The 2026 Summer Bookies reading list: Books about journeys

This is our 14th Fast Forward Bookies reading list of your book recommendations, and once again, you’ve come through with some really terrific suggestions. Our theme this summer is books about journeys of all types.

If you prefer to read this online (where you can also post a comment if you wish), you can find it on the FF homepage here. That’s also where you can find the previous Bookies lists, on the right side of the page. Some of them still are Boston Globe links, but I am gradually moving them over to Substack.

Meanwhile, lots of organizations have published their summer reading lists, and I’ve included links to some of those at the bottom.

But now, to our list. Here are your recommendations for our Fast Forward 2026 Summer Bookies, listed in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. Enjoy.

“The High Tide Club”

By Mary Kay Andrews

Mary Helen Sprecher of Columbia, Maryland: Many associate this writer with funny romances about women who have adventures and who are based in and around Georgia and various points in the Southeast. But in “The High Tide Club,” she has a much more serious take as she follows a group of friends (some who are high society, some who are more middle class, and one who works on the housekeeping staff) and their journey from being teenagers to being elderly. It has several good mysteries and plot twists. It’s the kind of book that, once you read it, you want to reread it to find the Easter eggs that Andrews has buried in the text, that somehow you missed in your race to get to the end of the story. You could ID it as a beach read, but that’s really selling it short.

“My Friends”

By Fredrik Backman

Andrea Daniels of Eastham, Cape Cod, Mass.: This book tells the story of an amazing group of friends, who have very little more than each other. It explores their relationships as they age, and how art played an important part in their lives. The story weaves back and forth in time to get to know the characters as they travel from childhood to adults, and ultimately leads to a very satisfying conclusion, showing how their paths led to changing another new friend’s life for the better. To reveal any specifics would spoil this epic journey, which needs to be savored as each chapter reveals a new part of their shared history.

“Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland”

By Dave Barry

Stephanie Fraser of West Yarmouth, Cape Cod, Mass. and Sarasota, Florida: If you are a fan of Dave Barry’s humor, whether you have direct knowledge of Florida or have only heard the crazy stories, this book will not disappoint. Written in 2016 (before Mar-a-Lago jumped into the national spotlight, so it is not mentioned in the book), Dave travels to various parts of the state, sharing his thoughts and experiences at the different locations. Some are well-known destinations, while others are off-the-beaten-path kitschy take-ins.

Far from being a travelogue, “Best. State. Ever.” is a fast-paced, fun summer read. However, I don’t suggest reading it at the beach, as you may attract unwanted attention from people who wonder what, exactly, you are doing when you are sitting by yourself and randomly burst into laughter!

“Two Years Before the Mast: A Sailor’s Life at Sea”

By Richard Henry Dana Jr.

Denault Donovan of Lynnfield, Mass.: This is a first-hand account, by Boston’s own Mr. Dana, of an 1834 voyage around Cape Horn to California (a foreign land at the time) to acquire cowhides for the shoe mills in Massachusetts. Amazing descriptions of life aboard a working tall ship and the early days of the California coast. Anyone who sails or spends any time on the water will enjoy this book. Boy, does he get homesick for Boston!!

“How to Dodge a Cannonball”

By Dennard Dayle

Mo Mehlsak of South Portland, Me.: Come along with Anders, a white teenager from Illinois whose Civil War journey begins as a Union flag-bearer, takes a twirl (for the better?) when he is captured and decides to embrace the Confederacy, and comes (sort of) full circle when he survives his Southern platoon’s slaughter at Gettysburg and switches sides again by stealing the uniform of a dead Union soldier — who happened to be Black. Dayle’s novel of historical fiction, and Anders’ survival as a self-declared octoroon in a “colored” Union regiment that travels from East to West across America, satirizes our national inability to come to grips with race, war, and identity.

“Deliverance”

By James Dickey

Larry D’Oench of Montville, New Jersey: A physical journey by four men down a wild river, but also a journey from followership to leadership.

“Last Bus to Wisdom”

By Ivan Doig

Linda Karmen of Falmouth, Mass.: This the story of Donal Cameron, “Donny,” a redheaded 11-year-old orphan raised by his grandmother, who is a ranch cook in the Montana Rockies in the early 1950s. When his grandmother has to have surgery, she sends Donny off by himself on a bus to grandmother’s sister, Kate, in Wisconsin. His solo journey takes him to meet Aunt Kate, who is a bossy tyrant and impossible to please; even her poor husband, Herman the German, has trouble making her happy.

When Aunt Kate has had enough of Donny, she puts him on a bus back to the authorities in Montana. Herman the German escapes on the bus with Donny, and the two meet some wonderful characters and have some glorious misadventures along the way. I laughed out loud and cried at the strange and wonderful encounters of these two unlikely traveling companions. It was a delightfully wild and funny, sweet and tender ride.

This book is not one of Ivan Doig’s series of books about the West; it is a standalone and stands well.