Summer Reading: Beach Reads

The sun! The sand! The surf! There’s nothing like a trip to the shore to really cement the summertime vibes. And of course, you need your trusty beach supplies. As you pack your bag with sunscreen and snacks, don’t forget a good book to complete your day of relaxation.

From the annals of the Folger Book Club, we’ve selected a few recommendations that we feel would fit in perfectly on any beach blanket.

Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalola

Adapting mythical tales from West Africa, Ancient Greece, and the Middle East as well as creating her own, Babalola offers a collection of short stories focused on love in many forms. “[D]elightfully varied in subgenre, voice and time period” (The New York Times), the bite-sized format is perfect for those between-swim breaks. Share with others in your rental house to compare favorite stories and enjoy a true summer of love.

Want to learn more? Look for our notes introducing the book, some of its Collection Connections, and a Resource Guide about it on the Folger Spotlight blog.

If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio

Do you prefer a darker side to your light reading? If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio may just be the choice for you. An example of the popular Dark Academia genre, Rio’s fast-paced novel takes place at the fictional Dellecher Classical Conservatory and follows a group of seven Shakespearean theater students as they navigate their senior year–and a tragedy that leaves them all redefining their roles. Rio’s new book, Graveyard Shift, which comes out in September, may make it the perfect time to catch up with her first novel.

From Shakespeare & Beyond, here is the story of Rio’s overnight experience at Kronburg Castle, more famously known as Hamlet’s castle: A night at Hamlet’s castle, followed by a debut novel. Want to learn more? Look for our notes introducing the book, its Collection Connections, and a Resource Guide about it on the Folger Spotlight blog.

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

School may be out but that doesn’t mean learning has to stop, especially when it’s about as fascinating a figure as Belle da Costa Greene. Personal librarian to J. P. Morgan, Greene was instrumental in acquiring the collection for The Morgan Library and turning it into a public institution, overcoming sexist attitudes while also passing for white in a racist and segregated America. While at times fictionalized, this novel offers a fascinating glimpse into her biography as well as the world of rare book collecting. You can learn more about Greene when the Morgan’s exhibition, Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian’s Legacy, opens in New York in October.

Want to learn more about The Personal Librarian? Take a look at our notes introducing the book, Part 1 and Part 2 of our fascinating conversation about the book with Morgan exhibition project director Erica Ciallela and Folger archivist Sara Schliep, and the book’s Resource Guide, all on the Folger Spotlight blog.

The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake

It wouldn’t be a beach read list without one coastal pick, and The Last True Poets of the Sea fulfills that brief. A YA adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night—coming to the Folger Theatre next spring!—Drake’s poignant adaptation follows Violent Larkin as she attempts to locate a shipwreck of family lore. Along the way she finds friendship, love, and reconciliation in a novel that will transport readers of all ages.

Learn more about the book from our notes introducing it, our Collection Connections, and our Folger Resource Guide.

There are loads more books to choose from Folger Book Club (and a quiz to help you find just the right one!), and more to come from our Folger Summer Reading Series.

Happy reading!