Summer Reading

Austin Tichenor rereads Robert B. Parker’s Spenser novels—“with an s like the English poet”—and discovers that the hard-boiled Boston detective’s literary roots go even deeper than remembered.

Julie Hammonds’ heartwarming novel takes readers backstage at a Shakespeare festival staging Hamlet to save its fortunes. In this excerpt, we meet the cast on the first day of rehearsal.

Summer’s a great time for reading, whether it’s at the beach or in your backyard. Explore our list of fiction and non-fiction titles about Shakespeare and his world featured on Folger blogs, podcast interviews, and our book club.

Looking for summer reading? Try a novel based on Romeo and Juliet, from a San Diege restaurant feud to a zombie horror tale to a story about first love.

It’s the heart of summer—and the perfect time to explore some recommended beach reads from the annals of our Folger Book Club!

Explore great Shakespeare-related ideas for summer reading from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s online book club, blogs, and podcast.