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50 of the Greatest Summer Reads of All Time - Flavorwire

Summer reading lists: everyone's got 'em. But what makes an ideal summer read? It sort of depends on who you are and what you're doing, but here are a few suggestions: something light, something funny, something sun-drenched and atmospheric, something to travel with, something that will hold your attention no matter what's going on around you, something exciting — but still literary. Here, you'll find 50 of the greatest of such reads perfect to squire you through these hot months.
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The Beach (Alex Garland)
The Beach
1
Alex Garland
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
2
F. Scott Fitzgerald
In the Woods (Tara French)
In the Woods
3
Tara French
Dune (Frank Herbert)
Dune
4
Frank Herbert
Call Me by Your Name (André Aciman)
Call Me by Your Name
5
André Aciman
The Secret History (Donna Tartt)
The Secret History
6
Donna Tartt
Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)
Treasure Island
7
Robert Louis Stevenson
Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)
Kafka on the Shore
8
Haruki Murakami
Geek Love (Katherine Dunn)
Geek Love
9
Katherine Dunn
The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco)
The Name of the Rose
10
Umberto Eco
The Lover (Marguerite Duras)
The Lover
11
Marguerite Duras
Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov)
Lolita
12
Vladimir Nabokov
Lucky Jim (Jim Dixon)
Lucky Jim
13
Jim Dixon
Train Dreams (Denis Johnson)
Train Dreams
14
Denis Johnson
Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi)
Persepolis
15
Marjane Satrapi
The Rings of Saturn (W.G. Sebald)
The Rings of Saturn
16
W.G. Sebald
Oryx and Crake
Oryx and Crake
17
Just Kids (Patti Smith)
Just Kids
18
Patti Smith
The Importance of Being Earnest (Oscar Wilde)
The Importance of Being Earnest
19
Oscar Wilde
The Talented Mr. Ripley (Patricia Highsmith)
The Talented Mr. Ripley
20
Patricia Highsmith
American Gods (Neil Gaiman)
American Gods
21
Neil Gaiman
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
One Hundred Years of Solitude
22
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Black Dahlia (James Ellroy)
The Black Dahlia
23
James Ellroy
Me Talk Pretty One Day (David Sedaris)
Me Talk Pretty One Day
24
David Sedaris
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
25
Mark Twain
Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)
Gone Girl
26
Gillian Flynn
Bonjour Tristesse (Françoise Sagan)
Bonjour Tristesse
27
Françoise Sagan
The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy)
The God of Small Things
28
Arundhati Roy
The Patrick Melrose Novels (Edward St. Aubyn)
The Patrick Melrose Novels
29
Edward St. Aubyn
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Michael Chabon)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
30
Michael Chabon
High Fidelity (Nick Hornby)
High Fidelity
31
Nick Hornby
The Complete Claudine (Collette)
The Complete Claudine
32
Collette
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
33
Douglas Adams
I Feel Bad About My Neck (Nora Ephron)
I Feel Bad About My Neck
34
Nora Ephron
The Summer Book (Tove Jansson)
The Summer Book
35
Tove Jansson
My Family and Other Animals (Gerald Durrell)
My Family and Other Animals
36
Gerald Durrell
Self-Help, Lorrie Moore
Self-Help, Lorrie Moore
37
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Díaz)
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
38
Junot Díaz
The Sea, the Sea (Iris Murdoch)
The Sea, the Sea
39
Iris Murdoch
Bridget Jones's Diary (Helen Fielding)
Bridget Jones's Diary
40
Helen Fielding
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