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Hello, book lovers. Your librarian here — and I think I know what kind of summer you’re having.

Not every summer calls for a page-turner. Sometimes the season slows down in the best way — long evenings, nowhere urgent to be, the feeling that this is a good time to actually think about something.

These three books are for that kind of summer. They’re beautiful and unhurried, with prose you’ll want to read slowly. They’ll make you feel something real without leaving you wrung out. Think of them as a long, satisfying exhale.

1. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

It’s the early 1960s. Elizabeth Zott is a chemist who becomes, through a series of unexpected circumstances, the host of a cooking show. She refuses to dumb it down, talks to her audience like the intelligent women they are, and accidentally starts a revolution. Also, she has a very smart dog named Six-Thirty.

Why It’s Perfect for a Reflective Summer: This book has the most satisfying balance of funny and meaningful. Elizabeth Zott is one of the most genuinely compelling protagonists in recent fiction — brilliant, stubborn, and completely herself in a world that keeps trying to make her smaller. Reading her story feels both delightful and quietly galvanising. It’s a book you’ll think about long after you finish it.

What to Expect: Warm, witty, and more emotionally resonant than the premise suggests. Garmus handles some genuinely difficult material with a light touch that never trivialises it. The pacing is leisurely in the best way — you’re never rushed, and the payoff is enormous. An ideal book for a long afternoon when you want to feel moved and slightly outraged on behalf of a fictional woman.

2. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Stevens, the perfectly dignified English butler, takes a rare motor trip through the British countryside and reflects on his decades of service, the choices he made in the name of professionalism, and the life he may have failed to live. Ishiguro never raises his voice. He doesn’t need to.

Why It’s Perfect for a Reflective Summer: This is one of those books that works on you slowly — you finish it and then sit quietly for a while, thinking. It’s a meditation on loyalty, self-deception, and regret that somehow never feels depressing, only deeply, achingly human. The prose is immaculate. If you want a book that will genuinely stay with you, this is it.

What to Expect: A masterclass in restraint and subtext. Nothing dramatic happens and yet you’ll feel everything. This is a book for readers who appreciate when an author trusts them completely — Ishiguro says almost nothing directly and everything obliquely. Best read slowly, in long sessions, with good tea nearby.

3. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Over the course of thirty years, Sam and Sadie create video games together — and navigate a friendship that is one of the great loves of either of their lives, without ever quite being a romance. It’s a novel about creativity, collaboration, ambition, and what we make and leave behind.

Why It’s Perfect for a Reflective Summer: You don’t need to know anything about video games to love this book — it’s really about the creative process and the complicated intimacy of making something with someone you love. Zevin writes about art, ambition, and loss with a precision that makes you feel genuinely seen. It’s a big book that earns every page.

What to Expect: Emotionally generous and beautifully constructed. It’s not a quick read — it rewards the time you give it. Some chapters will hit differently depending on where you are in your own life. If you’ve ever made something, or wanted to, or loved someone through the making of something, this will reach you. One of the best novels of the last several years.

Looking for something with a bit more momentum? See the escapist summer list →

Or tell us how you’re feeling right now → and we’ll match you to exactly the right book.

Hello, book lovers! Your librarian here — and I know exactly the feeling you’re looking for.

You don’t just want a good book. You want to leave. You want to close your eyes, open the first page, and be somewhere completely different — a different country, a different century, maybe even a different world. You want the kind of reading experience where someone says your name three times before you hear them.

These three books will do that. They’re all propulsive, vivid, and completely consuming. Pick one and disappear.

1. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Between life and death, there is a library. Nora Seed finds herself there — with the chance to try the lives she never lived, undo the regrets she’s carried, and discover which version of herself is the one worth living. Each book on the shelf contains a different life. She has until the library closes to choose.

Why It’s Perfect When You’re Adventure-Hungry: This one transports you in a completely different way — not to a place, but through lives. It’s propulsive in the way the best thrillers are, but what’s at stake is something richer: who we choose to be. Haig writes with a lightness that makes even the heaviest themes feel navigable. If you want to be somewhere else entirely, this book gives you infinite elsewheres.

What to Expect: Emotionally immersive and genuinely difficult to put down. It’s not a thriller but it reads like one — you’ll find yourself burning through chapters wanting to know what Nora chooses next. Equal parts thought-provoking and warmly hopeful. One of those books people press into the hands of their friends.

2. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Four retirees at a peaceful English village retirement community meet every Thursday to solve cold cases — just for fun. When a real murder lands on their doorstep, they see an opportunity they can’t resist. They might just be the most unexpected detective quartet in fiction.

