Whether you’re on the way to work or escaping to the beach, TikTok literary critic Jack Edwards has selected 10 books to accompany your commute this summer. The list spans genres, from true crime to romance, and includes titles set in the Adirondack Mountains, the tulip fields of the Netherlands, and the underbelly of London.
Fiction picks for the journey
Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods follows the disappearance of a wealthy family’s daughter at summer camp, with every character harbouring secrets. For romance, Alexandra Romanoff’s Big Fan sees a political strategist contacted by her teenage idol to help relaunch his music career. Rene Karabash’s She Who Remains, translated from Bulgarian, explores Albanian tribal laws and sworn virgins in a slim volume.
Yael van der Wouden’s The Safekeep centres on a house-proud woman forced to host her brother’s girlfriend, with tension turning to lust. Alexandre Dumas’ The Black Tulip offers a lighter alternative to his bulky Count of Monte Cristo, following a man’s quest to grow a black tulip for a 100,000-franc prize.
True crime and memoirs
Helen Garner’s This House of Grief recounts a court case involving a man who drove his car into a reservoir, killing his three children, told through witness testimonies. Patrick Radden Keefe’s London Falling investigates a boy who fell to his death after posing as a Russian oligarch.
Lena Dunham’s Famesick is a celebrity memoir blending gossip and introspection, while Virginia Evans’ The Correspondent features 73-year-old Sybil reflecting on her life through letters. Belle Burden’s Strangers is a memoir about a woman whose husband left her and their kids during the pandemic, taking everything.
Edwards, contributing literary editor at Esquire and founder of Inklings Book Club, has partnered with Trainline to release decoy book covers so readers can enjoy their chosen books without judgment.
