What I read on my summer vacation: Libby Life staff picks

It’s the first day of school. My crisp, new jeans are rubbing against the mosquito bites and sunburn on my legs. I clutch a freshly sharpened No. 2 pencil and stare at the words written on my paper: What I Did on My Summer Vacation. Despite family trips, pool days, bike rides, and camps, I’m drawing a blank—maybe not quite ready to swap swimsuits for studying and leave my magical '90s kid summer behind.

These days, there is no summer break for me, but I do get the chance to escape with a few good reads. I polled my fellow Libby Life writers and asked: What books did you love this summer? No staring at a blank pages here! Our summers were filled with existential libraries, gothic fantasies, YA love triangles, AI friends, and so much more!

Here are a few of the books we loved this summer that can be enjoyed any time of year—preferably on the Libby app—because supporting your library keeps the adventures going.

I usually have two reading moods: thriller or romance. This summer, I really leaned into thrillers on audiobook. My favorite listen, by far, was You Shouldn't Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose. Entertaining, thrilling, and just plain fun. Narrated by Andi Arndt and Andrew Eiden, it's a great listen for when you want something purely entertaining that also gives Joe Goldberg vibes. - Emma D.

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I listened to We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han because I can’t get enough of the show right now and love that it’s narrated by the actors, Lola Tung and Chris Briney. I needed to remind myself of all the book moments that I hope to see in the show. Just a grown adult stuck on this YA series (Team Conrad btw). - Molly M.

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Similar to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, The Favorites by Layne Fargo is a super juicy, sports-romance-meets-historical-fiction saga will hook you. Katarina and Heath’s journey from childhood to the Olympics is pure drama in the best way. - Nahomy O.

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I adored The Sons of El Rey by Alex Espinoza, a multi-generational epic, spanning 1960s Mexico City to present day Los Angeles. It follows a family of luchadores (wrestlers) with forbidden love, legacy, and family secrets. - Nahomy O.

Set against the 1980s space shuttle program, Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid follows the story of Joan and Vanessa with her signature mix of historical fiction, drama, and heart. - Nahomy O.

Juno meets A Simple Favor!!! Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier is a funny coming-of-age story that follows a pregnant teen delivery pizza driver who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a quirky customer. - Nahomy O.

I just finished Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. This was a very different read for me. Style of writing, story, not a feel good book. But I loved it! Some really important themes.

Second recommendation is The Thrashers by Julie Soto. This is more my jam! YA thriller, like Pretty Little Liars meets I Know What You Did Last Summer. I listened to it and it was excellent! - Jen L.

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Gothic fantasy has become my comfort genre, and The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig is easily my favorite read of the summer.

Gillig’s writing is just so good—her worldbuilding is rich and eerie, and the magic system feels fresh and mysterious. She’s a master of subtle foreshadowing, dropping little clues that build tension without ever making the story feel predictable. There’s a romance subplot that adds some emotional depth (Rory and Sybil have great chemistry), but it never takes over the story. The gargoyle is absolutely my favorite character. He adds some levity to the story and is a great sidekick.

Fair warning: this is the first book in a duology, and it ends on a cliffhanger—but it’s one I’m okay sitting with while we wait for the next installment. - Madison S.

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I read The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich, and honestly, it should be renamed: "Being human is complicated, and relationships are complicated, but you know what doesn't care? Nature. But boy, is it all beautiful." - Gabriela M.

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I read Sunrise on the Reaping and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins and it's a testament to her writing and world-building, because I NEVER commit to reading a series, but I just couldn't help it. I felt like I was in high school again getting pulled into a world that felt too eerily aligned with the one we live in. - Gabriela M.

Dystopian sci-fi is not my usual cup of tea, but I can't stop thinking about Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. Set in an unspecified future, the book is told from the point of view of Klara, a solar-powered "artificial friend," who is chosen to be a companion to a sick girl. The book explores a lot of big questions like, "What does it mean to be human?" and "What does it mean to love?" It was published in 2021, but with ChatGPT now at our fingertips and the recent explosion of AI, it feels more relevant than ever. - Annie S.

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I've been catching up on some fantasy series on audiobook—one new and one older. The new is Cassandra Clare's Chronicles of Castellane series, which hits two of my favorite fantasy buttons—court intrigue and ancient magic returning. The audiobooks, read by Christian Coulson and Fiona Hardingham are wonderful, and I'm starting to get a little annoyed that I haven't heard anything about when I can expect Book 3.

