Need book recommendations on what to read next? I’ve compiled an epic list of the best books to read on vacation. They are based on my 4-and-5-star book reviews. These are the best books to read whether you’re on summer vacation, spring break, a fall getaway, or winter break.
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See my related book-review posts.
- 2023 one-word book reviews and recommendations (in progress)
- 2022 one-word book reviews and recommendations
- 2021 one-word book reviews and recommendations
- 2020 one-word book reviews and recommendations
- The best Fredrik Backman books ranked with book reviews
- The best 12 Stephen King books and stories ranked with book reviews
- Best books about WWII and The Holocaust – fiction and non-fiction
What to read next on vacation
Here’s a curated list of the best books to read on vacation by genre.
Travel tip: If you don’t want to pack heavy books in your suitcase, I highly recommend the Kindle Paperwhite. It’s non-glare and easy to read outside in the sun and on the beach. And it’s waterproof. While I still love physical books, I do love my Kindle Paperwhite for travel.
5-star best classic literature fiction books to read on vacation
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Book genre: Classic literature / fiction / children / young adult fiction
Number of pages: 449 pages
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Book genre: Classic literature / historical fiction
Number of pages: 336 pages
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Book genre: Classic literature
Number of pages: 438 pages
5-star best contemporary fiction books to read on vacation
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Book genre: Contemporary fiction
Number of pages: 336 pages
Beartown (Beartown series #1) by Fredrik Backman
Book genre: Contemporary fiction
Number of pages: 689 pages
Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
Book genre: Contemporary fiction
Number of pages: 324 pages
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Book genre: Contemporary fiction
Number of pages: 336 pages
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Book genre: Contemporary fiction
Number of pages: 337 pages
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Book genre: Contemporary fiction
Number of pages: 304 pages
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
Book genre: Contemporary fiction
Number of pages: 372 pages
Night Road by Kristin Hannah
Book genre: Contemporary fiction
Number of pages: 385 pages
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Book genre: Contemporary fiction
Number of pages: 384 pages
The Winners (Beartown #3) by Fredrik Backman
Book genre: Contemporary fiction
Number of pages: 671 pages
5-star best historical fiction books to read on vacation
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 531 pages
Beneath A Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 509 pages
Between the Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 344 pages
The Boys Who Woke Up Early by A.D. Hopkins
Book genre: Historical fiction / coming-of-age
Number of pages: 258 pages
The Difference by C. D’Angelo
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 342 pages
The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 435 pages
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 440 pages
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 624 pages
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 391 pages
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
Book genre: Historical fiction / graphic novel
Number of pages: 212 pages
Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 479 pages
Under the Light of the Italian Moon by Jennifer Anton
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 407 pages
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 343 pages
5-star best magical realism books to read on vacation
Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen
Book genre: Magical realism fiction
Number of pages: 304 pages
Storm and the Mermaid’s Knot by Meghan Richardson and Tina Verduzco
Book genre: Magical surrealism / fiction
Number of pages: 512 pages
5-star best non-fiction books to read on vacation
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
Book genre: Essays / non-fiction
Number of pages: 293 pages
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
Book genre: Biography / non-fiction
Number of pages: 404 pages
Braving the Wilderness: The quest for true belonging and the courage to stand alone by Brene Brown
Book genre: Self-improvement / nonfiction
Number of pages: 448 pages
Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson*
Book genre: Non-fiction / history
Number of pages: 447 pages
*recommended by my husband
Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Book genre: Meditations / inspirational / non-fiction
Number of pages: 296 pages
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown
Book genre: Self-improvement / inspirational / nonfiction
Number of pages: 448 pages
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben
Book genre: Non-fiction / science
Number of pages: 272 pages
Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson*
Book genre: Non-fiction / history
Number of pages: 323 pages
*recommended by my husband
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
Book genre: Biography / non-fiction
Number of pages: 336 pages
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore
Book genre: Non-fiction
Number of pages: 479 pages
Thunderstruck by Erik Larson*
Book genre: Non-fiction / history
Number of pages: 463 pages
*recommended by my husband
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
Book genre: Biography / non-fiction
Number of pages: 475 pages
5-star best paranormal books to read on vacation
Daughters of the Lake by Wendy Webb
Book genre: Mystery / paranormal / fiction
Number of pages: 321 pages
A Matter of Perspective by Thomas Beresford
Book genre: Paranormal
Number of pages: 388 pages
The Terror by Dan Simmons
Book genre: Paranormal / suspense / thriller
Number of pages: 769 pages
5-star best poetry books to read on vacation
Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
Book genre: Poetry
Number of pages: 228 pages
Selected Poems by Robert Frost
Book genre: Poetry
Number of pages: 296 pages
5-star best science fiction books to read on vacation
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Book genre: Science fiction / thriller
Number of pages: 352 pages
The Humans by Matt Haig
Book genre: Science fiction (with a side of psychology and sociology)
Number of pages: 304 pages
5-star best short stories to read on vacation
The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
Book genre: Short stories / fiction
Number of pages: 219 pages
5-star best thriller / suspense fiction books to read on vacation
The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Book genre: Thriller / suspense / fiction
Number of pages: 336 pages
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Book genre: Psychological thriller
Number of pages: 336 pages
4-star books to read on vacation
If you still need book recommendations for vacation, here are a few more good reads. Listed are the best four-star books to read on your next getaway. This list is organized in alphabetical order by book title.
