What if we told you the hottest summer 2026 trend is a good book?
Rampant consumerism has us all operating in brain-rot mode … and while there’s joy to be found in an online shopping session, nothing hits quite like a perfect summer read.
Replace the clear jelly bag you’re coveting with a crystal-clear read; swap the niche perfume wishlist for a TBR that hits all the complex notes; put down the personal fan + embrace a breezy book instead. After all, reading is the ultimate form of delayed gratification.
Ready to hit up the nearest bookstore or your local library? Here’s your condensed shopping list 📝
If you’re searching for strange shoes:
Other Women by Nicola Maye Goldberg
A Real Animal by Emeline Atwood
Baby in a Box by Sarah Braunstein
If you’re searching for haunted antiques:
You Should Have Been Nicer to My Mom by Vincent Tirado
Tillinghast by Clare Cavenagh
American Spirits by Anna Dorn
If you’re searching for clear jelly bags that are concert venue-approved:
Recomposed: Music, Climate, Crisis, Change by Kyle Devine
Long Island Girls by Gabrielle Korn
Flyboy in the Buttermilk: Essays on Contemporary America by Greg Tate
If you’re searching for niche perfume:
The Frenzy by Joyce Carol Oates
The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
A Tender Age by Chang-rae Lee
The Emilys by Heather Abel
If you’re searching for a fancy leather journal:
Artifacts by Natalie Lemle
Come Undone by Eddie Huang
The Lowe Job by Grace Alexander
Feast by Catherine Kurtz
If you’re searching for personal portable fans:
The Lake Club by Lina Patton
Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood
A Year of Marvelous Ways by Sarah Winman
If you’re searching for a pet stroller:
Social Animals by Camille Perri
Murder Bites by Mimi Montgomery
Etna by Paul Yoon
If you’re searching for an authentic medieval sword:
Songs of the Dead by Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian
The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan
The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden
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