University Library News

Georgia State University Library

2025 Summer Reading List 

If you want a summer reading list of books that exist in real life curated by a librarian, this is the post for you. Whether you are looking for a book for your book club, vacation/staycation, or just something to read to relax and decrease screen time, this is the list for you. Each campus library has a browsing section that is optimal for casual reading. 

Fairy Tale : A Novel.
King, Stephen.
Scribner, 2022. 
Call Number: FIC King 
“Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes into the deepest well of his imagination in this spellbinding novel about a seventeen-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher – for that world or ours.” 

Death of the Author : A Novel. First edition.
Okorafor, Nnedi.
William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2025. 
Call Number: FIC Okorafor 
“Disabled, disinclined to marry, and more interested in writing than a lucrative career in medicine or law, Zelu has always felt like the outcast of her large Nigerian family. Then her life is upended when, in the middle of her sister’s lavish Caribbean wedding, she’s unceremoniously fired from her university job and, to add insult to injury, her novel is rejected by yet another publisher. With her career and dreams crushed in one fell swoop, she decides to write something just for herself. What comes out is nothing like the quiet, literary novels that have so far peppered her unremarkable career.”   

Black Hamptons. 2, Gentrification.
Weber, Carl, and La Jill Hunt.
Urban Renaissance, 2025.  
Call Number: FIC Weber 
“The Brittons are shocked by the return of Moses, the patriarch of the family. While he’s eager to reunite with his wife and sons, it may be difficult, especially since his wife, Carolyn, has found comfort in the arms of another man. There’s no time to welcome him home, especially with grandson Jesse in the hospital after he is assaulted by Peter Lane. Anthony Johnson is trying his best to get back into his wife’s good graces after nearly losing their company and everything they worked to build. His efforts may cost him more than he bargained for.” 

Girl Anonymous.
Dodd, Christina.
Canary Street Press, 2025. 
Call Number: FIC Dodd 
“As a child, Maarja Daire saw her mother ignite an explosion that killed vengeful mob boss Benoit Arundel – and herself – to save Maarja’s life. Maarja’s been on the run ever since…fleeing from intimacy, from love, from consequences. Now an adult, Maarja hides in plain sight as a fine arts mover, transporting priceless belongings. Work for a new client brings her to the mansion where the fateful blast from her childhood occurred. There she meets Dante, the ruthless, scarred and brooding Arundel family boss. He watches her with dark intent…but does he remember her?” 

The Good Samaritan : A Novel. First edition.
Halleen, Toni.
Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2025.  
Call Number: FIC Halleen 
“Sociology professor Matthew Larkin is barely holding on. After the death of his toddler son, his wife divorced him, his teenage daughter abandoned him, and he lost a job he loved. Landing a rare tenure track position at a small college in southern Minnesota, he’s trying to cope with the disaster his life has become.”