All about the 2024 Paperback Summer Reading Guide

Plus a new way to read Passing and my two-minute makeup routine

Hey, readers!

I am so excited (and a little bit nervous!) to announce that I’ll be publishing the 2024 Paperback Summer Reading Guide on Sunday, May 12th!

The PSRG is one of my favorite projects to work on all year. It was born out of my absolute love for a good summer reading guide (I can’t wait to get my hands on all the wonderful lists out there!) combined with the realization that I had yet to find another reading guide that fully reflected what I enjoy reading in the summer.

This year’s PSRG is spotlighting all consuming reads. For the last six months or so, I have been struggling to focus on books. I want to be reading, I’m finding great books, and still I notice my mind wandering away from the words on the page (or in my ears) to a million other things. One of the main things that has distracted me from whatever I am reading is all the books I’m not reading. I’ve found myself passively abandoning good books because I can’t stop thinking about all of the other books I want to read.

For this year’s guide, rather than fight my instincts, I used my wandering focus as a barometer for every book I tried. If I found myself itching to read something else, it might be a great read, but it wasn’t right for this year’s PSRG. That means while this year’s books contain a wide variety of genres, tones, lengths, and literary appeal, they all passed the test of keeping me truly engaged and immersed.

I’ve taken all of these all-consuming reads and gathered them in the 2024 Paperback Summer Reading Guide. The PSRG will help eclectic and adventurous readers discover backlist titles perfect for your summer reading mood. Most of these books will be easily accessible from your library and all of them are available in paperback, the best format for outdoor reading season. This year’s guide is made up of underrated gems, modern classics, deep backlist titles you may have missed, recent releases that flew under the radar, and buzzy books from pub years past that might still be languishing on your unread shelf. This guide represents the full range of my own personal taste which means largely literary fiction, but ranging from truly gripping genre reads to highly intellectual prize winners.

A small sampling of books from last year’s PSRG.

This guide may be for you if you desire an off-the-beaten path reading season, love stretching your reading muscles in the summer, need something to shake up your rhythm between romances and thrillers, or just don’t want to wait for new release day to start your next great read!

What’s in the 2024 Paperback Summer Reading Guide:

• 30+ books meticulously curated for the PSRG. These are all books that I read specifically with the PSRG in mind and that I have not reviewed or shared anywhere else. I’ll keep reading right up until the guide releases so the final count is as yet undetermined, but the 30 books currently solidified are some of the most engaging, stimulating, and unique books I’ve read in recent memory.

• 6 categories to help you choose your next read based on your summer reading mood. This year’s PSRG includes fan favorites like “Long & Leisurely” and “No Plot, All Vibes,” along with new categories that felt particularly right for this year including “Transporting Tales” and “(Playing With) Genre Fiction.”

• Thoughtfully written reviews and comparable titles for each book selected will help you determine which books are right for you and which books you can skip. If you like how I write about books in my typically Sunday newsletters, you’re sure to find these write-ups helpful and satisfying.

• 10 Summer Reading Projects with even more backlist book recommendations. I love using the summer to deep dive into a genre or topic. In this hyper-specific Reading Projects, I bundle a 2024 PSRG title with past PSRG books and other books I love to create reading rabbit holes for you to explore and help you get to the books that may have been languishing on your TBR from past guides.

How to get the 2024 Paperback Summer Reading Guide:

Option 1: The 2024 Paperback Summer Reading Guide for paid newsletter subscribers

• $5 per month or $50 per year with an annual subscription.

• Get the full reading guide—30 backlist books corresponding my 2024 summer reading moods and the 10 reading projects. As a paid newsletter subscriber, you will get the PSRG delivered to your inbox on Sunday, May 12th.

• A beautiful PDF booklet with all of the 2024 titles, thoughtful descriptions and readalikes to help you know if a book is right for you.

• Access to Summer Samplings—sporadic podcast drops throughout the summer offering suggestions for books from the PSRG to read together or with buzzy summer releases—as long as you’re subscribed.

