Summer Vacation Book Pairings

*note* this may be too long to show up properly in email format

There are few things as satisfying as having the perfect book in the perfect place. While there seems to be a yearly attempt to crown a book as the beach read of the summer, I find it much more fun to choose a book based on the destination. Here are some of my favorite books, paired with their ideal reading location.

Paris

Paris has no shortage of parks perfect for a cheeky read

When Paris and reading come up, many are quick to recommend Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast or Gertrude Stein’s The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas. While both are great reads, I tend to enjoy something a bit more cheeky in the summer. If you’re looking for belle époque scandals and drama, Colette is a great place to start. Claudine in Paris and Cheri are two of my favorites. If you have the misfortune of visiting during a canicule and the heat has completely fried your brain, Louis Aragon’s Paris Peasant would be perfect. There’s nothing like heat induced dehydration to make a surrealist work shine, though Paris Peasant hardly needs any help.

Maine

Stephen King may be the most obvious Maine writer, but the last thing I want to do in a cabin is read a scary book. Jeanne Birdsall’s The Penderwicks at Point Mouette is a decidedly cozier choice, focusing on four sisters on vacation in coastal Maine. Based on Louisa May Alcott’s classic Little Women, the novel is the third book in a series. Written with a middle-grade audience in mind, the book is a great choice for family read-alouds. Looking for something more intense? Try John Irving’s The Cider House Rules (or watch the film by Lasse Hallström).

Venice

About a week ago, I had the chance to be one of the only summer tourists in Venice not be faced with immense crowds. Maybe it was pre-Bezos wedding avoidance, or maybe it just wasn’t a popular day to visit (I didn’t even have to pay the city tax). Regardless of the why, the relative emptiness of the city allowed me to enjoy Venice at its best, and daydream about what it might be like to be fabulously rich in a palazzo. If you too are an enjoyed of the finer things in life, I recommend Peggy Guggenheim’s Out of This Century: Confessions of an Art Addict. If you’re more focused on illness and unrequited desire, Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice is classic for a reason.

Ischia

If it hadn’t been for Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend, it may have taken me longer to learn about Ischia. If you haven’t already read the series you definitely should, despite the hideous covers. Fair warning, Ferrante’s characters don’t exactly have a great stay on Ischia. While none of Patricia Highsmith’s classic The Talented Mr. Ripley takes place on Ischia, much of Anthony Minghella’s 1999 film adaption was filmed there. If you’re looking to emulate Jude Law or Gwyneth Paltrow in the film before things take a turn for the worst, this is your chance.

New York

As someone who dislikes both heat and humidity, I would not recommend New York as a summer destination (you’ll notice that D.C. is not included on this list for the same reason.) If you must go to New York City in the summer, the disjointed narrative of Renata Adler’s Speedboat is the perfect compliment to sweating profusely and getting a migraine. If you’re sleeping in a spare bedroom at a friend’s house in Quogue, try last year’s beach read The Guest by Emma Cline, or more classically The Great Gatsby. Both are a good enough lesson in not overstaying your welcome.

Kyoto

Though Japanese literature seems to be having a boom these days, landmark Japanese author Yukio Mishima goes relatively overlooked. With his regressive political views, failed coup, and obsession with suicide, maybe it’s not so surprising. Still, Mishima’s works are well worth a read. While The Temple of the Golden Pavilion goes obviously well with a visit to Kyoto’s Golden Pavilion, Forbidden Colors is better suited to a Kyoto onsen resort.

Nantucket

Truthfully I’ve never been to Nantucket, but knowing what I know about Nantucket, Lisa Birnbach’s The Official Preppy Handbook seems like a good place to start. I’d read this book as a work of satire, but my very preppy mother pictured above approves of the information inside (she didn’t need much guidance on prep, given that she’s from Connecticut). After asking around, it seems like this handbook was basically a bible for a select set of D.C. lawyers, lobbyists, and Hill staffers in the 1980s. If you’ve never had someone suggest that you dress in sensible slacks and pearls for a night out in New England, and want to avoid looking like an “old money” influencer, this is the book for you. *note this book is out of print, but is available on The Internet Archive*

St. Raphaël + Fréjus

Popular with French families, St. Raphaël and neighboring Fréjus are often overlooked by American’s in favor on St. Tropez. Trust me, skip St. Tropez unless you happen to have your own yacht and enough funds to not mind paying rather extortionate prices for everything. Fréjus has all the charms of the south of France, without half as many oligarchs. More importantly, Fréjus is the setting for French classic Bonjour Tristesse. Written by Françoise Sagan at just seventeen years old, the novel follows teenager Cecile’s forbidden relationship with an older law student, and her attempts to foil her father’s new relationship. The Preminger film starring Jean Seberg is excellent, and there is a new adaptation by Durga Chew-Bose that I’ve not yet seen. The novel is rather short, and is perfect for the sandy beaches of St. Raphaël.

London

There’s hardly a shortage of books involving London. These picks lean vintage and lightly fruity. If you’re looking to have strawberries, a nice bottle of Sauternes (Chateau d’Yquem 2001?), and a heavy dose of Catholic guilt, try Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited. If you’d prefer something equally Oxbridge but with a Hugh Grant film adaptation, try E.M. Forster’s Maurice. If there’s an upcoming dinner party making you reconsider your marriage, why not go for Virginia Wolf’s Mrs. Dalloway.

The Finnish Archipelago

Finland is home to the worlds largest archipelago, and has an abundance of lakes. As a result, it is relatively common to have a summer cottage either by the Baltic or lakeside. If you aren’t lucky enough to spend part of the summer swimming in the freezing Baltic, sweating in the sauna (or bastu depending on your linguistic persuasion), reading back issues of gossip magazines, and grilling, than Tove Jansson’s classic The Summer Book is an excellent look into Finnish summer. If the name sounds familiar, Jansson is the creator of the beloved Moomin books, which are an equally great summer read.

No vacation plans for the summer? No worries. These books pair equally well with a cold glass of iced tea on the sofa. After all, a book is the economical and most eco-friendly mode of travel, eller hur?