Why It’s Perfect When You’re Adventure-Hungry: This book is an absolute joy from first page to last. The English village setting is gorgeous and specific, the characters are immediately lovable (and surprisingly sharp), and the mystery is genuinely well-constructed — not just cosy decoration. If you want to feel like you’ve been whisked somewhere charming where interesting things are happening, this is it.

What to Expect: Warm, funny, and genuinely clever. The four main characters — in their seventies and eighties — are among the most entertaining protagonists in recent crime fiction. This is the book equivalent of a perfect summer afternoon: easy and satisfying, with more going on underneath than it first appears. Perfect for readers who want the escape without the anxiety of a dark thriller.

3. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

After her son’s disappearance years ago, Tova Sullivan finds solace in her night-shift job cleaning an aquarium. There she strikes up an unlikely friendship with Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus with a surprisingly perceptive view of the humans around him — including Tova. A young man named Cameron is also searching for something, and their paths are about to intersect in ways none of them could predict.

Why It’s Perfect When You’re Adventure-Hungry: It sounds quiet but it moves. The mystery at the center pulls you forward, the aquarium setting is genuinely transportive, and Marcellus the octopus is one of the most surprisingly compelling narrators in recent fiction. This is the summer book for readers who want something a little different — immersive and warm and just a bit magical, without being fantasy.

What to Expect: Gently propulsive with an emotional gut-punch waiting at the end. The alternating perspectives — human and octopus — keep the pacing lively, and Van Pelt builds to a resolution that earns every tear. If you want a book that will make you feel like you’ve been somewhere and come back changed, this is it.

Want us to find your perfect summer escape based on your exact mood today? Tell us how you’re feeling →

More of a reflective summer reader? See the quiet reads list →

Hello, fellow book lovers! Your friendly neighborhood librarian here — and I’ve got sand between my toes and three perfect books in my bag.

There’s a specific kind of reading magic that only happens on a beach. The sound of waves, nowhere to be, phone face-down in the bag. The only question is: what’s in your hands?

Not all beach reads are created equal, and not all beach days feel the same. Some days you want your heart to feel full and floaty. Some days you want to be completely swept away. And some days you just want something that feels like sunshine — easy, warm, and impossible to put down.

These three books cover all of it. Pick the one that matches exactly where you are today.

1. The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

Catalina Martín needs a date to her sister’s wedding in Spain — fast. When her insufferable coworker Aaron Blackford volunteers, she has no choice but to say yes. What follows is a transatlantic fake-dating arrangement that predictably, inevitably, and very satisfyingly goes sideways.

Why It’s Perfect for a Lazy Beach Day: This book is pure serotonin in paperback form. The enemies-to-lovers tension is chef’s kiss, the Spanish setting gives you that already-on-vacation feeling, and Armas writes romantic banter so good you’ll actually laugh out loud. It moves fast, it’s funny, and it has one of the most satisfying payoffs in recent romance. If you want to lie on a towel and feel genuinely delighted, this is your book.

What to Expect: Slow burn so slow it’s almost criminal — but completely worth it. You’ll be rooting hard for these two from chapter one, and the Spain backdrop makes the whole thing feel like your own sun-drenched holiday. A total crowd-pleaser that delivers exactly what it promises.

2. Beach Read by Emily Henry

Two writers — one romance novelist in a slump, one literary fiction author who doesn’t believe in happy endings — end up as summer neighbors and make a bet: they’ll each write the other’s genre. What neither of them planned for was falling for each other in the process.

Why It’s Perfect for a Lazy Beach Day: It’s literally called Beach Read — and it earns the name completely. Emily Henry writes romance with genuine emotional depth, so this one gives you the fun and the feelings in equal measure. It’s also genuinely funny, which is harder to pull off than it sounds. If you want a beach book that won’t feel slight, this is the one.

What to Expect: Equal parts witty and tender. Henry doesn’t let you off the hook emotionally — there’s real grief and real vulnerability underneath all the banter — but it never tips into heavy. It’s the perfect calibration for a day when you want something that actually moves you without requiring too much of you.

3. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman share an office, a job title, and a mutual, passionate, deeply competitive hatred for each other. Or so Lucy tells herself. The game they’ve been playing for a year is about to change — and she’s not sure she’s ready for what comes next.

Why It’s Perfect for a Lazy Beach Day: If enemies-to-lovers is your love language, this is the comfort read you didn’t know you needed. It’s fast, it’s funny, it’s deliciously tense, and it goes down like a cold drink on a hot day. Thorne’s dialogue crackles. The office setting sounds unlikely for a beach read but trust me — you will not be able to put this down.

