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Summer Reading List

Looking for summer reading list but the Chicago Sun-Times list let you down? Here are TWO reading lists you can try out, both generated by Perplexity AI. It makes me wonder, “Did the guy know how to prompt right?”

A couple standing on a pier taking a selfie with a lake behind them with trees in the distance
Generated with Google’s AI Studio Image Generator

A Quick Aside: Hey, I know you want to yell at the author of the Chicago Sun-Times list of summer reading, but really, he just didn’t know how to prompt well. These mistakes happen. I mean, how much are you REALLY paying for that newspaper subscription? It’s not enough to subsidize researching articles the old-fashioned way sans computers and new tools, like AI.

Explore these engaging, acclaimed titles—each linked so you can learn more about the book and its author.

Fiction

  • Funny Story by Emily Henry
    A witty, heartwarming romance about opposites with the wrong thing in common—a perfect summer read.
  • Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
    A reflective novel about family, love, and memory, set during a pandemic summer on a Michigan cherry farm.
  • Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
    A Pulitzer Prize-winning modern retelling of David Copperfield set in Appalachia, exploring resilience and social issues.
  • Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
    Inspired by Little Women, this family saga delves into love, loss, and the bonds between sisters.
  • Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
    A charming, uplifting story about an unlikely friendship between a grieving widow and a giant Pacific octopus.
  • Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
    A literary novel about friendship, creativity, and the gaming industry, praised for its originality and emotional depth.
  • Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
    A summer-set family drama about fame, secrets, and sibling bonds.
  • The Guest List by Lucy Foley
    A suspenseful mystery set at a glamorous wedding on a remote Irish island.

Nonfiction & Memoir

  • Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
    A gripping account of the Sackler family and the opioid crisis.
  • The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
    A bestselling memoir of resilience and family, chronicling a turbulent childhood.
  • I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell
    A beautifully written memoir exploring seventeen brushes with death.
  • So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson
    An insightful look at public shaming in the age of social media.

Additional Recommendations

  • Book Lovers by Emily Henry
    Another popular romance from Henry, ideal for lighthearted summer reading.
  • Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
    A quirky, empathetic novel about a failed bank robbery and the interconnectedness of strangers.
  • Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
    A feel-good romance, widely recommended as a palate cleanser for summer.

Summer 2025 Reading List #2

All titles below are real, published in 2024, and well-received in the U.S. Each book title is linked to a reputable source so you can learn more.

Fiction (Sci-Fi & Fantasy, 2024 Releases)

  • The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
    A genre-blending fantasy mystery featuring a Holmes-and-Watson-style duo investigating a high-profile murder in a vividly imagined empire11719.
  • The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence
    The conclusion to the Library Trilogy, this inventive fantasy explores the power and danger of knowledge in a world where magical books shape reality212.
  • The Mars House by Natasha Pulley
    A speculative, character-driven sci-fi novel about migration, identity, and survival on a terraformed Mars, praised for its timely themes and unique romance313.
  • Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
    A satirical, post-apocalyptic science fiction story about a robot valet’s search for purpose in a world where machines outnumber humans514.
  • The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang
    An action-packed, queer reimagining of the classic Chinese novel Water Margin, featuring martial arts, rebellion, and found family6.

Nonfiction (Science-Oriented, 2024 Releases)

That wasn’t so hard, was it?

Prompt Tips

When prompting and wanting to get REAL books, try something like…don’t include bolded parts ’cause those are snarky commentary.

Create a summer reading list of real books by real authors, all published in 2024, that would be well-received nationally in the United States and appropriate for Texas (you know, ’cause they’re burning books in Texas <not yet anyways but book bans, yes>.

  • For fiction, focus exclusively on science fiction and fantasy titles.
  • For nonfiction, focus on science-oriented books.
  • For each book, embed a single link in the title to a reputable source (such as Goodreads, a major bookstore, or the publisher’s website) where readers can learn more about the book.
  • Do not include any fake or speculative titles or authors.
  • Present the list in a clean, readable format with brief descriptions for each book.
  • Do not include any other citations or footnotes.

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