Six Choice Summer Reads

By Annabel Taylor

Those looking to seek shelter from the DMV’s persistent heat and humidity don’t have to wallow aimlessly. There’s an abundance of summer-themed novels waiting to be discovered, perhaps under the shade of a favorite tree or from the comfort of one's favorite reading nook at home. Beneath the season’s sunny facade, these six reads detail intergenerational wounds, the trials and tribulations of adolescence, and the long but rewarding path to self-actualization. 

Bonjour Tristesse

by Françoise Sagan

At just 18, breakout novelist Françoise Sagan (1935-2004) sold over 350,000 copies of her 1954 debut “Bonjour Tristesse” in France, then proceeded to achieve a 12-week spot on The New York Times Best Sellers List, an unprecedented feat for an author so young. The book was banned in several European countries and the Vatican for its perceived vulgarity and adolescent sexual exploration. The novel follows a hedonistic 17-year-old, Cécile, who's looking forward to a blithe summer on the French Riviera with her playboy father and his mistress. When Anne, the coolly blasé friend of her late mother, arrives and threatens both Cécile’s sense of self and her relationship with her father, Cécile hatches a plan to break up the happy couple. Her attempt to savor her carefree adolescence ends in tragic consequences. Sagan cemented her place as a literary talent as a young author capable of writing with the self-awareness and cynicism of someone looking back from a distance on their teenage years — not living through them. 

Blue Sisters

by Coco Mellors

Hailing from breakout author Coco Mellors, “Blue Sisters” follows up the critically acclaimed novel, “Cleopatra and Frankenstein.” Rather than focusing on the dynamics of romantic relationships this time, however, Mellors hones her craft on a bond she describes as “primal and complex”: sisterhood. The novel follows three sisters navigating what should otherwise be a lighthearted holiday, the Fourth of July. Rather than a patriotic occasion, however, it’s a reminder of their beloved sister’s death. A year later, the sisters compensate for their loss with varying levels of addiction and suppression of old wounds. The Blue sisters include Bonnie, a tomboyish boxer type attempting to relinquish the sport she loves for good, Lucky, a model navigating drugs, fame and body-image issues, and Avery, a trouble-child turned successful lawyer. In New York City, they convene to pack up their sister's things in the apartment they once called home, and relinquish their own demons. Mellors crafts a hauntingly beautiful narrative, and it luxuriates in the somber, melancholic shades of summer. 

Crazy Rich Asians

by Kevin Kwan

Though Kevin Kwan’s novel is often overshadowed by the blockbuster movie inspired by it, the original literary work holds its own. Kwan’s prose reads like a foamy tell-all column following a web of interconnected characters and storylines. Protagonist Rachel Chu is set to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young. Little does she know that Nick is the heir to the island’s most affluent, well-known and, to her dismay, backbiting socialite family. Outrageous, funny and culturally relevant, "Crazy Rich Asians" is the ultimate summer read.

L’Etranger (The Stranger)

by Albert Camus

In “L’Étranger,” or “The Stranger,” French absurdist Albert Camus (1913-1960) paints a masterful picture of a man's existential crisis and descent into madness. The short yet thought-provoking novella follows an indifferent French-Algerian man’s coping — or rather, lack thereof — following his mother’s death. Opening famously with the lines, “Maman died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don't know” ("Aujourd'hui, maman est morte. Ou peut-être hier, je ne sais pas.") Camus explores the human species’ innate desire to find order and meaning in an unresponsive universe. Summer heat is almost its own character in the book; “L’Étranger” is set against the backdrop of the sweltering beaches of French-controlled Algeria and the frequent references to the sun’s blinding, white heat lends to the theme of irrationality and the "absurdity of man's existence."

White House by the Sea

by Kate Storey

America’s royal family takes center stage in this intimate look at the Kennedy family’s forever reign over the golden era of American politics in the early 1960s. Complete with hundreds of exclusive interviews with the Kennedy Clan, journalist Kate Storey paints an intimate picture of the Camelot Era and the idyllic white house by the sea in Hyannis Port, on Cape Cod, where the family sought refuge from the public eye. The book conjures visions of the quintessential American summer while simultaneously unveiling the tragedy that has plagued the family for generations. Storey’s prose is straightforward, evocative and full of heart. 

Carrie Soto Is Back

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins Reid serves an ace with her novel “Carrie Soto is Back,” in which a relentless and often unyielding tennis champion comes out of retirement in order to reclaim her record of 20 grand slam titles. Though not technically a summertime book, the story naturally summons visions of tennis whites and scorching pavement. Jenkins Reid delivers refreshing characterization that separates Carrie from the obvious comparisons to real-life tennis stars. The play-by-play sports commentary is bubbly and exciting, and the storyline never falters. It’s the perfect read to prepare for the 2026 U.S. Open. 

Annabel Taylor is as a freelance writer for The Falls Church Independent. A rising senior at Walt Whitman High School, Taylor serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the student-run newspaper, The Black & White. In her free time, she loves to read and write, crochet, and play basketball.