What to Expect: Pure, concentrated romantic tension from page one. If you’ve been in any kind of reading slump, this book has a very high success rate for snapping people out of it — it’s just that readable. Start it on the beach and finish it at 2am because you couldn’t stop.

Not sure which summer read is right for you right now? Take the mood matcher → and we’ll find your perfect book based on how you’re actually feeling today.

If summer always brings a reading slump instead of a reading streak, that’s worth understanding →.

Finding your next great read based on how you’re feeling

Sometimes you know exactly what you need from a book – but you’ve already read all the obvious recommendations. You want something cozy but not predictable. Something epic but not the usual fantasy blockbuster everyone’s talking about.

That’s where we come in.

Today we’re sharing four books that deserve way more attention than they get. Two for when you need comfort and uplift, and two for when you’re ready to completely escape into another world.

When You Need Cozy & Comforted 🍂

The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons

Here’s a book that sneaks up on you. Eudora is 85 years old and has decided she’s done with life – she’s ready to end things on her own terms. Then her new neighbors move in: a chaotic single mother and her 10-year-old daughter who won’t take no for an answer.

What could be a heavy story becomes something tender and life-affirming instead. The intergenerational friendship at its heart feels real and earned, full of small moments that accumulate into something beautiful. It’s funny in unexpected ways, honest about difficulty without wallowing in it, and ultimately about finding reasons to stay.

Why it works: This is comfort reading for people who don’t want to be condescended to. It handles big questions about aging, loneliness, and purpose with grace and humor. You’ll find yourself both smiling and tearing up, sometimes in the same chapter. There’s something deeply soothing about a story that says it’s never too late to find connection and joy.

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

A lonely man leaves a green notebook in a London café with a simple instruction: write one completely honest thing about yourself, then pass it on. As the notebook travels through the city, it connects six strangers who desperately need each other.

This is feel-good fiction done right. Each character gets their own story – the lonely retiree, the overwhelmed new mother, the café owner struggling to make it work, the Instagram influencer hiding behind filters. Their struggles feel genuine, their connections develop naturally, and the community that forms around that green notebook feels like something you’d want to be part of.

Why it works: Perfect for when you need to believe in human goodness and the power of small acts of honesty. It’s hopeful without being naive, acknowledging that life is hard while showing how we can help each other through it. You’ll finish it wanting to reach out to your own community, maybe even start your own authenticity project.

When You’re Ready to Escape 🗺️

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Welcome to medieval Russia, where winter lasts most of the year and household spirits share space with humans – if you have the gift to see them. Vasya has that gift, inherited from her mother. But as the old magic fades and the church gains power, she must protect her village from both supernatural darkness and those who would destroy her for being different.

Arden’s debut is atmospheric in the best way. You can feel the frost, taste the honey cakes, sense the spirits lurking in the corners of the house. The Russian fairy tale elements feel both familiar and wonderfully strange, and Vasya herself is a heroine who refuses to be diminished.

Why it works: This will transport you so completely to the frozen Russian wilderness that you’ll want to wrap yourself in furs while reading. The mythology is rich and less familiar than the usual Western European fantasy, the family dynamics are complex and real, and the atmosphere is thick enough to get lost in. You’ll emerge feeling like you’ve lived through an entire winter in another world.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Post-war Barcelona. A boy named Daniel discovers a mysterious book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and becomes obsessed with the author, Julián Carax. But as Daniel searches for Carax’s other works, he learns someone is systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax ever wrote.

This is a gothic mystery wrapped in a love letter to books and reading. The plot spirals and deepens, secrets nest inside other secrets, and Barcelona itself becomes a character – romantic, dangerous, haunted by war. It’s about obsession and love and the stories we tell ourselves, all set against a city still recovering from darkness.

Why it works: If you want to completely lose yourself in a book about books and mysteries and impossible love, this is your escape hatch. Zafón creates a Barcelona that feels both real and slightly magical, full of shadow and light. The story pulls you forward urgently while also making you never want it to end. It’s the kind of epic that reminds you why we fall in love with reading in the first place.

Your Turn

Have you read any of these? We’d love to hear what you thought. And if you’re looking for more recommendations tailored to exactly how you’re feeling right now, that’s what we’re here for.

Looking for something cozy and uplifting? Ready to escape into another world? Somewhere in between?

Find your perfect next read →

Because the best book recommendations feel like talking to a friend who really gets you.

