Top Summer Reading Recommendations from SDSU Librarians
Are you looking for a good summer read? The following titles would be a great addition to your picnic, beach day, or time relaxing in the A/C.
From a refugee on Mars to a diner in Kyoto that recreates meals from your favorite memories, check out these books recommended by the San Diego State University librarians.
If you are on campus, all of these titles can be found in the Gateway Collection, the library’s fiction and non-fiction leisure reading collection (Located on the first floor of the Library Addition, under the dome). If you are away for the summer, check out your local public library for a paper or electronic copy.
January, a refugee from Earth, struggles to adapt to a Martian culture that doesn’t want him. Will a fake queer marriage to a top politician help? Loved this so much, I’ve read it twice!
Recommended by Laurel Bliss, Fine Art Librarian
From the first story in this collection, I was immediately pulled in.
This beautifully written book includes stories about grief and joy, narrative and language, land and community.
If you are in the mood to take your time with some short stories, this is a great choice.
Recommended by Suzanne Maguire, Instruction Librarian
The story of a haunted mansion in Awadapquit, Maine. Historian Jane investigates the ghosts haunting the place and finds herself uncovering more than she thought possible.
Recommended by Linda Salem, Education Librarian
A great book for those of us who love romance tropes and think too much about convergent/divergent evolution. 10/10 will read again.
Recommended by Cat Ellis, Health Sciences Librarian
The Kamogawa Diner uses nostalgia as an ingredient. This book makes you think about good memories and the food you associate with it. I’ve read it twice!
Recommended by Ashley Wilson, Social Sciences Librarian
Wild Dark Shore is an exploration of love wrapped in a mystery full of twists. Set on a remote island imperiled by climate change, the novel's characters are racing against a literal rising tide of destruction as well as their individual secrets. It's a journey of self-knowledge, of turmoil, and ultimately of healing and possibility.
Recommended by Mara Cota, Lead Librarian SDSU-IV Imperial Valley
A story set in motion by an act of kindness. This is an unexpected adventure that explores what might be possible if we let go of control and embrace mystery, complexity, and the unknown.
Recommended by Suzanne Maguire, Instruction Librarian
A thrill ride for readers, this story of a couple’s island reality show gone wrong is a page-turning tale of survival.
Recommended by Linda Salem, Education Librarian
Media fact checker by day, stand-up comedian by night, Mia Almas is living two different lives until she discovers her Palestinian grandmother’s diary. This book is about secrets and identity, love and joy. Read this if you love books that will give you both a good laugh and a good cry.
Recommended by Suzanne Maguire, Instruction Librarian
A novel of the Harlem Renaissance, this story follows Jessie Redmon Fauset, the literary editor of the magazine The Crisis, that Black American magazine that introduced the world to Langston Hughes, Nella Larsen, and so many other great writers.
This story immediately immerses you in the music, art, theater, and poetry of 1920s Harlem. This is a must-read!
Recommended by Suzanne Maguire, Instruction Librarian
Everyone in my book club finished this one - which is unheard of! We loved it, we laughed a lot, and we all ate Arby's roast beef sandwiches. Margo is a teen trailblazer.
Recommended by Lucy Campbell, Electronic and Continuing Resources Librarian
