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We asked Northeastern University’s librarians to recommend books to read this summer. The list includes something for everyone — from novels to mysteries.
Whether you’re sitting on a beach, lounging on a hammock or unwinding in your backyard, the right book can make — or break — your summer vacation.
Everyone has their favorite authors, but discovering new ones is fun too.
That’s why we asked Northeastern University’s librarians to recommend 10 good summer reads.
The list below includes everything from novels to mysteries and includes edited versions of the publishers’ synopsis.
And if 10 books doesn’t satiate your reading appetite, the Northeastern library offers themed monthly summer reading challenges.
By Shoji Morimoto
Synopsis: “Morimoto provides a fascinating service to the lonely and socially anxious. After an old boss told him that he contributed nothing and that it made no difference whether he showed up to work or not, he wondered if a person who ‘does nothing’ could still have a place in the world. With a tweet, his ‘Rental Person’ service was born.”
By Kevin Kwan
Synopsis: “Sizzling with scandals to discuss and hot topics to debate, ‘Lies and Weddings’ is the ultimate selection if your book club settles for nothing less than five-star intrigue. In this globe-trotting comedy of manners, Kwan sends us an engraved invitation to the world’s most exclusive gatherings as we accompany Rufus Leung Gresham, future Earl of Greshamsbury and son of a former Hong Kong supermodel, on his quest for a suitable wife.”
By Xóchitl González
Synopsis: “New York Times bestselling author Xochitl Gonzalez delivers a mesmerizing novel about a first-generation Ivy League student who uncovers the genius work of a female artist decades after her suspicious death. … Moving back and forth through time and told from the perspectives of both women, Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a propulsive, witty examination of power, love, and art, daring to ask who gets to be remembered and who is left behind in the rarefied world of the elite.”
By Ali Hazelwood
Synopsis: “Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.”
By Stephen King
Synopsis: “‘You like it darker? Fine, so do I,’ writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of 12 stories that delve into the darker part of life — both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read.”
By Miranda July
Synopsis: “A semi-famous artist announces her plan to drive cross-country, from Los Angeles to New York. Twenty minutes after leaving her husband and child at home, she spontaneously exits the freeway, beds down in a nondescript motel, and immerses herself in a temporary reinvention that turns out to be the start of an entirely different journey.”
By Maryse Condé
Synopsis: “One Easter Sunday, Madame Ballandra puts her hands together and exclaims: ‘A miracle!’ Baby Pascal is strikingly beautiful, brown in complexion, with gray-green eyes like the sea. But where does he come from? Is he really the child of God? So goes the rumor, and many signs throughout his life will cause this theory to gain ground. From journey to journey and from one community to another, Pascal sets off in search of his origins, trying to understand the meaning of his mission.”
By Carley Fortune
Synopsis: “Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn’t know he’s her best friend’s younger brother. Lucy and Felix’s chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again.”
By Emily Henry
Synopsis: “Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it … right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.”
By Prince Harry
Synopsis: “For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. A landmark publication, Spare is full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.”