What earns a book the elusive label of being a summer or beach read? It appears that come the warmer months, when laying poolside or on a sandy stretch, a good book is like sunscreen – an absolute necessity.

That seasonal designation is rarely if at all embraced by authors and with the impression that these titles exist to boost sales, the summer read is often less-heralded and brushed aside, likely to end up in the bargain bin corner of a bookstore, lost from public consumption.

Despite this, there is a kernel of truth that during summer, even the most serious readers (a contentious label in its own right) are inclined to reach for a book containing dreamlike and delightful prose. In the parameters of a summer read, there is a brief escape and a derivation of pleasure – much like a day sun-soaked by the beach advertises. It may be dated marketing to sell a thrilling novel or poignant memoir as a summer read, but to be bestowed the label is perhaps not as bad as it seems.

To celebrate the arrival of summer, we round up the best books deserving of a place in your beach bag or tote.

Distilled into thirteen stories are tales of love and desire in all its forms. Taking you into the lives of a book illustrator enamoured with her publisher, two academics reunited from a long-distance affair only to find their circumstance changed dramatically, men adventurous in love and woman strikingly composed, The Lone Pilgrim weaves through every maddening complication of adult life.

In Milk Fed, a troubled young woman restricted by religion falls into the obsessive ritual of disordered eating. While working at a talent agency, at night she pedals relentlessly on an elliptical until she is encouraged by her therapist to make a change. Early into her journey, she becomes entranced by the zaftig woman at the frozen yogurt shop she frequents daily, finding herself among mysticism, mirrors, and mothers.

Indie musician Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast turns her viral 2018 New Yorker essay into a debut memoir of the same name, detailing grief and the solace to be found in food and the familial memories cooking can evoke.

From one of the most influential living writers of our times, a never-before-gathered collection of essays takes us from the hippie era to the dot-com boom of the aughts. In her stylistic and prescient prose, Joan Didion writes about news, the fantasy of San Simeon, and getting rejected from Stanford.

If you believe wisdom comes with age, the life lessons of Chilean novelist Isabel Allende will offer nourishment. A memoir by the self-described romantic feminist, Allende offers her thoughts on ageing, romance, sex, love, and what it means to be a life-long activist.