As you begin to book travel, vacations, beach days, and BBQs, don’t forget to also “book” the summer ahead by packing your beach bag with some fresh, new reads. Bonus: with the Libby app, ebooks and audiobooks take up zero space, so more room for snacks and sunscreen (and inevitably sand... how do I bring home so much sand?).

Get ready to load up on your vitamin D and these hot May releases, handpicked by our librarian experts:

☀️🌑 From tantalizing beach reads like Carley Fortune’s This Summer Will Be Different to a dark, thrilling sizzler like Harlan Coben’s Think Twice, there are plenty of books that bring the heat. You like it darker? You got it. The master of horror Stephen King is turning off all the lights with his extraordinary new collection of 12 short stories (out May 21).

👑 Celeb stories still reign supreme, and you’ll love this touching new memoir by Whoopi Goldberg about her family and their influence on her early life (out May 7).

💍 For those celebrating summer weddings, you’ll get a kick out of Kevin Kwan’s outrageous new comedy of manners where a forbidden affair erupts volcanically amid a decadent tropical wedding (out May 21).

👧🏽👦🏼 If you’re thinking about how to keep the kids from going down the summer slide (not the fun one), starting May 7, they can read The One and Only Family, the last installment in the Newbery Award-winning The One and Only Ivan series. Kids ages 8 to 12 will love heading back into Ivan's world for one last adventure — his most exciting yet.

Summer awaits - and so do these great reads! Check out more below and borrow them on the Libby app to kick off your summer reading.

*Title availability may vary by library & region.