• An invitation to the 2024 Paperback Summer Reading Guide Roundtable—a Zoom event hosted on Monday, May 13th where patrons can ask questions about books on the guide, learn about books I considered that didn’t make the cut, and share your own summer reading suggestions. This event is recorded for those who can’t attend live.

• Access to all paywalled emails including Ranked Reading Recap podcasts while you’re subscribed.

• Access to the back catalogue of posts for paying newsletter subscribers, including the 2023 Paperback Summer Reading Guide.

Option 2: The 2024 Paperback Summer Reading Guide for Patreon members

• $10 per month or $108 per year with an annual subscription.

• Get the full reading guide—30 backlist books corresponding my 2024 summer reading moods and the 10 reading projects. As a FictionMatters Patreon subscriber, you will get the PSRG delivered to your inbox on Sunday, May 12th.

• A beautiful PDF booklet with all of the 2024 titles, thoughtful descriptions and readalikes to help you know if a book is right for you.

• Access to Summer Samplings—sporadic podcast drops throughout the summer offering suggestions for books from the PSRG to read together or with buzzy summer releases—as long as you’re subscribed.

• An invitation to the 2024 Paperback Summer Reading Guide Roundtable—a Zoom event hosted on Monday, May 13th where patrons can ask questions about books on the guide, learn about books I considered that didn’t make the cut, and share your own summer reading suggestions. This event is recorded for those who can’t attend live.

• Access to all FictionMatters events during the months you are subscribed including Biblio Brunch, Buzzy Book of the Month Club, and—of course—the FictionMatters Book Club.

• Access to the entire backlog of Patreon posts including over 40 Ranked Reading Recap podcast episodes and Book Club Kits for all 44 past Book Club Selections.

Option 3: Purchase the 2024 Paperback Summer Reading Guide as a standalone item through my Buy Me a Coffee Page.

• If a subscription isn’t right for you, you can buy a standalone PSRG for $10.

• Get the full reading guide—30 backlist books corresponding my 2024 summer reading moods and the 10 reading projects. As a free subscriber to this newsletter, you will get the link to purchase the standalone PSRG in your inbox on Sunday, May 12th.

I am so excited for summer reading season, and regardless of which option you choose, I’m honored to be part of your reading life during this season and all year long. If you have questions about any changes or want help determining what’s right for you, please leave a comment or respond directly to this email. If accessing the full Paperback Summer Reading Guide is important to you, but purchasing it is not an option for you at this time, please email me at fictionmattersbooks@gmail.com.

And if you know someone who might love the Paperback Summer Reading Guide, consider gifting them a newsletter subscription! This could make a wonderful Mother’s Day or graduation gift for the avid readers in your life.

Link roundup.

As a huge fan of Passing, I loved reading this essay that examines the classic as book about maternal anxiety. (Electric Lit)

Paul Auster, best-selling author of the New York Trilogy, passed away this week. (NPR)

This family saga and this friendship story both sound fantastic and I hadn’t heard of either! (NYT)

Is ‘The Idea of You’ Harry Styles fan fiction? (NYT)

Seven novels about women chasing love abroad (Electric Lit)

End notes.

This week in views, listens, eats, and moments of joy.

• This chicken recipe was delicious. It doesn’t make much so add a heavier side or serve over pasta.

• I’ve been doing my two-minute makeup more frequently these days. It consists of this foundation stick, this blush, this highlighter, and this mascara.

• It’s been really nice to settle back into our rhythms at home after more than a week away. I’m excited for upcoming travel, but it’s also nice to get to stay put for awhile.

• I saw Challengers last night and I really enjoyed it. I thought the acting was great, but it was the music and cinematography that made the movie for me. I’m also contemplating how the film got me to care so much about what would happen without really routing for any of the characters or having a desired outcome in mind.

FictionMatters Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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Happy reading!

Sara