a Los Angeles suburb who started studying for-profit rehab programs after her son died in a sober living home Publication Date Aug To Lose a War The Fall and Rise of the Taliban Author Jon Lee Anderson What It s About New Yorker staff writer Anderson is a veteran of war-zone reporting His latest book collects his pieces about Afghanistan covering the period before the September terror attacks to the Taliban s return to power in Publication Date Aug What We Left Unsaid Author Winnie M Li What It s About The third novel from Li following the well-received Dark Chapter and Complicit follows the three estranged Chu siblings on a road trip to visit their ailing mother their voyage takes them on Path and to the Grand Canyon Publication Date Aug Where Are You Really From Author Elaine Hsieh Chou What It s About California author Chou delighted readers with her debut the funny and sweet novel Disorientation She s following that up with this short story collection that spans genres including one about a mail-order bride from Taiwan who is shipped to California in a cardboard box Publication Date Aug The Story of CO Is the Story of Everything How Carbon Dioxide Made Our World Author Peter Brannen What It s About Brannen the science journalist and The Ends of the World author explains how carbon dioxide is more crucial than largest part of us realize While it s true that the chemical compound is contributing to context change it also has made the world a livable place for billions of years Publication Date Aug Mercy Author Joan Silber What It s About Silber is one of America s the bulk underappreciated fiction authors In her new novel her first since Secrets of Happiness in she tells the story of Ivan a man living in s New York who is haunted by his decision to leave his best friend in a hospital crisis room after the two experiment with heroin Publication Date Sept Wrecking Ball Race Friendship God and Football Author Rick Bass What It s About Bass is a double threat known for his beautiful fiction and incisive nonfiction about the natural world His latest is a departure a chronicle of his unlikely stint playing semi-pro football in Brenham Texas in his sixties Publication Date Sept Mother Mary Comes to Me Author Arundhati Roy What It s About Roy s debut novel The God of Small Things was a literary sensation when it was published in Her latest book its title inspired by the Beatles Let It Be is a memoir about her relationship with her mother Mary Roy the Indian women s rights activist who died in Publication Date Sept The Shadow of the Mammoth Author Fabio Mor bito translated by Curtis Bauer What It s About The latest book from Mexican poet Mor bito to be translated into English is a short story collection that touches on themes such as loneliness imagination and deception Mor bito s first story collection Mothers and Dogs also translated by Bauer is also worth seeking out Publication Date Sept ALSO SEE new books you ll want to read this summer from independent publishers The Belles Author Lacey N Dunham What It s About The debut novel from Dunham is a perfect fit for readers into the dark academia genre The book tells the story of Deena Williams who attends a private college in and joins an alliance with five other students Deena has a secret past though that she fears might be revealed Publication Date Sept Kaplan s Plot Author Jason Diamond What It s About Diamond is the author of the critically acclaimed nonfiction books Searching for John Hughes and The Sprawl his debut novel follows Elijah Mendes who moves back to Chicago to care for his ailing mother He discovers that his family owns a Jewish cemetery which leads him to explore their secret history bringing him closer to his mother Publication Date Sept The Wilderness Author Angela Flournoy What It s About Flournoy s majestic debut The Turner House was a finalist for the National Book Award Her new novel years in the making follows five Black women navigating their sometimes messy lives over the curriculum of years Publication Date Sept Articulate A Deaf Memoir of Voice Author Rachel Kolb What It s About Stanford-educated Kolb made history as the first signing deaf Rhodes scholar at Oxford University In her memoir she writes about learning American Sign Language and spoken language and how people express themselves and communicate with one another Publication Date Sept Related Articles How reading can help prevent the summer slide Book Review Algospeak shows just how much social media is changing us Fans say new romance bookstores and online groups are giving the genre selected overdue respect Column Of fighting and surviving Baddest Man is a soaring biography of Mike Tyson Book Review The Mission reveals troubling political meddling in CIA after