Ego death is the hot new drug, and you don’t need an expensive VR headset to experience it. All you need to do is cocoon yourself in your blanket on a Saturday morning with a 400+ page book in your hand, turning pages until you’re delirious and dehydrated, and you too can pretend you never existed.
Lucky for us, I’ve gathered here below professional readers (and writers!) to share their wisdom on long books that will transport us for the remaining season.
This is part 3 of 3 recommendation posts coming your way—not only to rescue your summer reading, but also to help you discover more newsletter writers in our rich reading community.
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Esje of Our Usual Spot recommends:
Just Above My Head by James Baldwin
An often overlooked book in Baldwin’s body of work—Just Above My Head might just be the perfect long-read for summer not in the way that it’s light and breezy (far from it), but because it’s soulful, and beautiful, and queer. It lets you sit down and slow down with the beauty of Baldwin’s prose—like a whole life, all its joys and sorrows condensed into a book.
Tembe Denton-Hurst of Extracurricular, and author of Homebodies recommends:
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez
I think about this novel regularly which is both about an evil billionaire cult and the conduit they use to connect to the spirit world. It's a blend of horror and fantasy but also about a father and his relationship with his son. It's about the ordinary of evil. The book is brutal and beautifully written. I loved being submerged in this world and adored the prose. I don't often think about protagonists but these have continued to haunt me since finishing the novel.
Kolina Cicero of The Underlined Recommends:
Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo
Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo is the perfect combination of wit and wisdom. Claire's dialogue is sharp and punchy and I laughed out loud so many times. The interiority is strikingly detailed and I felt every emotion the protagonist feels. I also cried! And I underlined the everloving shit out of it. I read this book last summer by the pool, in bed, in a car—basically I didn't put it down until it was done. I think you'll do the same.
Petya K. Grady of A Reading Life Recommends
Georgia O’Keeffe: A Life by Roxana Robinson
Lately, I’ve been drawn to biographies, journals, and essay collections, books that explore not only the influences behind a writer's or artist’s work but also how they absorb the world and turn it into something lasting. I’m interested in that quiet process of reflection and transformation, the way lived experience becomes language, image, or form. That kind of meaning-making feels especially resonant to me right now.
This curiosity is what brought me to Georgia O’Keeffe: A Life by Roxana Robinson. O’Keeffe has long been one of my favorite artists, not just for the clarity and sensuality of her paintings, but for the singular life she created around them. Like many, I’ve admired how her work contains both intimacy and vastness. But over time, I’ve become just as fascinated by the woman herself. As I follow her path from the Midwest to the New York art scene and eventually to the New Mexico desert, I keep thinking about creative practice, solitude, and self-invention. Her life offers a rich study in all three.
Caroline Donofrio of The Magic Hour recommends:
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
Like many people, I read and loved The God of the Woods, which inspired me to check out the author's backlist, starting with Long Bright River. Per the description alone (a police procedural) it's probably not something I would've picked up, but once I started, I couldn't put it down. It's equal parts gripping and moving, with characters so finely drawn they came to feel like family. Since then, I've recommended it to multiple friends who also adored it.
Traci Thomas of Unstacked recommends:
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Ok, look. I know you all have heard of The Warmth of Other Suns before. I am not reinventing the wheel with this pick. I am however here to tell you this absolute masterpiece lives up to the hype in every single way. This book is about America's Great Migration; Black folks moving from the south to the north and west to escape racism and Jim Crow in between 1915 and 1970. It focuses on three people and their experiences of Jim Crow and the American Dream™ blended with the broader cultural context. This book is rich in history and place, beautifully written, a feat of research and storytelling. Oh and, it fundamentally changed the way I see America.
Wowzer, I don’t know about you but I’m ready to flip pages! What a generous curation of long reads from some brilliant readers.
In case you missed it, here’s part 1 and part 2 of the long books for summer series!
Banter below!
Now after reading all 3 parts, which books are you adding to your tbr?
Will you start an annual tradition of choosing a long book for the summer too? Why or why not?
What long books did we forget to add to this list??!
I have so many more books to read, thank you Amani! And thank you for allowing me to chat about my favorite long read for summer!
Thank you for the recs!