One of my favorite activities of the Summer is compiling and curating Summer book lists. This year, as always, I have included diverse, eclectic resources, from various organizations, media outlets, libraries, and universities.
Emily Temple, managing editor at Literary Hub, has done her usual heroic work of closely surveying summer book lists, noting that she has “read 35 summer reading lists from 31 publications, counted up all the books, and tallied them together for you here.” As in previous years, she tallies the books receiving the most mentions within the lists. This year’s winner is Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Atmosphere, on 19 lists. The runner-up, at 15 mentions, is S.A. Cosby’s King of Ashes.
Jeff O’Neal, executive editor of Book Riot, rounds up and links to 21 lists, including a number that are different from those on my list.
And for the first time, I’ve included an honorable mention section of ten additional eclectic lists.
Whether you are on the road, at the beach, in your back yard, or elsewhere; I hope the lists below will guide you to a summer-full of enjoyable reading!
AARP: 35 Summer Books to Add to Your 2025 Reading List
The Atlantic: The Summer Reading Guide
Book Riot: Round-Up of Summer Reading Lists
Boston Public Library: Adult Summer Reading 2025
Duke University Duke Today: Summer Reading: Duke Authors’ Hot New Books
The Economist: The 40 best books published so far this year
Esquire: The Best Books of Summer 2025
Financial Times: Summer Books 2025 the best titles of the year so far
Five Books: The Best Beach Read Books of 2025
Harper’s Bazaar: The 21 Best Beach Read Books for Summer 2025
The Hollywood Reporter: The Hollywood Insider’s Summer Reading List
The Independent: Best new books to read, from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to Miranda July
J.P. Morgan: Summer 2025 Reading List
Kirkus Reviews: 21 Hottest Books of Summer 2025
KQED: New and Upcoming Book Releases for Your Summer Reading List
Literary Hub: The Ultimate Summer 2025 Reading List
The New York Times: The Summer’s Best Beach Reads
NPR: 17 new books our critics can’t wait to read this summer
Oprah Daily: The 26 Best Summer Reads of 2025
Publishers Weekly: Summer Reads 2025
TIME: The 16 Most Anticipated Books of the Summer
USA TODAY: Summer reading is here: 15 of our most anticipated releases to shelve
Vogue: 27 of the Best Beach Reads to Lose Yourself in This Summer
The Wall Street Journal: Summer Books To Get Lost In
The Washington Post: 30 books to read this summer
HONORABLE MENTION:
Binghamton University: Libraries Summer Reading List
Daphne Gordon: A Human-Generated Summer Reading List for 2025
NC State University: 2025 Summer Reading List, Brought to You by CCEE Faculty
Outside Magazine: The 2025 Sweat Science Summer Book List
Southern Living: 25 New Beach Reads For 2025
Swarthmore College Libraries: Summer Reading Recommendations: 2025
Town & Country: The 46 Must-Read Books of Summer 2025
University of California Berkeley: Summer Reading List: Generosity
University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business: Summer 2025 Reading Picks for Business Leaders
University of Washington Department of Philosophy: Faculty Summer Reading Recommendations 2025