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Book genre: Historical fiction / paranormal
Number of pages: 849 pages
The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 388 pages
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 286 pages
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 355 pages
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 376 pages
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Book genre: Classic literature / horror / gothic fiction
Number of pages: 488 pages
Dune by Frank Herbert
Book genre: Science fiction
Number of pages: 617 pages
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 464 pages
A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight
Book genre: Suspense / thriller
Number of pages: 410 pages
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
Book genre: Suspense / thriller / fiction
Number of pages: 319 pages
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
Book genre: Suspense / thriller
Number of pages: 389 pages
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Book genre: Psychological thriller
Number of pages: 336 pages
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 321 pages
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Book genre: Science fiction
Number of pages: 444 pages
The It Girl by Ruth Ware
Book genre: Thriller
Number of pages: 423
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Book genre: Classic literature / fiction
Number of pages: 536 pages
The Last Flight by Julie Clark
Book genre: Suspense / thriller / fiction
Number of pages: 320 pages
The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark
Book genre: Thriller / suspense / fiction
Number of pages: 302 pages
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Book genre: Classic literature / young adult fiction
Number of pages: 182 pages
Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
Book genre: Contemporary fiction
Number of pages: 291 pages
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Book genre: Historical fiction / family saga
Number of pages: 369 pages
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
Book genre: Thriller / suspense / fiction
Number of pages: 360 pages
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 341 pages
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Toile
Book genre: Inspirational / Spiritual
Number of pages: 270 pages
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Book genre: Contemporary fiction (with a little mystery and family saga)
Number of pages: 368 pages
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Book genre: Light romance
Number of pages: 389 pages
The Sweetness by Nathan Harris
Book genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 368 pages
Unexplained: Supernatural Stories for Uncertain Time by Richard MacLean Smith
Book genre: Paranormal /non-fiction
Number of pages: 352 pages
Us Against You (Beartown #2) by Fredrik Backman
Book genre: Contemporary fiction
Number of pages: 448 pages
When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O’Neal
Book genre: Light romance / fiction
Number of pages: 348 pages
You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Book genre: Suspense / thriller
Number of pages: 352 pages
Have you read any of these? Any good books you recommend for summer reading? Please let me know in the comments and follow me on Goodreads and Instagram.
Pin it for later: Best books to read on vacation
Eleanor Oilphant is my favorite book along side The Dark Light!
I did not want Eleanor Oliphant to end! It’s such a great book to read on vacation or at home.
I’ve read many on your books to read on vacation list. I think my favorite is Beartown, but there are lots of wonderful books to choose from here.
I love every book by Fredrik Backman. I’m a former hockey mom so loved the Beartown series.
This gave me some really good ideas on what to read on my next vacation. The Hidden Life Of Trees sounds perfect!
Awesome! I loved The Hidden Life of Trees. I just picked up another book by the same author – The Power of Trees: How Ancient Forests Can Save Us if We Let Them.
I love reading while traveling. I usually take 2-3 books with me. Last summer, as I finished the books I brought with me, I left them at the places we stayed that happened to have books available to guests. I’d bought them on eBay, so it wasn’t a huge cost. You have a lot of great ones on this list. I even have some of these sitting on my bookshelf at home, waiting for me to get to them.
That’s a great idea to leave the books for others to read on vacation! I have so many books in my TBR – an entire bookshelf of them!
Vacation books are my favorite! Thank you for this great list 🙂
You’re welcome! Love sharing my favorite books to read on vacation!
I love historical fiction! I can imagine myself relaxing on a beach in Mexico reading a book! That sounds like a nice vacation!
I’m a big fan of historical fiction especially! Reading a good book on the beaches of Mexico is my favorite thing to do.
I’m going on a beach vacation in a couple of weeks and need to select a few books from your list! It’s a great list and includes books in all genres. I love it!
That’s perfect! Many of these would make a great beach read on your vacation! Have fun!
Amazing list of books to take on a trip! I’ve read several of these. And see a bunch I’d like to read. I always take along a book on my travels.
Thank you so much! I’m a big fan of reading on vacation.
As an avid reader, Lisa is always searching for a new book. This list of best books sounds terrific!
Awesome! Lots of great books to read on your next vacation!
Such a great variety! Definitely expanded my must read list!
Awesome! So many good books to read on vacation!
My next trip is next week so the timing is perfect. thanks for the inspiration!
That is perfect! I hope you found some good books to read on your vacation!
Some good suggestions. The books by Kristin Hannah are on my TBR list. I loved Dune.
Thank you! Love sharing the best books to read. I was surprised how much I liked Dune…it was really good!