With the demands of a busy schedule and packed workload during the school year, many Lakesiders may find their reading opportunities limited. Summer offers the perfect chance to kick back, relax, and read a good book.
According to the Tatler poll, the two most popular books were Algospeak by Adam Aleksic (released this summer, June 26) and The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han (a nostalgic and fittingly summery read that’s also available as a TV series). Lakesiders read a wide variety of genres — including fantasy, historical fiction, mystery, romance, sci-fi, comedy, horror, and nonfiction.
As Lakesiders open another new chapter of their lives this September, they also reflect on their favorite reads of the summer — and perhaps you’ll find a book that piques your interest here, as well.
Responses compiled from Tatler poll; some responses have been edited for punctuation.
The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett (Fantasy/Historical Fiction)
“I picked up this book, unsure of its fantastical and somewhat violent themes, and put it down with a huge grin on my face. It’s a great story about exploring Europe, romance, curses, and evil rings, and remains one of my favorites.”
Algospeak by Adam Aleksic x2 (otherwise known as @etymologynerd on social media) (Nonfiction)
“It’s a book about linguistics through the lens of algorithms and social media apps such as TikTok. I bought the book mainly because I had seen his short-form content before on Instagram Reels, and I highly suggest reading it if you’re interested in how terms like ‘skibidi’ have infiltrated our language.”
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Mystery)
“The Da Vinci Code is about Sophie Neveu, a cryptologist, and Robert Langdon, a symbiologist and Harvard Professor putting their skills together to unravel a murder mystery that happened at the Louvre, leading them to discover the secrets about the Holy Grail and Jesus. I really enjoyed reading The Da Vinci Code because there are so many cliffhangers and clever decryption. In addition to being a murder mystery, the author is so descriptive in the setting of the story which makes the book even more fun and interesting to read.”
Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Historical Fiction)
“It’s a really fun story about a fictional band from the 70s loosely based on Fleetwood Mac, told entirely through interviews with the band years later. There’s also a show adaptation and, although I think the book was better, it means you can listen to a lot of the songs on Spotify.”
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (Sapphic Sci-fi Romance)
“I’m a huge sci-fi fan in general, and it was a lot of fun to read through the emotional tension of the novel through its interesting sci-fi premise, which it stuck with and kept consistent throughout the novel.”
Are You Listening? by Tillie Walden (Coming of age/Fantasy/Found family)
Content warning: Sexual assault
“emotionally powerful story about healing. also, texas. also also, west, texas! also also also, cats. magic cats. wait, it’s all magic? always has been.”
The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (series) and Scum Villain’s Self Saving System by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (Historical Fiction/Fantasy)
“Both of these books are historical fantasy danmei novels… I found both of these books because they’re written by the author of my favorite series (Heaven Official’s Blessing). I really enjoyed both of them because they have a wonderful mix of humor, tragedy, and action (with a little bit of romance sprinkled in for good measure). The characters are complex and relatable, and the story lines are riveting!”
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth (Historical Fiction/Horror)
“The inside cover describes it as ‘horror comedy.’ There’s two plot lines; one takes place at a 1903 school for girls, and the other follows modern actors making a movie about it. I really liked how the book took real parts of history, and stretched them just a little farther to turn them into horror. It was well researched, and had flawed characters.”
Educated by Tara Westover (Memoir)
“It’s about a girl growing up in a cult family in rural Idaho; I thought the story was super intriguing and the author’s writing style was superb.”
The Institute by Stephen King (Horror/Thriller)
“About a facility that kidnaps kids with powers to ‘save the world.’”
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (Fantasy/Romance)
“because it was good world building”
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (Comedy/YA Fiction)
“it was very funny”