Finding your perfect spooky season book shouldn’t feel like a gamble

There’s something magical about October weekends. The air gets crisp, you pull out the cozy blankets, and suddenly all you want to do is curl up with a book that matches your exact Halloween vibe. But here’s the thing: not all of us want the same level of scary in our reading.

Some of us crave that delicious hint of supernatural whimsy—the literary equivalent of a pumpkin spice latte and autumn leaves. Others want genuine Gothic unease that makes us pull the blanket a little tighter. And some of you? You’re ready for full-blown horror that makes you forget the real world exists.

The good news? I’ve got you covered for all three moods.

🕯️ For When You Want Cozy Spooky Vibes

“The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches” by Sangu Mandanna

Picture this: a lonely witch who’s spent her entire life hiding her magic gets an unexpected job offer. She’s hired to teach three young witches at a crumbling English mansion, where she’s supposed to keep pretending magic isn’t real. But living with these delightful children—and their charmingly grumpy librarian guardian—makes her want to break every carefully constructed rule about staying safe and isolated.

Why you’ll love it: This is autumn magic at its coziest. Yes, there are witches and spells and mysterious happenings, but it’s all wrapped in the warmest blanket of found family and slow-burn romance you could imagine. The “spooky” comes from magical elements and a hint of danger in the background, but mostly you’ll find yourself smiling at the banter, the awkward romance, and watching these adorable young witches learn to use their powers.

Perfect for readers who: Want that seasonal supernatural feeling without any genuine scares. If you love the idea of magic but prefer your stories to end with happy sighs rather than sleepless nights, this is your book. Think “cozy evening with cocoa” rather than “checking the locks twice before bed.”

🌙 For When You Want Genuinely Creepy Atmosphere

“The Little Stranger” by Sarah Waters

A country doctor in 1940s post-war England begins making house calls to Hundreds Hall, a once-grand estate that’s literally crumbling around its aristocratic family. As he becomes more entangled with the household, strange and disturbing events begin to unfold—phantom sounds, mysterious injuries, and the growing certainty that something malevolent lives within those decaying walls.

Why you’ll love it: Sarah Waters is a master of slow-building dread. This is Gothic horror that seeps into your bones gradually, the way cold creeps through an old house. You’re never quite sure if what’s happening is supernatural, psychological breakdown, or something else entirely—and that uncertainty is deliciously unsettling. The manor itself feels oppressive and alive in all the wrong ways.

Perfect for readers who: Are ready for adventure and genuine unease. You want dark, atmospheric storytelling that makes you genuinely uncomfortable, but you’d rather have psychological tension than explicit gore. This is the kind of creepy that makes you keep reading even though you know something terrible is coming. You’ll race through it because you need to understand what’s happening, even as part of you wishes you could look away.

💀 For When You Want Full Horror

“The Troop” by Nick Cutter

A scoutmaster takes five boys to a remote island for what should be a routine camping trip. Their plans shatter when a dangerously thin stranger stumbles into their camp—carrying something parasitic that transforms their weekend into a nightmare of survival and terror.

Why you’ll love it: If you’re ready to completely escape into horror, this will transport you. Nick Cutter doesn’t hold back—this is visceral, intense, and relentlessly suspenseful from the moment everything goes wrong. The tension never releases, the atmosphere is claustrophobic despite being outdoors, and you’ll be so absorbed in this nightmare that your real life completely fades away.

Perfect for readers who: Want that full Halloween horror experience where you’re simultaneously terrified and unable to stop reading. You’re not looking for subtle—you want to be scared. You want to feel your pulse quicken and debate whether you should really be reading this before bed (but you will anyway, because you can’t possibly stop now). Fair warning: this one gets under your skin both literally and figuratively, but that’s exactly what you’re here for.

Finding Your Perfect Halloween Read

The beauty of October reading is that there’s no “right” level of spooky. Maybe you’re a cozy-spooky reader on weeknights but dive into full horror on weekends. Maybe your mood shifts with the weather. That’s the magic of matching books to feelings rather than just genre preferences.

Still not sure which to pick? Ask yourself:

• Do you want to smile more than shiver? → Grab the witches
• Do you want atmospheric dread that builds slowly? → Head to Hundreds Hall
• Do you want to forget where you are entirely? → Pack for that camping trip (but maybe don’t actually go camping)

Whatever your Halloween reading mood, there’s a perfect book waiting for you. And the best part? You don’t have to choose just one. October has four weekends, after all.

Need help finding your next read based on your exact mood? That’s what we’re here for. Tell us how you’re feeling, and we’ll find the book that matches.

Find Your Next Read →