The Atlantic: The Summer Reading Guide 2024

Warm weather brings with it freedom and leisure—and it can also call to mind the particular pleasure of losing yourself in a book. The relatively idle quality of summer opens up the chance to read something just for fun, or it provides a needed stretch of time for finally picking up the paperback that's been patiently waiting on your bedside table. This year, The Atlantic's writers and editors have chosen fiction and nonfiction to match all sorts of moods. Perhaps you want to transport yourself to another place, or you're determined to learn something completely new. It's also the right time to start the book you'll read all summer or immerse yourself in a cult classic. You might hope to feel wonder about the universe or dive into someone else's mind—or maybe you just need to indulge in a breezy beach read. Here are 25 books to pick up as your summer unfurls.