books that will stop you from doomscrolling this summer
If you’re looking for what to do instead of scrolling, my favorite suggestion is reading. It’s a hobby that checks all the boxes: easy to do anywhere, expands your world, can be done for free (library!), and it even helps to improve your attention span. Last year I read over 80 books and this year I’m on track to hit my goal of 100. There are so many books I want to read, and I’m so grateful to have that time back — once spent mindlessly scrolling on my phone, now spent doing something I genuinely love.
I know getting into the habit of reading > picking up your phone can be tedious. You’re working against years of dopamine training your body to click, tap, “just 5 more minutes.” The key is to choose the right book. Don’t go for something that will be a chore to read. Choose something that will hook you, suck you in, and keep you from grabbing your phone when your book is right there waiting for you.
I rounded up a list of 18 books that are certain to stop you from doomscrolling this summer. If you use the links below or here (affiliate links), you’ll find some good savings. I’m sure the sales will change daily, but as of today, you can get 3 books for the price of 2 if you’re buying physical. There’s also deals on audiobooks (less than $1 ea.) and e-books (you can get some for free if you get Kindle Unlimited). If Bookshop is more your thing, you can find all these books here.
That being said, like I mentioned above, reading doesn’t have to cost any money. The library is free, and now with apps like Libby, Hoopla, and Palace, you can even access books and audiobooks without going into a physical branch. I just finished my 50th book of the year last night, and I’ve only bought three books.
2026 has brought us so many great books and it’s not even July. The hottest books this summer are definitely Land and Whistler. I listened to The Calamity Club, and despite the length (nearly 29 hours!!), I couldn’t stop going back for more. I haven’t read The Shampoo Effect yet (out 7/3), but I loved Jackson’s Pineapple Street. Another pre-order, It Could Have Been Her releases next week. Jewell rarely does wrong and I’ve been craving a good thriller.
Maybe you’re craving that feeling of summer, but in a book? Any of these will do the trick. Lily King is an absolute genius in Writers & Lovers (prequel to the popular Heart the Lover). Both The Paper Palace and Sandwich are a good second place to actually being on vacation. The Compound is a geniunely wild ride. Eternal Summer is a different book, but one that has stay with me since I first read it. And of course, another Ann Patchett. When I think Commonwealth, I think freshly squeezed orange juice on a summer day.
New releases might get all the attention, but to me, there’s nothing better than finding a wonderful book that I completely missed. Here are some older backlist gems you might not have read when it first came out, but you’d be remiss to not pick up now. The Island of Sea Women is long, but has staying power. My copy of The History of Love has pencil scratched underlines, that’s how special it is. Controversial opinion, Oryx and Crake tops Handmaids Tale. I put off reading Shark Heart for months because the premise seemed insane to me, but wow Habeck pulled it off. John Boyne shines in The Hearts Invisible Furies and A Visit from the Goon Squad is one of those rare books I’ve read twice.