Whether your idea of relaxation is lounging under an umbrella on the beach, kicking back in an Adirondack chair at a mountain cabin or simply hitting the hammock in your backyard, vacation time is an opportunity to crack open a good book.
From classics to current bestsellers, humor to intrigue, romantic fiction to ripped-from-the headlines stories, we have recommendations to help you find the right read for wherever you choose to relax.
WALTON EMPLOYEE PICKS
- The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. “I could not put this down!” says Sara Beddington, marketing representative, about the 2021 bestseller. The mystery thriller about a woman whose husband disappears, leaving a cryptic note for her to protect his teenage daughter. “I loved watching their relationship develop during the short period and how much they grew to love each other,” Sara adds. The sequel book, The First Time I Saw Him, debuted early this year. Sara also recommends it, noting “it wraps up the story nicely.”
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. The 2022 bestseller is a favorite of Jennifer Broun, community and youth representative. The witty, sharp novel explores themes of feminism and science set against a backdrop of 1960s California and a fictitious TV cooking show.
- Blackbird Beach series by Maggie Miller. Kathy Ivie, community and youth specialist, recommends this eight-book contemporary romance/women’s fiction series set at the fictional Sea Glass Inn in Florida. These quick and easy reads are ideal for vacation. Published by Amazon, the stories are available in paperback from the online retailer or via its audio book format, Audible.
- Stuck in Space: An Astronaut’s Hope Through the Unexpected by Butch Wilmore. Jeff Paul, member services director, suggests this “hot-off-the-presses” memoir. Written by one of the two NASA astronauts stranded in space aboard the Starliner spacecraft for more than nine months, it details some of the drama of the spacecraft failure. It also serves as a biography of Wilmore’s life and his thoughts on faith.
NEW NOVELS SET IN GEORGIA
- Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews. Set at a fictional landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia, this book is the ideal beach read. It’s warm, funny, full of twists and brings the drama.
- A Gardin Wedding by Rosey Lee. This Southern romance follows the Gardin women in a fictional south Georgia town.
- One Summer in Savannah by Terah Shelton Harris. Discover a new author who writes about a woman’s return to the Georgia coast to care for her ailing father and run the family bookstore.
BOOKS BY GEORGIA AUTHORS
- Kin by Tayari Jones. Jones, an Emory professor, recently spoke at the Gwinnett Public Library while introducing her novel that delves into the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters.
- Coded Justice by Stacey Abrams. A must-read for fans of the Avery Keene series by the Georgia-based author, it’s a murder mystery set in the world of artificial intelligence.
- When We Were Brilliant by Lynn Cullen. This historical fiction novel explores the friendship between Marilyn Monroe and photographer Eve Arnold.
NOTABLE NONFICTION
- Young King: The Making of Martin Luther King Jr. by Lerone Martin focuses on the early life of the civil rights leader.
- Allies at War: The Politics of Defeating Hitler by Tim Bouverie provides a fresh perspective on the nations and leaders involved in the Second World War.
- Paul and John by Ian Leslie. Beatles fans will enjoy the new anecdotes in this book that explores the friendship McCartney and Lennon from the time they meet as teens until John’s death.
WORTH A LISTEN
- Tom Lake by Ann Patchett and read by Meryl Streep. Audio book fans will enjoy Streep’s narration about young love, career choices and motherhood.
READ IT BEFORE YOU SEE THE MOVIE
An exciting slate of book adaptations are hitting movie theaters and TV screens this year featuring star-studded casts.
- Remain by Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan. This paranormal romance, which hit the bestseller list in fall 2025, follows an architect recovering from depression who meets a mysterious woman while vacationing in Cape Cod. The movie arrives in theaters February 2027.
- The Odyssey by Homer. If you didn’t read it in high school, revisit this classic about a Greek hero’s brutal 10-year journey home from the Trojan War. Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron are in the cast of the film in theaters July 17.
- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. Follow the Dashwood sisters as they navigate love, heartbreak and societal expectations in 19th-century England. The movie debuts in theaters on September 11.
TV TIES
- All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot. Fans of the current PBS series will enjoy the 1972 memoir — one of eight books in the series — detailing real-life country veterinarian Alf Wight’s stories about the people and animals of the Yorkshire Dales in the 1930s.