Whether it's pool-side, your favourite Outdoor Library, a beach, or the comfort of your home patio, nothing beats reading outdoors in the summer. There are many perfect reading spots in our community—you'll find some suggestions in this list, Best Places to Read Outside in HRM. You can add your favourites in the comments section.
Now that you know where you will be reading, it's time to select what you'll be reading—check out these Halifax Pubic Libraries' staff recommended stories for your summer reading list.
Are you interested in the Summer Book Bingo For Teens And Adults program? Visit your closest branch or Library Office to find out more and collect your BINGO card. Then, spend the rest of the summer filling in your squares and completing our cheeky challenges.
Note: Titles are listed below in book format, but many are also available digitally as e-books or audiobooks through our OverDrive Collection.
Heather M's Beach Bag Books
Staff Member, Collection Development
If you're looking for a book that has twist after twist after twist to the very end, try Don't Believe Her by Nicola Sanders. This psychological thriller will keep you at the edge of your seat.
The first line of the prologue will grab your attention: "It's interesting to note that there are two groups of people who are rarely, if ever, suspected of murder. These groups are elderly women and little girls." The main character, 81-year-old Elsie Mabel Fitzgerald, is elderly now but she was once a little girl. This is her heartfelt story with twists, charm, and humour. You will feel good after reading this book.
This is a fairly short book. I listened to the audiobook and it was only 4 hours long. This is the story of three days of Gail Baines' life. It's heartwarming and humorous and hard to put down. The author is a Pulitzer prize winner and it's easy to see why. Her writing is delightful.
Catherine's Hazy, Lazy Day Reads for Littles
Staff Member, Collection Development
A wonderfully informative children’s book which teaches you about how various animals cool off on a hot summer day, told through the eyes of Piet the squirrel. Published by the David Suzuki Institute, I enjoyed learning right along with my three-year-old. We fell in love with Piet and all his animal friends.
This children’s picture book is light on words but nonetheless brimming with story! Absolutely beautiful illustrations take us along on a regular-day-turned-adventure-to-remember of a dog and their person. You will want to head right to the beach after reading this one!
Sal and her mother go blueberry picking and have an encounter with a mother bear and her cub. Originally published in 1948, this one is a real classic. Taking place in Maine, the illustrations remind me so much of Nova Scotia and blueberry picking decades ago with my grandmother on a late summer day.
Reb's Recommended Summer Read
Staff Member, Halifax Central Library
Milktooth is an emotionally incisive page-turner by local author Jaime Burnet. It follows Sorcha as she navigates an abusive relationship while pursuing her dream of parenthood. It’s a brilliant story of resilience, queerness, and found family.
Predominantly set in Halifax, the locations make the reading experience so vibrant. The book beautifully represents the complicated reality of community and belonging in a small city.
It's not just me that loves Milktooth: Jaime Burnet just took home the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award at the Atlantic Book Awards.
Heather D's Dog Days of Summer Pick
Staff Member, Western District
You know Halifax author Vicki Grant for her funny middle grade novels, but this—her first book for adults—sizzles with family intrigue, deep secrets, and creative perceptions of justice. I'm not usually a murder mystery reader, but I love how funny and real the characters feel, especially Petra who has recently been set free from a long marriage, Petra's grown-up but not quite settled daughter, Nina, and dishy Detective Al-Haddad. It was fun to imagine all the Hali-famous places Grant fictionalized for the story and I think you can't go wrong with this warm-hearted mystery for your summer vacation read.
Laurel's Poolside TBR
Staff Member, Marketing and Communications
If Arrested Development met Bob's Burgers with a Wes Anderson lens, you'd get Lost Lambs. The Belchers, Blueths, and now the Flynns exist in a hilarious and dysfunctional shared universe.
If you like books about women slowly changing into canines (I'm looking at you, Nightbitch, opens a new window), then you'll love this moody, anxious, unsettling and delightfully strange debut novel.
Another story about families, Uhle recounts her childhood with a desperately scheming father and a hoarding mother. Uhle unravels her family's financial contradictions, mental illness, and unique challenges with empathy and tenderness toward parents that were just doing their best. If you liked The Glass Castle, opens a new window and Educated, opens a new window, you'll enjoy Uhle's memoir.
Kassondra's Best of Beach Reads
Staff Member, Halifax Central Library
This books follows the story of two women on the anniversary of their best friend's death, a tragedy that many believe to be murder. If you liked We Were Liars, you'll like this one, too.
Mariko and Jillian Tamaki's coming of age story is about two teen friends, Rose and Windy, during their summer away in a small beach town.
This graphic novel is about a young girl named Morgan who might have found a mermaid at the beach. The seaside town is loosely based off Ostertag's own trips to Lunenburg as a child.
Erin's Sunny Day Selections
Staff Member, Collection Development
The world collapses, a dungeon appears, and the adventure begins. Earth's demise is a televised gameshow enjoyed by aliens far-and-wide, and Carl and his talking cat companion, Princess Donut, are fan favourites. Funny, heartfelt, and absurdly violent, Dungeon Crawler Carl is apocalyptic fiction like no other. Thankfully, it is the first book of a series, so there is fun to be had all summer long.
