Not your average beach reads

Take these books on your next trip.

I’ll come right out and say it, I am a book snob. Especially when it comes to fiction. But I believe this makes me an excellent person to give book recommendations (especially if you are looking to branch out beyond your typical beach reads).

I have amassed a list of great books that provide a little more than your typical summer read, while still being gripping and fun (it really depends on your definition of fun). One of my favorite parts of heading on a trip is picking out the book I plan to read during my adventure because it’s one of the few times when I have zero other distractions and can spend as much time reading as I want. So, if you are heading on vacation this summer and plan to pack a book, I am coming in hot with some varied and interesting reads.

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Sunburn

By Chloe Michelle Howarth

This one is for those who like to yearn. Following the life of a girl in rural Ireland in the 90s who has a painful crush on her friend. And while this is, in ways, a queer romance, it is also about navigating your identity in young adulthood and going against the life that may have been expected of you. It’s gripping and beautiful, and a relatively quick read.

Getting Lost

By Annie Ernaux

I just love Annie Ernaux, and I am currently reading this memoir, which I stumbled across at the used bookstore! Made up of her diary entries throughout the year-long affair she had with a married Russian Diplomat in the 80’s, it’s so dramatic in a way that perfectly captures being really obsessed with someone despite knowing the relationship is doomed.

The Stranger

By Albert Camus

If you are feeling brave enough to handle some Nihilism while on vacation, this book is perfect. Short but not so sweet, this novella takes place during a sweltering summer in French Algeria following the death of the main character’s mother. He grapples with the meaning of life and if it means anything at all, leading him to make some rather rash and violent decisions.

Note: You may also see this book called The Outsider (depends on the translation).

Kitchen Confidential

By Anthony Bourdain

I am seeing a resurgence of this book, most likely because of the impending film, Tony, coming out this summer. I am here to say it’s great. I often think about one of the opening stories where Anthony Bourdain is having his first oyster in the South of France as a child. It is such a beautiful scene, and the moment that inspires his love of food. Plus its full of insider tidbits about the food industry, especially in fancy NYC kitchens. Read it and never eat (at a restaurant) in peace again.

The Guest

By Emma Cline

While I am still partial to Cline’s book, The Girls, The Guest is a great summer read. It takes place in the glitzy, glamorous Hamptons, but from an outsider’s perspective. The book takes place over 5 rather stressful days following a sex worker as her time in this posh NYC escape town begins to unravel. The main character infiltrates the scene in ways that will shock and confound.

Talk

By Linda Rosenkrantz

I am a sucker for a NYBR, and this was one I fell headfirst for. Originally published in 1968, the book follows a trio of friends all on the cusp of their 30s on a beach vacation. Told through dialogue only, it’s a unique approach to a novel and feels like being a fly on the wall. You get the chance to read them discuss their dating lives, the right to choose, drugs, and pretty much everything in between. It feels wildly edgy for its publication date.

Luster

By Raven Leilani

You meet this main character when everything seems to be falling apart. It doesn’t help that she’s dating a married man in an open relationship. After she loses her apartment, she moves in with the family and builds a unique relationship with his adopted daughter. As the only other black woman in the daughter’s life, this book grapples with desire, racism and interracial dynamics, especially in dating and the complexities of intimate relationships. It is simply a fantastic read.

Happy reading,
Chamidae Ford
Editor, Lonely Planet