Book Recommendations for Different Types of Summer Readers

Posted by Cybil on May 16, 2022


Here at Goodreads World Headquarters, we humbly endeavor to provide readers with book lists that will be useful, or interesting, or at least entertaining.
 
With summer on the horizon, we decided to examine the enduring phenomenon of the perfect summer reading book. There’s something uniquely satisfying about reading a book on vacation, with no schedules to maintain, no deadlines to sweat.
 
And so, drawing from institutional knowledge, we have compiled below several dozen book recommendations sorted by different types of summer book readers. See below; it kind of explains itself. We’ve made sure to include a little of everything, including scary short stories, investigative nonfiction, environmentally themed historical fiction, and personally recommended recent releases. We’ve even found books that will put you in the water and books that will keep you out of the water.
 
Scroll over the covers to learn more about each book, and be sure to add the books that pique your interest to your Want to Read shelf!
 

The Trendsetter

You love to find the upcoming authors (before your friends do). 
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Team Book: The Adaptation Reader

Before you watch it on the big/little screen, you'll want to get lost in the pages.
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The Culture Vulture

You want to catch up on the books everyone's been talking about.
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  The Riveting Reality Reader

Truth is always stranger than fiction.
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The Award Winner 

You want to spend time with the books with all the accolades.
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The Literal Beach Reader

Even if your toes can't be in the sand, your plots will be.
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The Tome Tackler

You like big books and you cannot lie! No light reading for you!
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The Leisure Learner

Downtime is the best time to educate yourself, in a literary kind of way.
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Getting Lost in Translation

Spend time armchair globe-trotting with new books translated in English!
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What type of summer reader are you? Let us know in the comments below!
 

Comments Showing 1-50 of 78 (78 new)


message 1: by Patricia (new)

Patricia Mae I'm Team Book: The Adaptation Reader. Most of my to-read books is in team book: the adaption reader:)


message 2: by Paz (new)

Paz I'm none of them. I think you need to add more summer reader types.


message 3: by Laura (last edited May 16, 2022 01:53AM) (new)

Laura Tome tackler, riveting reality, leisure learner


Christene Paula I have a lot of want to read on trendsetter. While most books read on Team book, and culture vulture 😲


message 5: by Lauren (new)

Lauren Apparently I'm a culture vulture! Most read and on tbr. But have a few elsewhere.


Donna ( Momsbookcollection ) I guess i am The Culture Vulture!


message 7: by Mia (new)

Mia Anti I'm a trendsetting culture vulture


message 8: by Jasmine (new)

Jasmine Davis I am definitely Culture Vulture with a touch of Award Winner. I had every single culture vulture books and over half the award winner books 😆


message 9: by Teresa (new)

Teresa I feel the translated book is such an Anglo-Saxon centric category. There are so many countries and languages, unless you're only reading stuff made in your country there's a high chance most of what you'll read will be translated...


message 10: by Mackay (new)

Mackay I read no differently season to season. A mix of fiction and non, light and not, old and new.


message 11: by Michelle (new)

Michelle Kellar Donna ( Momsbookcollection ) wrote: "I guess i am The Culture Vulture!"

Me too!


message 12: by Allie (new)

Allie Ha! Very guilty of the Adaption Reader…also very much a Culture Vulture based on my read books


message 13: by Noble (new)

Noble I just realised I am a bit of an Award Winner reader, but mostly a Tome Tackler...


message 14: by Teddi (new)

Teddi None of the above! I tend towards golden age mysteries, historical, victorian, steampunk and anything that doesnt have romance in it!


The Assassin Librarian Teddi wrote: "None of the above! I tend towards golden age mysteries, historical, victorian, steampunk and anything that doesnt have romance in it!"
Same here!!! I prefer corsets and gaslamps. What’s your favourite book in this genre?


message 16: by Harper (new)

Harper R Paz wrote: "I'm none of them. I think you need to add more summer reader types."

I agree. None of these were me. There definitely needs to be more types


message 17: by Carmen (new)

Carmen I team kick a** heroine and... Smut. I am down for smut!


message 18: by Henrik (new)

Henrik If I have to choose one I'd say the only group I fit into is Getting Lost in Translation, though I haven't read any of the above mentioned books. There should definitely be more types though; I definitely am a big fan of history novels, and would always love tips on some that doesn't play heavy on the romance because I'm kind of selective on that front. Historical smut would be nice.


message 19: by CR (new)

CR Williams It's my tradition to always read one epic during the summer, so I'm definitely a Tome Tackler!

These are fun lists.


message 20: by Katy Beth (new)

Katy Beth Mckee Paz wrote: "I'm none of them. I think you need to add more summer reader types."
I agree none that really fit me either.


message 21: by Chelsea (new)

Chelsea Paz wrote: "I'm none of them. I think you need to add more summer reader types."

amen


Amanda Artist Cat "Getting Lost in Translation" - from Maybe we got lost in translation maybe I asked for too much, perhaps, or am I clutching at straws? 🧣🍃


message 23: by Maja (new)

Maja Looks like I'm a Culture Vulture with bits of The Adaptation Reader sprinkled in!