This book is beautiful. The writing, the story, the friendships, the heartache, the joy—everything about it is gorgeous. I found myself pausing often to reflect on my own friendships, past and present, and to absorb the beauty of the writing. I recommend reading this book with intention, and to savour every passage.
The year is 1961 and Emily is an editorial assistant at Chatelaine in Toronto, eager to join the ranks of the serious journalists she admires. When an opportunity arises, Emily does not hesitate to go undercover at Mercer Women's Prison to reveal the mistreatment of women, and to demonstrate how easy it is for a woman to be deemed "incorrigible" and admitted to the prison. A gripping tale centered on strong and courageous women, and based on Canada's first women's prison, Liberty Street is historical fiction at its finest.
Sarah's Red Hot Recommendation
Staff Member, Collection Development
My summer book pick would be Heart the Lover by Lily King. This was my first time reading King and I loved her writing style and the complex characters she created. The story centers around a trio of students who form friendships at college and then follows the evolution of their relationships over the course of their lives. A great summer read if you are looking for a moving story that explores the human experience.
Faith's 100°F Summer Reads
Staff Member, Admin Services
I recommend the manga series Fruits Basket for a summer read because it has both a gorgeous aesthetic as well as comforting themes on family, belonging, and personal growth. While the characters and setting have a nostalgic feel, and the summer vacation arcs give you a tropical feel, the story will leave you emotionally fulfilled and hopeful.
The 100-year-old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
If you’re looking for some adventure this summer, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is the ultimate summer escape. Not only will you find yourself laughing at the absurd fun, but you will also experience a very uplifting (and wildly entertaining) read.
The Shock of the Light is an ideal summer read for its action-packed, cinematic storytelling. This historical fiction offers an immersive dual timeline that uncovers a soulful mystery—a perfect page-turner to get lost in by the water.
Colleen's 'Cool By The Pool' Summer Reading List
Staff Member, Marketing and Communications
Imagine you get diagnosed with 'Invisibility,' and slowly, piece by piece, your body begins disappearing from the public eye. Tilda isn't particularly surprised when she finds out she has the disease, affecting middle-aged women...she has felt unseen for years. The fun truly begins when she starts to dig deeper into its cause and a potential cure. Delightful and darkly humorous, I'd consider this a sunny pick for the summer.
Winner of the 2026 Giller Prize, Pick a Colour is beautifully written, quietly funny, and fully of observations about work, identity, and human nature. It's the kind of book that's both absorbing and will make you gasp with shock or laughter.
A good old thriller. Hard to put down, salacious, far-fetched. Inspired by Radiohead's Creep, it fully encompasses the song and its title. I love this kind of book for the beach.
Jocelyn's Scorching Selection
Staff Member, Western District
I loved Gabrielle Union's first audiobook of personal stories, and loved this one, too. Union writes so honestly and poignantly about everything from her struggles with infertility, to raising Black children in the United States, to mortifying audition stories involving Janet Jackson. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll enjoy the heck out of it.
Listen, I know this has been out for so long that five seasons of a TV show also exist. I usually do book first but I did not in this case, mostly because the spy genre is not my first choice. But the show is too good to miss out on the equally compelling books! And I love an author who trusts his reader to follow the twists and turns without having to over explain. An engrossing read for a comfortable deck chair.
It feels appropriate to suggest a book that heavily features soccer right now. This is a beautiful story about two sisters, soccer stardom, family, what we give each other, and what we ask in return. If you like anything by Taylor Jenkins Reid, you will probably enjoy this one.
Isabel's Summertime Stories
Staff Member, Halifax Central Library
No Time to Spare is a collection of essays from Ursula K. Le Guin's blog from the 2010s. It's a delightful assortment of her thoughts—on aging and writing, to the joys and qualms of her cat—written in all the wonderful ways that make me adore her as a writer. I don't know how else to say it, I simply feel better any time I read something by Le Guin.
I never venture into the romance genre, and yet, on the recommendation of a friend, I fell head over heels for this book; the story, the characters, the love! Rainbow Rowell's voice is remarkably refreshing in its realness and humour. If you're trying to get out of a reading slump, or you simply want a genuine, messy love story, this is the book for you.
Diane's Warm Dusk Reads
Staff Member, Eastern District
Happy Wedding Season everyone. This book is set at a lovely coastal town at a fancy hotel and feel fresh and fun but also dark and nuanced. I loved it!
A beautiful historical family saga set on a real remote island off Cape Breton. Local darling Lesley Crewe has outdone herself with his truly fantastic read where the island of Scatarie shines as bright as every other character. I didn't want to leave them behind at the end of the book.
Anna's Summer in the Shade
Staff Member, Marketing and Communications
I read Atmosphere in the middle of winter this year, but in my heart of hearts, this is a perfect beach read! Beautifully written, it's a love story with incredibly smart female characters and a non-linear storyline set in the 1980s.
We hope these staff recommendations keep the beachy vibes going and your reading list fresh! For even more, check out what staff enjoyed in 2025. Happy reading and listening from all of us at Halifax Public Libraries.
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