For the 17th consecutive year, the Swarthmore Libraries released its list of summer reading recommendations from staff, faculty, and students. Dedicated in memory of science librarian and “ultimate book lover” Meg Spencer, who passed away in 2015, the list includes personal accounts of Swarthmoreans’ favorite titles, with an array of authors, eras, and genres.

“The Libraries' annual Summer Reading Guide is back, and it's more fun than ever,” says Research & Instruction Outreach Librarian Abigail Weil of this year’s 35 recommendations.

“This year, our community's heroes range from a student protester to a camp counselor to an octopus.

“You have to read it to believe it,” adds Weil. “From economic philosophy to children's literature, the 2025 guide has something for everyone.”

There are two new elements to the summer 2025 program. The first is the Libraries encouraging College community members to “exercise their library freedom” by reading books that have been banned at one time or another, says Weil.

“Stop by McCabe to check out our display of frequently challenged books,” she adds. “You may see one of your favorites!”

Additionally, Swarthmore has launched the inaugural Staff Summer Reading Program. The program encourages staff members to keep track of how much they’re reading this summer, and  participants can earn prizes as they go before gathering for an end-of-summer pizza party.

Read on for selections from this summer’s reading recommendations, and be sure to check out the full list and those of previous years. With nearly 400 recommendations in all, there is truly something for everyone — not unlike the offerings and opportunities that abound in libraries.

Below is a sample of 10 recommendations from the Swarthmore community:

Sara Hesdon Buehler, Art Collection Manager

Recommending: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

“I never expected to read a book with an octopus as one of the main characters on my own (although I've read a few with my kids). This charming novel is about a widowed mother who works the night shift at an aquarium. I thought this was a beautifully written story of unexpected friendships.”

Planning to read: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy [request from Delco Public Library]

Michelle Crouch ’07, Associate Director, Proposal Development

Recommending: Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner 

“I enjoyed this novel's blend of spy thriller and critical theory, with detours into cave systems, anarchist communes, human evolution, and French agricultural policy. The narrator may not be sympathetic, but I loved her crafty and philosophical voice.”

Planning to read: Beauty is a Wound by Eka Kurniawan 

Joshua Goldwyn, Associate Professor, Mathematics & Statistics

Recommending: The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World by Andrea Wulf

“A lively biography of a massively influential figure who lived a life of adventure and exploration that fused Romantic ideals with scientific discovery.”

Planning to read: Clouds: How to identify nature's most fleeting forms by Edward Graham

Ethan Liang ’26, of Northville, Mich.

Recommending: Shanghailanders by Juli Min [request from Delco Public Library]

“Thoughtful, deft, and juicy. Min renders a privileged transnational Asian family of the near future (not unlike the kind that might grace an East Coast institution), and the dramas — you'll have to read them to believe them — that befit this family and the people who work with and for them. Min's sharpness suits Swarthmore readers, but her writing is also easy to follow. Shanghailanders strikes that balance of being both entertaining and thought-provoking.”

Planning to read: Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated by Lin King 

Nela Loftin ’28, of Syracuse, N.Y.

Recommending: Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

“This book was an amazing blend between truth and science fiction. Butler's world-building ability makes you feel immersed in the story. If you are interested in dystopian novels with elements of climate change/racial injustice, I highly recommend you check this out!”

Planning to read: Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur 

Eduardo Martin Macho, Lecturer, Spanish

Recommending: Children of Dune by Frank Herbert

“Political intrigue, religious power, and ecological transformation collide all at once. As the heirs of House Atreides struggle with destiny and rebellion, they’re forced to confront what kind of future they actually want for Arrakis.”

Planning to read: Shahnameh by Ferdowsi

Amy M. McColl, Associate Director for Collection Management & Discovery, Libraries

Recommending: Playground by Richard Powers

“I loved Powers' The Overstory, and when I read the blurb about Playground, I knew this was a book I had to read. Characters include a dying tech billionaire proposing a ‘seasteading’ project on a Polynesian island ravaged by phosphorus mining, his married best friends from his youth who live on the island with their adopted children, and a trailblazing female oceanographer and her struggles to balance her marriage and career. Themes include our dying oceans, race and class tensions, family dysfunction, and AI. The writing is superb, especially when describing abundant sea life at risk.”

Planning to read: Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Abigail Sterner ’28, of McLean, Va.

Recommending: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

“With a well-crafted plot, complex characters, gut-wrenching emotion, and vivid commentary, Sunrise on the Reaping is what fiction is for — to remind us that no matter the cost, change is possible.”

Planning to Read: Babylonia by Costanza Casati

Barbara Thelamour, Associate Professor, Psychology  

Recommending: On Earth, We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong.

“I'd read that he was a poet before he wrote this first novel, and it shows. How he describes immigration, language, sexuality, family, gender is both beautiful and often heart-breaking.”

Planning to read: Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory [request from Delco Public Library]

Roderick Wolfson, Senior Planner/Project Manager, Capital Planning and Project Management

Recommending: The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard

“I was entranced by the beautiful writing and creative metaphors. The characters are developed with depth. The plot premise is engaging — two orphaned Australian young women starting their adulthood in 1950s England. Caro (short for Caroline) takes an untraditional course with complicated relationships while her sister Grace marries and has children.” 

Planning to read: Metaphors We Live By George Lakoff and Mark Johnson