8 Vacation Reads We’re Digging Into This Summer

I usually find thrillers to be the best vacation reads because they’re quick, and they absolutely demand that you finish them before the plane lands. I usually stick with Ruth Ware, and during my vacation to Scandinavia I powered through THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10, which takes place on a Norwegian cruise! The mystery was so gripping I finished it with days to spare and had to pick up another one of her novels at the airport to read while heading home.

—Amy

I devoured this book on a flight to California and it really hit home for me! Told in Sophie Kinsella’s light-hearted and humorous tone, this was such a compelling story of how we all seem to put our best lives on social media, even though our real lives are far from perfect. I left the story not only being thoroughly entertained but also started evaluating my own use of social media—especially when on vacation!

—Danielle

In my opinion, this is the most accurate look at what a friendship is over the years. It is riddled with petty jealousies, small victories, sweeping emotions, and an inexplicable bond. Elena Ferrante moves the friendship in the foreground while behind it a nation is also evolving, growing and ever changing. You’ll fall in love with Italy just as much as you fall in love with Elena and Lila.

—Stu

Since I’m going to be in Europe this summer, I decided to choose THE WOLF AND THE WATCHMAN as my vacation read. It takes place in the late 1700s in Stockholm, which was poor and dirty, not like the beautiful city we know today. Personally, I love a compelling murder mystery and this one does not fall short of that. Niklas Natt och Dag has such a way of setting the scene so vividly, with an unforgettable set of characters. It has plenty of violence and gore—to help remind me to be grateful that I won’t be visiting that version of Stockholm this summer. In fact, Niklas Natt och Dag’s last name translates to “Night and Day,” which I’m hoping resembles my experience compared to the experience of his characters in the book.

—Nick

On a family vacation I like to spend my downtime engulfed in a plot-twisty and puzzling story. The mystery THE NIGHT OLIVIA FELL is both devastating and spellbinding. When Abi Knight gets a call that her teenaged daughter, Olivia, has fallen off of a bridge, she never expects to learn her daughter is brain dead and pregnant. Then, she sees the bruises on her daughter’s wrists and is left with even more questions: Was Olivia’s fall an accident? Or is there something more sinister at play?

—Tolani

For vacation reading I tend to be really conservative with my selection and pick an author I know I will enjoy and dive into something I’ve never read before. For my last few trips I’ve packed along a Kurt Vonnegut book because I know it will be an easy, funny, and wacky ride. Next up is GOD BLESS YOU, MR. ROSEWATER.

—Ana

In 2009, Alain de Botton spent a week as a writer-in-residence at London Heathrow airport. The result was this fascinating meditation on the profound nature of arrival and departure, something we rarely stop to consider while racing to our gate or waiting for our boarding group to be called. I devoured this 100-page book on my last vacation, reading each section as it corresponded to the stage of my flight.

—Emily

One of the best vacation reads I have ever picked up was EROTIC STORIES FOR PUNJABI WIDOWS. It’s an extremely empathetic, laugh-out-loud funny, and touching book that I blew through in two beach days (in-between my sun naps!). Not only does it feature a great cast of characters, each experiencing their own grief and growth, but there’s also a mystery about a woman’s death weaved into the story—and, of course, erotic stories written by women. It’s a gripping and heartfelt novel perfect for a getaway.

—Hannah