Summer Reading: The Books Worth Packing This Year, with Kate, Laura and Phil

Looking for the perfect summer read? Kate is joined by Laura Potter and returning guest Phil Chaffee to compare recent reads before putting this year's biggest summer books to the test. Inspired by reading lists from The New York Times, The Times, Lit Hub and The Booker Prize, they decide which books are beach reads, suitcase books, and which they'd happily leave behind at the airport. Plus, they reveal the books they're packing for their own holidays.

Books discussed

Recently read

• The Golden Mean — Annabel Lyon
• Plato and the Tyrant — James Romm
• Glorious Exploits — Ferdia Lennon
• The Game of Kings — Dorothy Dunnett
• The House of Niccolò series — Dorothy Dunnett
• We Are Green and Trembling — Gabriela Cabezón Cámara (trans. Robin Myers)

Evaluating the picks from the summer reading lists

• Hot Milk — Deborah Levy
• The Eighth Life — Nino Haratischwili
• A Month in the Country — J. L. Carr
• Whistler — Ann Patchett
• The Things We Never Say — Elizabeth Strout
• Land — Maggie O'Farrell
• Instructions for a Heatwave — Maggie O'Farrell
• John of John — Douglas Stuart
• I Want You to Be Happy — Jem Calder
• The Director — Daniel Kehlmann
• Villa Coco — Andrew Sean Greer

Our holiday recommendations