Your kids might have made progress on their summer reading lists — but we’re not letting adults off the hook.

Here are nine books to add to your summer reading list, courtesy of local bookstores + libraries, and don’t worry, they’re just suggestions, and you won’t be quizzed.

Buncombe County Public Libraries

There are thousands of gripping stories to immerse yourself in from the 13 Buncombe County Libraries. Put that library card to use and check out these three to get started:

"Rental House" by Weike Wang
Keru and Nate, a Chinese-American consultant and an Appalachian-born professor, host their in-laws across two vacations, from a Cape Cod beach house to a Catskills bungalow. But trips with in-laws are no walk in the park. Tensions flare over culture, class, and identity as family expectations strain their marriage with sharp, wry, and intimate insight.

"Murder Takes a Vacation" by Laura Lippman
A widowed grandmother and former PI assistant, Muriel Blossom, wins the lottery and embarks on her first European river cruise. When a charming stranger dies in Paris, she’s drawn into international intrigue, art theft, and deception. With wit, warmth, and keen intelligence, she must unravel the mystery herself.

"Dungeon Crawler Carl" by Matt Dinniman
The darkly humorous LitRPG adventure follows a Coast Guard vet and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they're thrown into a labyrinthine dungeon. Facing bizarre monsters and unlikely allies, Carl must keep his wits about him to navigate the deadly realm.

Firestorm Books

These three recommendations came straight from the West Asheville bookstore, but the collective also makes it easy for you to share recs of your own. Fill out book recommendation cards by the register or send in an email to for the chance to have your pick featured in the store.

"Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology" by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
"Get some chills down your spine to cool off the heat... Read a book from our queer horror book club (and better yet, join us at Firestorm Books on July 26 at 11am)! This is our July read - wholly original and shiver-inducing tales that celebrate Indigenous peoples’ survival and imagination; introducing readers to curses, monstrous creatures, complex family legacies, chilling acts of revenge, and more."

"Let This Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care" by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba
"It's going to be a summer of activism! This book covers many helpful topics on organizing for anyone new or saged. Particularly the chapters on an analysis of "violence," the practice of creating hope, and holding that we will find difference and mistakes among us. A must-read for us to come together for change."

"Woman on the Edge of Time" by Marge Piercy
"So you've read 'Parable of the Sower' and want another imaginative 'classic' read to mull over our present and future possibilities? Where Orwell expounds upon the dangers of authority and resilience of totalitarianism in Animal Farm and 1984, Piercy offers a vision of tenuous possibility through feminism, ecology, and a deep reckoning with power. We recommend this book to anyone who asks the question, 'what is the alternative to fascism?'".

Secondhand doesn't mean second best when it comes to books. | Photo by AVLtoday

Malaprop's Bookstore

Want more recommendations straight from the staff, just like the picks below? Subscribe to the bookstore's monthly newsletter for new reads + info about literary events in-store and around town.

"Tartufo" by Kira Jane Buxton
"Through sitcom-like humor, the author describes a chaotic group of characters who desperately attempt to steer tourists to their one-restaurant town instead of nearby Borghese, with its award-winning chefs... The endearing characters and the plot twists make this novel delightfully unpredictable, and well worth reading."

"Zero Point" by Slavoj Zizek
"The book stresses the importance of confronting global tensions directly, without needless vitriolic nonsense. Crucially, for readers in the US, Žižek grapples with the ethics of speaking truth to power, even when it draws criticism. Sharing his own experience of public backlash, he presents a peek at how he processes criticism and personally evolves."

"The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh" by Claudia Gray
"Reading “The Perils…” directly after watching “Pride and Prejudice” was perfect, because I had a strong mental image of so many of the characters... Throw in several attempts on the life of Lady Catherine, who, quite naturally, becomes increasingly irascible and demanding, and you have a thoroughly enjoyable cozy mystery set in the beautiful estate of Rosings Park."