The Atlantic Publishes 2026 Summer Reading Guide

The guide suggests books for a range of interests, from page-turners and books that teach something new to cult classics, emotionally immersive stories and titles suitable for reading throughout the entire summer. It highlights six specific books with descriptions of their plots, styles and themes.

Maria Semple's "Go Gentle" follows Adora Hazzard, a former television writer and professional Stoic philosopher living on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The story involves art-world intrigue and a romance with a man named Digby. The book includes a section recalling gender dynamics in 1990s comedy writing rooms.

Yulin Kuang's debut novel opens with a high-school girl's suicide by stepping onto a highway, where the homecoming king Grant Shepard is driving the car that strikes her. Years later, Grant and the girl's older sister Helen Zhang meet in a television writers' room and begin a relationship. The narrative addresses grief, self-loathing and vulnerability after loss.

Andrey Kurkov's historical detective novel is set in 1919 Kyiv during the Russian civil war. The protagonist Samson Kolechko, a detective who can hear through his severed ear after an attack by Cossack bandits, investigates a double murder. The story blends absurdist elements with a whodunit structure against a backdrop of political instability.

Mercedes Lackey's "Magic's Pawn," first published in the 1980s, is set in the kingdom of Valdemar. The protagonist Vanyel Ashkevron discovers he is gay, falls in love, experiences loss and awakens magical abilities. The book is the first in a trilogy and includes elements of fantasy such as magic, politics and companions that can read minds.

Azar Nafisi's memoir describes how she resigned from teaching at a university in Iran under pressure from morality police. She then hosted clandestine discussions at her home with female students focused on literature banned by authorities. The women examined works including Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" and drew parallels to their own restrictions under the regime.

Alexandra Horowitz's book on dog psychology examines canine communication through different types of barks and body language during interactions such as play at dog parks. The author writes in prose accessible to general readers without scientific jargon. The guide notes that May provides readers with time to select and begin a book they may continue reading through the summer months.