2026 Summer Bookies theme

No, the theme is not how to wear a kaftan on a rugged hike and still look elegant.

📚 Summer Bookies

This will be our 14th Bookies reading list, with titles suggested by you, the Fast Forward Faithful. And every list has been a revelation.

That’s partly because of the themes we’ve used, which you can find in the right column of the Fast Forward homepage here. They’re helpful in organizing our lists and avoiding repetition, and they have prompted you to recommend a wide range of books beyond simply “a good beach read.”

As I said in the headlines above, there were some terrific theme ideas for our reading list for this summer: Stories about marginalized people or groups, science fiction / escapism, historical fiction, even books about walking. A couple of you suggested books about the great outdoors (including saving it), how civilizations formed and flourished or failed, books of poetry, magical realism, forgiveness and redemption, and tales of resistance. One timely idea, given that this year is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, was fiction or nonfiction books about the Revolution or colonial America.

But the theme that resonated most was books about a journey.

As Sherry wrote, “We’ve been going through unprecedented trials (a polite way to say ‘hell’), but hopefully we’re coming out the other side in the fall. So I suggest the archetypal journey as a theme.”

Mary Helen Sprecher had a similar thought: “Either a literal journey, like a road trip or a summer spent somewhere or a transfer for work or a journey back home because a job failed or a marriage didn’t work out (or whatever) — or it could be figurative, such as the journey from childhood to adulthood.”

I like that it’s a wide-ranging theme: You can suggest books about literal/physical journeys. There are figurative, internal journeys of self-discovery, or character journeys. And of course, there are many books about mythological, epic journeys.

So pick your book! Here are the rules:

• Email your choice to thfastforward@gmail.com

• One book recommendation per person, please!

• Start out your email with the book title and the author’s full name. And check your spelling!

• Next list your name and city/town, state, country, etc.

• Then tell us briefly what the book is about and why you liked it so you can help others decide whether to read it. Please don’t copy summaries from Goodreads or Amazon; while I appreciate that, I really want your own words.

• The deadline for suggestions is midnight Sunday, May 31. I’ll compile your submissions and publish them in a special Fast Forward the first week of June.

Really looking forward to your recommendations!