Strange books you should read this summer

The girls that get it get it?

I need to preface this by saying that while some of these titles have clear summer vibes, not all of them are reminiscent of the season. The truth is, what screams “summer” to me won’t necessarily have the same effect on other readers, but then again, you read the title and chose to click on it, so I’ll just assume we’re in this together.

If your perfect summer read:

• is often plotless

• feels like a fever dream

• tends to be strange, uncanny, and potentially gross,

Then you’ve found the list for you.

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The Guest by Emma Cline

This is my personal go-to recommendation when someone asks me for a summer read because the beach vibes are just impeccable. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I loved it, and I’m convinced that the experience was made all the better because I read it while I was on vacation.

The Guest follows Alex, an unlikeable, morally grey character who finds herself pretending to belong to a rich-only coastal town that does not, by any stretch of the imagination, claim her. Alex has made a life for herself by manipulating and dating rich older men, but things take a turn for the worst and suddenly she's on survival mode, alone and in danger, with nowhere to go. Luckily for us, she’s resourceful and a lil unhinged.

This is one of those novels that absolutely feel like a fever dream in the best possible way.

Find my review of The Guest on instagram.

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Lapvona by Ottsessa Moshfegh

So there’s a chance I only associate Lapvona with warm weather because I spent last summer carrying my copy to the beach (instead of reading it), but what can we do? It has now become a summer book to me. And it might become just that to you too, if you’re looking for something that will take quite a while to digest, no matter how quickly you devour it.

I won’t even try to describe Lapvona to you. Just know it’s set in a fictional medieval village and there’s some gross stuff going on. I wouldn’t say it’s plotless, but it isn’t plot-heavy either; the characters are the ones who breathe life into the story and, luckily for us readers, they have a lot going on.

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I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel

I am yet to encounter a book that is quite like I’m a Fan, and that means people tend to have polarising views on it. With quick chapters and no shortage of internet references, this book reads like doom scrolling feels (minus the depression that is bound to find me if I spend more than 15 minutes on TikTok).

I’m a Fan follows an unnamed narrator who is obsessed with the woman her lover (I use “lover” very loosely here) is sleeping with. Read that again! There’s the narrator, the woman she’s obsessed with, and the man she wants to be with, who is seeing the woman she’s obsessed with. It’s a little love triangle situation that begins to spiral partially because the woman she’s obsessed with is an influencer, so our unnamed narrator spends her days obsessing over said woman’s online presence.

This is one of those books that will probably leave you with more questions than answers, and that is part of its charm. With plenty of relevant commentary on social media, parasocial relationships and everything in between.

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Bear by Marian Engel

I’m not in the business of recommending Bear to everyone I meet, but I do kind of always end up talking about it. This is a Canadian classic about a woman who, at some point in her life, decides to have some serious sexy time with a bear. An actual animal bear 🐻

Why is this a summer read, you ask? Because it’s short, languid, set on an island and it features some clever observations about loneliness, isolation and our relationship with nature. It was written in the 1970s, but it feels incredibly modern.

Find my review of Bear on instagram.

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Little Weirds Jenny Slate

I know I’m always going on about Little Weirds, but this essay collection really feels like summer. Just like my previous recommendations, it’s a book people tend to either love or hate, and that I personally found delightful.

I’ll keep this one vague on purpose - just pick it up if you’re in the mood for something delectable, whimsical, wholesome and unlike anything you’ve read before.

Find my review of Little Weirds on instagram.

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Not-so-strange books that still scream summer: