Summer reading may once have felt like homework, but for the editors at Condé Nast Traveler it has become one of the season’s pleasures. In a roundup of favorite books, the team described reading everywhere from long flights to beach chairs, with selections that range across continents, eras, and moods. The list includes stories set in 1950s Iran, 1970s Brazil, the Scottish Highlands, and the American West.
One editor highlighted The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali, a novel about the friendship of two girls in 1950s Iran and how it changes over decades marked by political upheaval. The book’s themes of courage, resilience, and feminism stood out, along with its human-scale view of a country often discussed mainly through politics. Another chose Clarice Lispector’s The Hour of the Star, praising its compact size and lasting emotional force. Set in 1970s Brazil, the novel follows a young woman’s relationship with a boyfriend while exploring identity, inwardness, and class.
Other picks leaned into slower, more atmospheric storytelling. Douglas Stuart’s John of John takes place on the Isle of Harris in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides and follows a young art-school graduate pulled back home by his father to help with family responsibilities, weaving, and the church. The editor who recommended it noted its deliberate pace and the strong family tensions at its center. The roundup also points to a broader appetite for books that travel well, whether the setting is a remote island, a city under political strain, or a sun-soaked coast. According to the report, these are the titles the editors kept reaching for in carry-ons and on overnight trips all season long.
Source: cntraveler.com