From Thrillers to Rom-Coms: Summer Reads for Every Beach Bag

The author of Every Summer After returns with a beach-read love story set on sandy shores. With sizzling romantic chemistry and plenty of banter, this friends-to-lovers rom-com is disarmingly charming.

Sy Montgomery wowed the world with her first octopus book, Soul of an Octopus, and now she returns to the same subject. Utilizing the insights of experts in the field, this is a fresh new look at one of the most fascinating creatures on the planet, all from someone who knows them dearly.

If you, like many others, fell in love with Conor and Maya in Not In Love, then get ready for some Sicilian heat in Problematic Summer Romance. Forced proximity and off-the-charts chemistry makes this a perfect summer escape read.

A fascinating read about a familiar concept from a fresh angle, The Secret History of Bigfoot is a deep dive into American mythmaking. Told with sharp, engaging prose reminiscent of the best travel writing, it has multiple entry points, from the supernatural to the more traditional outdoors.

An epic fantasy that features a slow-burn romance. What else would you need? There’s lush world-building, plenty of political intrigue and lessons in magic. It’s a fight between life and death, the Reapers and the Givers.

The title says it all. If you love baseball, Joe Posnanski is here to celebrate with you in 50 moments that define what baseball means. Told in a narrative voice that will hook you immediately, this is the kind of read that baseball fans need.

With strong representation, this romantasy with a monster-of-legend hook is the perfect blend of eerie and whimsical. It’s a modern monster story with a tender heart that is emotionally intelligent and engages in reality and the humanity of its characters.

A little murder mystery with plenty of suspects. Set on a remote island off Iceland during a violent storm, this is a fun read brimming with secrets and hidden agendas. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and locked-room mysteries, the surprises are brilliant and keep coming.

Pushed and pulled between her parents and her children, a woman faces her past and her future in a story about the ins and outs and joys of life. Think Vintage Contemporaries by Dan Kois or anything by Laurie Colwin.

How to catch a killer: put off early retirement. A cat-and-mouse race against time from the witty, sharp and sly voice of the author of The Thursday Murder Club series. Featuring a brand new team of sleuths, this is a funny, thrilling read.

With birdwatching soaring in popularity, you might want to keep this small but mighty, laugh-out-loud funny birding guide handy. It’s the perfect book to bring along on your camping trip, for your morning stroll in the park — you can even take it golfing.

This is a hilarious meditation on the power of art and language to unite people. Full of heart, humor and history, Ferdia Lennon reminds us that there’s nothing a show-stopping performance can’t fix.

This is a cozy fiction read celebrating the magic of books that’s impossible to put down. It’s a story about carving your own path in the face of conformity. Yeongju always wanted to own a bookshop, and the time has come to make her dream a reality.

Got a sweet tooth? Yes, this is a history book about the origins of sugar. Brimming with illuminating insights about the ingredient that we’d love to hate, the book delves into the dark side of the sugar business and its ongoing influence on the world.

A story about the benefits and consequences of wealth and the lengths we’ll go to run from our personal mythologies — this cast of characters will hold you for ransom until the very end.