Summer Reading Picks 2025

What’s on your summer reading list? In this episode of Bookish: A Casual Book Club, Howard Community College English professors Sylvia, Kofi, and Laura share their top book picks for summer 2025 and unpack why summer reading just feels different.

From urgent poetry and experimental memoir to international fiction and visionary manifestos, the trio offers a vibrant set of book recommendations for every kind of reader. Whether you’re tackling a summer reading challenge or just looking for your next beach read, this episode is packed with literary gems and thoughtful takes on the idea of “seasonal reading.”

Sylvia’s picks include:

• Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo

• Bluff by Danez Smith

• Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown

• Find Me As the Creature I Am by Emily Jungmin Yoon

Laura’s list features:

• There There by Tommy Orange

• Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

• Bluff by Danez Smith

Kofi recommends:

• The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz

• Guapa by Saleem Haddad

• In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar

• Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad

• Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

Listen now to discover new authors, unpack the power of summer reading rituals, and get inspired to start your own reading list.

More episodes of Bookish are available here.

Produced by Dragon Media Podcasts at Howard Community College