The end of August creeps in. Suddenly, the days are getting shorter, summer flings dissolve, and friends scatter away to their separate colleges. Summer isn’t quite over, but it’s no longer fully here, either. These final weeks of summer call for books that are nostalgic yet not too sentimental. Books that hold onto summer, even as they anticipate its end.
Each of these books carries its own kind of yearning, not unlike a season slipping away. For that reason, I recommend picking up the following books as summer begins to wane.
Last Summer in the City by Gianfranco Calligarich
Originally published in Italian in 1970, Last Summer in the City follows Leo, a thirty year old man adrift in Rome, drifting through jobs and relationships, with the beautiful backdrop of Italy and glamorous friends. The novel has been compared to The Catcher in the Rye, if Holden were older and wandering the Mediterranean. Leo’s yearning gives the book its lasting resonance, earning it a cult following, and in this new edition, an introduction by André Aciman, author of Call Me by Your Name.
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan
There’s something intrinsically French about summer. Maybe it’s Alain Delon in La Piscine, the beaches of Agnes Varda, or Jean Seberg as Cécile in the 1958 adaptation of this novel. Written when Sagan was just 17, Bonjour Tristesse follows 17-year-old Cécile during a summer with her father on the French Riviera. Initially, her summer is idyllic, but change arrives, and Cécile’s carefree lifestyle is challenged. The novel captures the change that the end of summer brings, with responsibilities and resentment arising.
The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzō
Originally published in 1906 as an essay and more recently published by Penguin Classics, The Book of Tea was written in English for a Western audience. Through the lens of tea, it confronts misunderstandings between East and West, and offers thoughtful reflections on Japanese culture. The author himself grappled with cultural unease, having been raised with a Western-influenced upbringing that made reading Japanese difficult. While it may be non-fiction and more historical than other works on this list, it resonates with the same quiet yearning found in fiction. Penguin describes it as an effort to “address the inchoate yearnings of disaffected Westerners”. What emerges is not only a meditation on tea, but an exploration of identity and culture.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos
If you have ever sought out a book that can be compared to both the Marx Brothers and Sex and the City, as NPR once did, look no further. While the 1953 film starring Marilyn Monroe is often the first association, Loos’ 1925 masterpiece has just turned 100, and it’s well worth revisiting. Joyce and Wharton were among the many who praised the novel upon its release, describing it as a great American novel. The centennial edition features a sharp introduction by Marlowe Granados, author of Happy Hour, another great summer read, that ties Loos’ satire and glamour to the present day. The story follows two American friends, one blonde and one brunette, on a tour of Europe. It’s filled with glamour and wit, and is a pleasure to read during the final days of sun. While yearning is not as prominent here, the girls’ obsession with class and social climbing reflects the dangers of getting lost in the pursuit of too much fun.
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
While Jansson may be known best for creating the Moomins, this slim novel is a beautiful ode to nature, summer, and companionship. Originally published in Swedish, The Summer Book is a wholesome account of a grandmother and her six-year-old granddaughter who spend a summer on an island in the Gulf of Finland. The two explore the island together, share philosophical conversations, and try to create a sense of normalcy against the backdrop of loss. There is an underlying melancholy, but the vivid descriptions of the island’s nature and the bond forming between grandmother and granddaughter strike a perfect balance.
Foster by Claire Keegan
While Keegan is rightly celebrated for Small Things Like These, her novella Foster is the one to read during this time of year. Set during a hot summer in rural Ireland, it follows a young girl who is sent to stay temporarily with her relatives. In their care, the child experiences affection that was previously absent from her life. Yet, the summer cannot last forever, and this unspoken fact is present throughout. Keegan’s provincial world balances new connections and childlike hope with a quiet tension and fear of the unknown.
The Odd Woman and the City by Vivian Gornick
While this choice may be biased, as I just finished reading it, Gornick’s memoir is part ode to New York, part meditation on wandering. I had not yet read any of Gornick’s work, but this book had made me obsessively highlight its witty, incisive lines. Though it’s framed around Gornick’s walks through the city with her best friend Leonard, it is so much more than that. It is observations on solitude, ageing, feminism, and human connection. The structure is not linear, yet it does not feel bouncy, as every anecdote has its own place. It is perfect for the end of summer as it is all about reflection, without being too sentimental, making it well-suited for the transition from the season’s carefree nature to a more contemplative mood.