The old series is Brent Weeks's Night Angel Trilogy, and I'm listening on GraphicAudio, which suits this series great (if you don't mind the almost too-good sound effects for the battles and other violence). This one also has lots of court intrigue, but the main character is a magical assassin—and I do love magical assassins. And angst. So. Much. Angst. Both romantic and in matters of honor. - Shelia M.

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The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes is a heavier read and comes with some definite content warnings, but I couldn't put it down. Told from the perspective of selectively mute Autistic high schooler Ariana (Ari) Ruiz, the story follows a group of teens who are all linked by their hatred for—and desire for vengeance against—the same boy. While they each have their own reasons for hating Luis, ranging from ruined reputations to assault, Ari blames herself for what happened and is reluctant to share the truth of her own story. But when the group discovers the problem may be bigger than they first believed, Ari realizes there's power in speaking your truth. - Kate F.

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I shared Dan in Green Gables by Rey Terciero in my recent back-to-school blog, but it's maybe my favorite read of the year thus far so I had to shout it out again. This latest modernized classic by graphic novelist Rey Terciero is obviously inspired by Anne of Green Gables, but Rey (a penname for author Rex Ogle) shares in the author's note that it's also a reimagining of his own somewhat fraught childhood.

Dan is an extroverted queer kid who has grown up on the road with his widowed mother. So when she dumps him in the middle of nowhere Tennessee with his estranged paternal grandparents, he's rightfully devastated. But as Dan struggles to remain true to himself in a community that's often less than welcoming, he discovers that home can be found in unlikely places. - Kate F.

My summer recommendation would be The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. It’s been sitting on my shelf for years and I finally picked it up and stuck with it. It’s magical realism meets existentialism meets libraries. So what's not to love?

Nora Seed, after quite a few disappointments and regrets, finds herself in The Midnight Library with the option to live an infinite number of lives, if she's willing. But the real question is, "Can she find one that makes her happy?" As I approach 30 in a little over a month, this book drew on all the cliche questions I ask myself when I have a little too much time on my hands or maybe a few glasses of wine. More than that, I was able to be transported from Bristol, England to the Australian coast, then to the glaciers of Alaska, and finally to a winery in California.

This was one of those books that once I got going with it, I couldn't put it down. I found myself reading it aloud to my dog and cats, getting animated when our main character is left with a choice at the end. All in all, it was a great summer read. - Gabriela J.

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I've been reading a LOT of cozy fantasy lately, and just finished A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna. It was so charming and exactly what I needed right now. It's perfect for fans of The House in the Cerulean Sea and has such a quirky but loveable group of characters that act as each other's found family. - Sarah F.

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My garden has been the gift that keeps on giving, so I needed a cookbook that focused on veggies before my dill pickled me. Luckily, Justine Cooks by Justine Doiron came to the rescue, and I have been enjoying a hot herbivore summer ever since. On the menu this week are her ricotta bowls with poblano-herb sauce and blackened squash in tomato brown butter. Who knew vegetables could flirt this hard? - Marissa P.

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My favorite audiobook I listened to this summer was Accidentally on Purpose by Kristen Kish. Hear her amazing story as an adoptee growing up in Michigan. While I cannot relate to that, I can relate to being a '90s kid and a perfectionist that’s always in their head. If you love Top Chef and the positive, uplifting energy she brings to the show, you’ll love listening to her entire story. - Jeff R.

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I read The Wedding People by Alison Espach on many recommendations from my colleagues. After the first chapter I thought, “Is this a vacation read?” But I persisted, and quickly fell in love with the dialogue and back and forth between the characters. This story is a great time capsule of this COVID/post-COVID world we are all trying to make sense of. It’s empathetic, frustrating, hopeful, and hilarious—sometimes in the same chapter. If you love books that read like a stage play and writers who really get into the heads of their characters, you’ll love reading this book. Just don’t be afraid to get past that first early storyline. - Jeff R.

Set in ancient Sicily during the Peloponnesian War, Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon follows two unemployed Syracusan potters navigating their war-torn hometown. With sharp wit and a contemporary Dublin accent, Lennon blends classical history with modern sensibilities, exploring aristocracy, working-class struggle, slavery, and politics. Or, as he puts it, “to use the present to imagine what it felt to be alive then.”

When the local quarry becomes a Spartan-run POW camp for starving Athenian captives, the potters recruit them to perform a Euripides play. Through its planning and production, the novel explores the “commoners” struggle to make sense of a senseless world and confronts brutal realities of class and war.

Loaded with dark humor and philosophical depth, this book is part comedy, part thriller, part history lesson, and part indictment of classism. Its boldness and originality make it a must-read. - Matthew R.

*Title availability may vary.

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