My Summer 2026 Reading List
Inspired by Liz, I thought I’d compiled another summer reading list this year. I tend to fly through my books in the first couple of months of the year before falling into a pre-summer reading slump (hello from said slump!), and I think a curated reading list could be the key. I fondly remember taking part in summer reading challenges at my local library as a kid. I was such a voracious reader that I distinctly remember winning one or two of them, and getting to bring home a reading certificate! Perhaps compiling this list and checking it off as I go is just what I need.
Let’s be bookish friends! Find me on Goodreads, The StoryGraph or Pagebound to see what I’m reading and reviewing in real-time.
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
One of my reading goals for 2026 was to reread more books from my personal library, and I’m planning to reread Water Moon as part of that commitment. This rollicking magical fantasy novel is set in a Tokyo backstreet pawn shop where those who are lost can pawn their deepest regrets and decisions. I loved the ethereal adventure ambience of this book and the heartwarming characters – it feels like a Studio Ghibli story in the best ways! – and I can’t wait to revisit it soon.
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Ahead of the Netflix adaptation, I’m looking forward to reading my first-ever Steinbeck! I’m also hoping to read his The Grapes of Wrath, while we’re all here for a Steinbeck summer.
The Travels by Marco Polo
My fiancé recently visited Venice, where I picked up a copy of The Travels as my souvenir book. I love to collect a meaningful title from each place that we visit, and am thoroughly excited to learn more about the Venetian merchant’s travels to East Asia.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
One of the only Austen books that I haven’t read! I found a gorgeous vintage 80s copy recently, and think this will be a perfect companion for my summer evenings by the lake.
The Little I Knew by Chiara Valerio
I started collecting Foundry Editions books last summer, so it seems fitting to read another in 2026’s. This one in set in a seaside town forty or so miles from Rome. When Vittoria dies unexpectedly in her bath, the local town lawyer wants to investigate: who was Vittoria, why had she come to this small town, and what was her relationship to Lea, said town lawyer? Although I’ve already been on our Italian trip of the summer, I’m fully excited to bring a slice of Italy home with this book.
The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel
Perhaps ambitious, but I’d also like to finish Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy this summer. This is a huge tome at nearly 900 pages, but I flew through the first two books and have a suspicion that this will be just as much of a page-turner as those. With the Wolf Hall series, Mantel has completely transformed historical fiction in my eyes. These books are full of life, salacious dialogue, real English history, and heightened drama, and I love it.
Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
Finally, I’m planning to continue Peake’s trilogy by reading Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake. The Unseen Review here on Substack has been running a slow read, and I recently finished (and loved) Titus Groan, the first in the series. It’s immersive, haunting, fantastical and luxuriously meandering – I’m loving it!
