NPR Staff's All-Time Favorite Summer Reads
NPR recently asked some of its staff to share their favorite summer reads of all time. Their selections feature books old and new, fiction and nonfiction. Including a delectable collection of essays from Ross Gay, an epic tome about the Great Migration, and the complete box set of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels.
22 books
The Pursuit of Love
Nancy Mitford"A collection of truly beautiful words about several truly beautiful people... [an] ideal summer read: deceptively mindless, appropriately fast-paced and unexpectedly gorgeous. You'll cry, you'll laugh and maybe, just maybe — you'll fall in love." Picked by Nick Andersen.
Sophie Haigney & Priscilla GilmanPaperback, 2010
$17.00$8.50 + Free shipping50% off your first book
Travels with My Aunt: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
Graham GreeneNPR's Elizabeth Blair called this tale of an English banker spontaneously traveling the world with his eccentric aunt after meeting her at his mother's funeral, "Spare, droll, sometimes ridiculous and poignant... a delightful journey."
melissa gray & Liam Byrne MPPaperback, 2004
$18.00$9.00 + Free shipping50% off your first book
Happy Hour
Marlowe GranadosOn this "diary of a 'Hot Girl Summer,'" NPR's Liam McBain wrote, "I love these broke party girls and their shenanigans! It's a vibes-forward and seasonal romp, which is exactly my kind of summer read."
Los Angeles Review of Books & Anna FitzpatrickPaperback, 2021
$19.95$9.98 + Free shipping50% off your first book
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
Isabel WilkersonMorning Edition host, Michel Martin, selected this 800+ page nonfiction tome, which she describes as an "epic" with "the verve and pace of a novel," because reading the book on vacation gave her the "chance to really absorb the story and to talk about it with family."
Sherrilyn Ifill & Clint SmithPaperback, 2011
$20.00$10.00 + Free shipping50% off your first book
The Interestings
Meg WolitzerAll Things Considered editor Justine Kenin praised this book about a group of teens at a summer art camp, writing, "the story is gorgeous and juicy and so unputdownable — perfect to devour in summer, when life feels limitless."
Garth Greenwell & Katey SagalPaperback, 2014
$18.00$9.00 + Free shipping50% off your first book
All the Missing Girls
Megan MirandaNPR correspondent Elissa Nadworny said, "It's a perfect summer read: The dialogue is great and the plot makes it a real page turner. Each day is a new chapter and this creative structure offers built-in breaks — so you can take a minute to jump in the pool."
carina adly mackenzie & Andrea BartzPaperback, 2017
$18.99$9.49 + Free shipping50% off your first book
Act One: An Autobiography
Moss HartArts critic Bob Mondello selected this autobiographical account from "one of American theater's most storied, rags-to-riches careers," which details Moss Hart's rise from poverty and his sneaking into theaters as a teen to get inspiration for his summer camp performances.
James Urbaniak & Alex EdelmanPaperback, 2014
$25.00$12.50 + Free shipping50% off your first book
The Thursday Murder Club
Richard OsmanReporter Jennifer Vanasco says you can likely finish this entertaining tale about a group of "murder-mystery-obsessed" retirees "who finally have a real case to crack," in a single summer afternoon.
HIDEO_KOJIMA & Richard OsmanPaperback, 2021
$18.00$9.00 + Free shipping50% off your first book
Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More
Janet Mock"Redefining Realness is peak summer reading: a captivating escape into another life... [with] insight on how to support trans youth as they become who they're meant to be. Plus, it's a lot of fun," said All Things Considered editor Tinbete Ermyas.
Matt Ortile & Lux “Ask Me About Self-Managed Abortion” AlptraumPaperback, 2014
$18.99$9.49 + Free shipping50% off your first book
Rebecca
Daphne Du MaurierNPR's Tayla Burney said, "A great summer read transports, which Rebecca — rather famously — does from its very first line... Set on the cliffs of the Cornish coast, the atmosphere and psychological suspense may send a near-literal chill down your spine."
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