Hi, my bookish friend!
When I was writing about how Emma Straub named her bookstores Books Are Magic, I thought, “She’s so right. Books are magical!” There are a million reasons why, but one of the best is how a book setting can, with a flick of a mystical bookmark, transport you to faraway places and distant times!
I’ve come down with many cases of wanderlust after reading books set somewhere I’d love to vacation. For example, as a fan of Elin Hilderbrand (see more about her in this week’s Bookish News Updates), I’ve often daydreamed of visiting Nantucket!
So, today, we’re keeping with July’s literary travel theme. But this week, it’s all about how a book’s setting can take us away. I’m sharing 5 new novels that provide the perfect summer escape. They may even inspire you to make travel plans or to bring the book along as a companion!
Then, in Bookish Updates: Libby users, you’ll love what I just discovered! And I’ve got more fascinating bookish news that I stumbled upon in my random virtual wanderings!
Happy Reading!
Your friend,
Audry
P.S. I’m thanking new or current Annual or Founding Members by giving away a $50 Bookshop.org gift card to celebrate the Bookish AF Summer of Reading!
Visit Paris, Verona, Athens, and beyond, all without leaving your home!
Casting agent, Sasha Cruz, is good at finding people for roles. But she hasn’t found anyone to play the part of her love interest. She says she’s not interested in looking … butttt there’s a handsome stranger on a flight to Paris that gets away. The real fun begins when Sasha accidentally emails her entire company searching for him! Fortunately, a man from her past is willing to help … and complicate things! (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
This romance has taken off with readers! It’s cute and entertaining, especially if you need something to read on an actual flight!
In a dual time that switches between the present: Emma, a struggling artist in Paris, and Jo Van Gogh in the 1800s: who’s related to another Van Gogh that you may know! This art-world mystery sweeps through Paris and Amsterdam as stolen masterpieces, hidden clues, and centuries-old secrets collide. It’s glamorous, it’s fast-paced, and I pre-ordered it! I can’t wait to get my hands on it and read it! (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
Follow Jo Piazza’s Substack for great content related to the book’s release, including a Parisian-themed book list and a scavenger hunt you can complete for mystery prizes!
In this third book in the Daughter of Montague historical romantic mystery series, Romeo and Juliet survive and have a daughter. Set in Northern Italy’s captivating, medieval city of Verona, Italy, the story may veer from its Shakespearean roots, but it keeps the familiar themes and the page-turning drama going strong! (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
Get to know Christina Dodd on Substack! See this cute post about how she signed her books for flight attendants on a recent trip!
Lee, a beautiful reality star, flies to Athens to search for her missing sister, who’s fallen for a scammer. But Lee’s whole family is in crisis. Can they reconnect? And how can Lee find her sister with the paparazzi following her every move? (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
This book looks like an easy, breezy summer read, especially if Greece is on your travel bucket list!
Set in 1940s Mexico, this atmospheric mystery and unsettling thriller follows a charming con artist whose latest scheme pulls him into a dangerous web of greed, deception, and unexpected consequences. It’s rich in historical details. And Mexico feels like another character in the story! (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
This past winter, I decided to stretch my literary horizons and listened to Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s acclaimed horror novel, Mexican Gothic. While I rarely read the horror genre, I loved her writing style and how the story pulled me forward even as I was wincing at the details!
View the booklist on Bookshop.org! (Local independent bookstores benefit from your purchases!)
This summer, add whimsy to your reading habit! Follow along with the Bookish AF Summer of Reading 2026 here!
One of my favorite things about reading is discovering a new place because of a novel. But you could also intentionally read a book whose setting matches your next vacation. It’s also fun to pair the book you’re reading with the place you’re actually touring. Then you can picture the events in the book as you’re wandering the streets, cafés, or landscapes.
Have you read a book set in a real place and then dreamed of or actually taken a vacation there? What did you read and where did you go? Or where did you just wish you could visit?
Here are a few news stories that caught my eye this week...
If you didn’t see my Note, I’m also sharing it here: I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney is this summer’s Libby Reads pick. Library users can borrow the ebook or audiobook with no holds or waitlists! Yay! I’m listening to the audiobook now, and it’s a funny story. I’m enjoying it!
Lately, I’ve noticed an uptick in historical fiction novels that jump between two timelines, like The Parisian Heist. I like this trend because these books are often fun to read. Sometimes they uncover family secrets or work as a device to solve a decades-old mystery. Other times, they connect generations and make the past and present seem to coexist. Have you noticed this trend too?
Check out this excellent book list (that also includes author interviews) of “Dual Timelines to Get Lost In” from author Julia Kelly.
I hope this link to the New York Times article opens and doesn’t require a subscription because it’s a wonderful peek inside Elin Hilderbrand’s actual home that she actually lives in on Nantucket! Plus, the photo essay includes a few thoughtful insights into Elin’s writing career and what motivates her. (See this week’s Bookish Quote!) (Also, see in the Bookish AF Chat about the time my mom and I met Elin Hilderbrand!)
And then, watch the Five-Star Weekend, based on **Elin Hilderbrand’s bestselling novel, on Peacock. Set against dreamy Nantucket beaches, it’s filled with friendship, family drama, wine, and gorgeous coastal scenery. Who has Peacock? And can I come over to binge-watch it with you?
*For more books you can watch, see this report on Every Book Adaptation Nominated for an Emmy in 2026!
**See this fun book list from “two Hilderbabes” that ranks the best Elin Hilderbrand’s books!
J.D. Salinger’s iconic novel turns 75 this week! First published on July 16, 1951, it remains one of the most influential and frequently challenged American novels ever written. Now is the perfect time to read it!
Thanks to Substack writer, Ron Charles, you can take a peek inside Dua Lipa’s The Manifesto Library. Or travel to Porto, Portugal, to visit this amazing and inspiring space! Can’t get away? See this Instagram post for a virtual tour!
“To be able to write books that allow people to escape and gives them a chance to read something that is taking them away from whatever circumstances they find themselves, that is the thing that has been my purpose.” — Elin Hilderbrand in a New York Times interview
Shop for the books I recommend on Bookish AF at my Bookshop on Bookshop.org!
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