◇Αλεξάνδρα◇ i definitely am in the Culture Vulture. I really want to catch up with some contemporary lit everyone is talking about, after three years of classics in college! Also I have a lot of books in translation from non-English speaker countries.


message 25: by Aadhaya (new)

Aadhaya Mahajan Trendsetter and Culture Vulture


message 26: by Ellie (new)

Ellie Clayton I'm a Literal Beach Reader (I especially love thrillers set on a beach/lake/cruise/etc.)!


:D o y i n :D (CURRENTLY OBSESSED WITH AOT iykyk) Paz wrote: "I'm none of them. I think you need to add more summer reader types."

agreed


message 28: by Krizia Anna (new)

Krizia Anna Culture Vulture and Award Winning


message 29: by Rariny (new)

Rariny I am a Culture Vulture.


message 30: by Howard (new)

Howard Jaeckel You tell me. I'm currently reading "Hitler's Vienna" by Brigitte Hamann. Next on my list is "Alone Against Hitler" by Jack Bray, to be followed by "Everything Flows"by Vassily Grossman. In terms of current books, "The Dying Citizen" by Victor Davis Hanson and "The Dumbest Generation Grows Up" by Mark Bauerlein. At some point, I'll take a baseball break with a book about statistical analysis, i.e., "Moneyball" by Michael Lewis.

So what kind of summer reader am I? "Also Loves Nazi Movies"?; "Tormented by Totalitarians"?; "Depressing Declinist"?

Or maybe just "Needs to Lighten Up"?


message 31: by L I Z A (new)

L I Z A I've got to be Team Adaptation Reader or the Culture Vulture. Both happy and sad with the amount of books on my tbr!!


message 32: by Raynald (new)

Raynald Provost Tome tackler, I am afraid. Oh well! C'est la vie!


message 33: by Silver (new)

Silver Literal beach reader for me. As a person who love being in and around the water I like to read books with a water or beach setting.


message 34: by Shirley (new)

Shirley I don't really fit any of the types listed. I am a very eclectic reader. I also have authors that I read whenever they have a new book out, no matter the season! I like to read fiction and nonfiction and the season really doesn't matter as I am retired, except for my yard and garden.


message 35: by Aurora (new)

Aurora Literal Beach Reader!
As soon as I saw this catigory I knew it would be me. Happy beach reads all the way!

Love This! (Though we do need more catigories)


message 36: by Jenn (new)

Jenn Chastka I'm a total culture vulture lol!


message 37: by Hopeless (new)

Hopeless Romance reader Shamelessly a culture vulture lol


message 38: by Kimberly R (new)

Kimberly R Since most my To-Reads are in the Culture Vulture category, then perhaps I am one, haha.


message 39: by Kathy (new)

Kathy I fit into two or three of these, there are books in almost all themes that I can read.
Major sections:

1. The Tome Tackler (9)
2. The Trend Setter (6)
3. The Culture (4)
4. The Literal Beach Reader (3)
5. Team Book. Adaptation reader + Riveting Reality + Award Winner (2)
6. Leisure learner (1)


message 40: by Anne (new)

Anne Fitzgerald I genuinely do not know what type of reader I am in any season. I generally read any reviews I see of titles and sub-titles that appeal to me, then I decide if I want to give the book a try. I usually will give a book 3 chapters and if it still appeals to me, then I usually finish it IF something better does not come along. I just love to read!


message 41: by Lorraine (new)

Lorraine I am the leisure learner. For my summer reading I chose a variety including only one similarity to your list, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. My other choices are as diverse as I am. First, is my current book The Signet Book of American Essays. Next, I will revisit my high school English class syllabus to re-read famous black authors’ works in The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Finally, I am onto The Bedside Baccalaureate my advanced placement class on every topic imaginable. No summer learning slide for me.


message 42: by Pen&Quill (new)

Pen&Quill  Read Teddi wrote: "None of the above! I tend towards golden age mysteries, historical, victorian, steampunk and anything that doesnt have romance in it!"

That sounds great, what are your top recommendations?


message 43: by Tanaya (new)

Tanaya Deshmukh I am culture vulture! So many ‘read’ and ‘want to read’ books from that reader type!


message 44: by Kat (last edited May 23, 2022 03:03PM) (new)

Kat Whoever put "Jaws" on this list should go to jail 😭.


message 45: by It's Me - Yvette (new)

It's Me - Yvette Culture Vulture!


message 46: by It's Me - Yvette (new)

It's Me - Yvette Kat wrote: "Whoever put "Jaws" on this list should go to jail 😭."

LOL!


message 47: by Heidi (new)

Heidi Whatever encompasses adventure, love, travel, history, and romance


message 48: by Steve (new)

Steve I'm none of these need more groups


message 49: by Alberto (new)

Alberto In that entire list, there was only book I am interested in, and I've already read it Not sure if that says something about me as a summer reader, or if it indicates something is seriously lacking in GR's list.


message 50: by Carol (new)

Carol Gross Culture Vulture and Beach Reader a close 2nd!


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