Summer Reading

Julie Hammonds’ heartwarming novel takes readers backstage at a Shakespeare festival in the mountains of Arizona banking on a production of Hamlet to save its fortunes. In this excerpt, we meet the cast on their first day of rehearsal, including a lead actor with a secret.

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.

As we welcome Folger Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet, we take a look back at some intriguing and varied highlights of our past looks at the play.

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.