A trendcaster’s chaotic predictions.
What’s everyone reading this summer? No, better yet—what do we think everyone else will be reading? Is 2026 the season of the post-trauma plot? Are we reading big books, or novellas? Indoors or out? Will this summer see the ascendance of the solo bookfluencer, or the read aloud book club?
Today I’m gazing into my own literary crystal ball to bring you some plausible trends to watch out for this summer, in the stacks and on the portal. A note: I can’t prove the validity of any of these predictions, but what is a trend-caster if not supremely confident about the power of their own vibes?
1. Get in, loser. We’re getting theory pilled.
Consider: on the one hand, we have I Love Boosters bringing Adorno-lite to the TikTok generation. On the other, this week brings the enraging news that U-Chicago, a school once known for its world-structuring theorists, is partnering with Anthropic to put Claude in every classroom. Clearly, the culture is craving something smart. And I, a wizard, think I know what that something is.
Theory, friends! Just look to the cool cats. The author Brandon Taylor has spent serious time close reading literary theory over the past few years, and documenting takes on his popular Substack, Sweater Weather. The critic Becca Rothfeld praised a Leslie Fiedler reissue in The New Yorker just this week. And my colleague James Folta, a bona fide trendsetter if ever there was one, recently placed an Instagram appeal for Lionel Trilling recommendations. Coincidence? I think not.
I’m seeing a summer where the hotties are bringing Barthes, Borges, Bakhtin, and Benjamin to the beach. Because pure art in the age of mechanical reproduction isn’t cutting it. This summer, the people need (literary) analysis.
2. Horror will steal through the stacks.
Thrillers have long enjoyed a vocal fanbase. Mosey on over to CrimeReads for a case in point. But as A24 continues its not-so-stealthy takeover of American indie cinema, horror specifically is moving into the mainstream.
Consider: Backrooms and Obsession are the season’s first blockbusters. Jane Schoenbrun’s new slasher awaits us in August. And on the small screen, people are loving Widow’s Bay, the Stephen King pastiche that pays homage to every trope in the genre. I’m a scaredy-cat by nature, but this much vibe is hard to outrun. The Gregorian calendar says June, but outside the girlies are celebrating Halloween.
I feel sure all this creepy pasta will trickle into publishing—and sooner, rather than later. You heard it here first, people. This summer, it’s gonna be all about the pulpy, the gothic, and the grotesquely scary beach reach. We’ll all be reaching for stories that freak us out. (Start here, for a sampler. Care of friends at Phantasmag.)
3. So long trad-wife spring. Hello mafia wife summer.
A few weeks ago, I was struck by this 404 Media study on the secret lives of mafia wives. Put that in a blender with a well-timed Sopranos rewatch and I’ll leave you with one of my fringier theories: we’re going to be seeing a lot more of the mafia wife.
Consider: this protagonist in inherently dramatic in her gilded cage. Plus, she offers a saucy aesthetic counterpoint to the now-over-exposed trad-wife. Better still, she wears giant sunglasses. Which we all need at the beach.
Not convinced? Look no further than Ron Currie’s We Will See You Bleed, which comes out in July. Babs, its crooked union leader protagonist, is said to be after Don Corleone. And this spring brought word that Adriana Trigiani will soon publish a new Godfather novel from Connie’s perspective. It’s in the air, I’m telling ya.
4. The DFW Renaissance.
Feels like every year, the literarati require a classic Tome to dissect. We did Lonesome Dove. Then there was the Mating craze. This summer, the hep cats behind Limousine, a literary podcast and reading series, are leading a book club about David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest.
This all comes off some recent re-litigation of the masterpiece, which turned 30 this year. Hermione Hoby wrote this nuanced praise note for a book that’s sometimes been mocked for its masculinist signifiers. And now a new reissue with a foreword from Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast is recoding the novel for Gen Z.
The thing about a brick book is that lots of us don’t have time to read it until summer hours set in. But best believe, the time is now. Everyone who’s anyone [said in Stefon’s voice] will be hauling Infinite Jest on the sweaty subways.
5. POV preferences will shift. (Again.)
We’ve known for a minute that the ‘I’ is having a resurgence. Remember earlier this year, when some hardcore BookTokkers went off on the third person? Though fresh evidence suggests that the kids today don’t rightly know what POV is, Newton’s third law says something’s gotta give.
As I type, Mr. Franzen—of yore!—is making SJP breathless with his latest New Yorker story. Which can only mean one thing. You heard it here first, friends: we’re throwing it back to third person free indirect. This August, polyphony will trump interiority. And there will be rejoicing in the streets.
Come back this fall to check my homework. In the meantime, I hope you’ll share your summer reading habits with us. Head on over to our bespoke summer reading challenge, if you need a cool place to start.
