It’s nearing the end of July, and if you are feeling that summer has almost passed you by, there’s never a better way to slow down than with a great summer book. From guilty pleasures, to current best sellers, to catching up on cult-classics, here’s some reads you can check out from the Library, then take with you to beach, the mountains, or simply to your own backyard.

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

Decades after a group of teenagers meet at an artsy summer camp in 1974, their lives might not be what they had imagined among the bonfires.

 

Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

If you’re hooked on the new Netflix series about a women’s prison, then follow-up with the memoir the series is based off.

 

The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber

Perhaps the scariest book you’ll read all year, this nonfiction account follows the story of Charles Cullen, the most prolific serial killer in American history.

 

Big Brother by Lionel Shriver

A page-turning sociological study about a woman, who is at a loss to control her morbidly obese brother.

 

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume

Best friends. Martha’s Vineyard. Judy Blume. What more do you need for summer?

 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

A poignant and heartbreaking reminder of how childhood shapes our lives from one of today’s greatest masters of fiction.

 

Jaws by Peter Benchley

Of course don’t read this one too close to the water.

 

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

If you missed last year’s summer darling, now is the time to take a hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. Also, you can listen to the podcast of Strayed’s ALOUD conversation here as she discusses her blockbuster memoir.

 

Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Last, but not least, if you’re feeling left in the lurch after the season finale of the HBO hit, then catching up on the books might heal your wounds.