Summer Reading Recommendations! 💫
My personal reading list, Summer Reading Guides, Reading Retreats, some links and listens worth your time, + the next SLOW READ
This is a free Secret Post. Subscribe to get more bookworm recs like this one. Also it’s not too late to jump into the 6th annual Stephen King Summer!
Hello fellow bookworms…
We are solidly mid-year, mid-summer (break), which means one of the most popular seasons for reading is in full swing.
My personal favorite reading season is the Fall, I never read quite as much as I intend to in the summer (maybe I just overestimate how much I’ll actually read while traveling or being out of my regular routines). And in fact, outside of my reading for Stephen King Summer, I barely read anything in June.
I finished:
London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe on audio (this was only okay for me)
Angel Down by Daniel Kraus (a horror novel that won this year’s Pulitzer and absolutely blew my mind)
…more on both of these in my next Reading Roundup
But my To Read list for July is lofty:
The Children by Melissa Albert (already started - I’m riveted)
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett (saving it for a trip later in the month)
Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker
Famesick by Lena Dunham on audio (already about halfway through - so good!)
Small Town Girls by Jayne Anne Phillips
and, of course, The Life of Chuck short story by Stephen King for Stephen King Summer
Here are all my anticipated books for the first half of 2026 (I’ll put out a new list of the second half of the year soon):
Check out these Summer Reading Guides:
Sarah's Bookshelves put out the 2026 Summer Reading Guide for her paid Substack Members
Sara Hildreth of Fiction Matters put out her 2026 Paperback Summer Reading Guide for her paid Substack members, Patreon members, OR you can purchase it for $10 as a stand alone guide. (This year, all the proceeds go to I AM ALS in honor of her dad who passed away from ALS earlier this year.)
Traci Thomas of The Stacks put out her 2026 Nonfiction Reading Guide, available for paid subscribers to her Substack or Patreon, or it is also available as a $10 stand alone purchase.
Anne Bogel of Modern Mrs Darcy and What Should I Read Next? put out her FIFTEENTH (!) Summer Reading Guide for her book club and Patreon members, or you can purchase it as a stand alone for $15.
Amy Allen Clark of the Book Gang podcast released her 2026 Summer Reading Guide for free (with a download option for her Patreon members or stand alone at $7).
***Reading guides are a great way to support your favorite books-focused content creators. If you value their book reviews and conversations, consider paying for this premium offering.***
And if you’re looking for a whole reading EXPERIENCE, then I want you to know about the reading retreat Shut Up and Read that Meredith Monday Schwartz of Currently Reading and I are hosting in November.
Shut Up and Read is for just a handful of readers who want a few days away lakeside in Texas to read and only read. It will be all inclusive - accommodations and catered meals provided - and with other treats unique to Meredith and me (private journal party, anyone??) but the primary focus will be to READ. For multiple days. In a beautiful location. With other readers as passionate about the written word as you are.
Shut Up and Read will be a splurge experience.
Tickets will go on sale Tuesday, 7/7, and you can use THIS LINK to learn more about our vision and to sign up for the email list that will get first dibs.
And, lastly…
a few things worth reading:
How To Fix Your Entire Life in One Day by Dan Coe
I read this back at the beginning of the year, but the questions he poses at the end would be great for a mid-year reset as well. (Beware: they’re a little intense!)
I Did It All For The Cookie by Ben Sinclair
“Credits begin and end a movie, but I don’t go to the movies for the credits. I go for all of the stuff in between.”
Why Someone Else’s Book Isn’t Your Bad News by Brooke Warner
Aimed at authors, but true for anyone making anything and fielding competitive emotions or imposter syndrome.
Should Nonfiction Books Just Be Podcasts? by Sean deLone
One year out exactly from closing my own podcast, I’ve been thinking a lot about the industry. More to come on this topic soon, but I thought this piece made some really interesting points.
Is Embarrassment the Key to Success?
Cringe appears to be a requirement…a case study from the founder of Poppi soda
We Are All Being Manipulated All The Time
I really need us all to understand that no one is immune to what the algorithm is doing to our brains, relationships, and stances. This is a story about a band. But really it’s about everything.
and listening to:
Memoir Nation podcast Greatest Hits 2018 - 2025 episode (Jan 5 2026)
I linked to the episode on Spotify, but you can find Memoir Nation in any podcast player and scroll back to this one. If you love reading or writing, there are so many good moments in this.
Unicorn Girl podcast
This is from 2025, but it’s an interesting show to binge while you’re cleaning or driving or need to pass the time quickly. This is bonkers true crime, but with a scam artist not a murderer.
Unmasking the Creator of Bitcoin (The Daily - April 9, 2026)
I would not have pressed play on this because I didn’t think I was interested in the topic at all, but it started auto playing after another show ended and it is absolutely fascinating. What a story!
And then a few things you might have missed…
Depth Feels Like Light (my annual birthday post!)
REPLAY: Symposium with jackass creator Jeff Tremaine
Summer Journal Prompts (it’s not too late to get what you want out of the season)
Remember to bookmark the main Secret Stuff page in case you’re ever looking for zoom information, or our meeting schedule (always in the nav bar!), or anything else.
I’m off to spend another few days at the lake, reading and resting after an insane 6 weeks of travel and celebrations in June. (more on that in a personal post soon!)
And since readers always want to talk about books, I’d love to hear what you’re reading this summer in the comments or in the dedicated Secret Stuff substack chat:
Happy summer reading to you,
PS - did you hear about our next SLOW READ??
I recently finished Land by Maggie O'Farrell and have a feeling it will be one of my top books in 2026
Thanks for including my guide, Laura! You’ll have to let me know if you pick anything up from it!