The Booker Prize guide to summer reading
Our editors recommend their favourite Booker Prize-nominated books for your summer reading list; test your knowledge with our holiday-themed quiz, and explore our readers' top picks for the season
Wherever your travels take you this summer, we’re confident that within the 600+ titles in the Booker Library – our collection of books longlisted or shortlisted for our prizes over the past half-century or so – you’ll discover a work of fiction that suits your taste.
Whether you are in the mood for a gripping page-turner, crave a timeless classic, love a jaw-dropping twist, seek a tearjerker, or would prefer to dip into a genre read such as a work of magical realism or sci-fi, we’ve got the perfect book for you.
Prefer shorter reads or hefty tomes? We’ve selections tailored to every preference, for a quick city break or an epic train journey. Need a more personal recommendation? Our team and fellow readers have handpicked their favourites. And when you’ve devoured those, why not test your knowledge with our latest trivia quiz featuring 30 holiday-themed questions.
Hopefully, you’ll find a new favourite here, and in our highlights below. Bon voyage!
Editors’ picks: our favourite Booker Prize-nominated books to read this summer
From the nostalgia of the British seaside to distant, sun-soaked landscapes, discover the Booker Prizes team’s handpicked recommendations to add to your summer reading list. Which one will you be packing in your suitcase?
Summer holiday quiz: 30 questions to test your Booker Prizes knowledge
How many books with the word ‘sea’ in the title have been nominated for the prize? Which Booker Prize winning-author also wrote a novel titled Heat Wave? And Graham Swift’s novel Last Orders features a journey to which English seaside town?
Test your wits with these 30 questions, all directly or indirectly related to five popular summer holiday themes: sunshine, the sea, travel, food and family. You might even find your next summer holiday read here… Good luck!
20 of the best summer reads nominated for the Booker Prize, chosen by our readers
What defines the perfect summer read? Is it a novel that transports you to a far-flung location in the space of a few well-crafted sentences, or a book that turns up the heat with a riveting plotline? Perhaps it’s a sizzling story set in an exotic location, or a page-turner that makes a long journey simply fly by.
You spoke, and we listened. Here are your favourite books to read as the temperature rises – pair them with a 99 cone and enjoy the ultimate summer getaway.
Glad I came across this. Really want to get a lot of reading done this Summer!
Must have/read for all booklovers 💎💕📚💕💎