Books That Feel Like Summer

My favorite cookbooks for sun-drenched tables, travel daydreams, and showing off summer’s best flavors

Since it’s the official start of summer today, your cookbook-obsessed friend is here with some summer cooking inspiration for you! I’ve said this before, but every June I find myself chasing summer and longing for a seasonal grounding in those long evenings, sunscreen-drenched skin, rotting poolside with a novel I just can’t put down, and the juicy flavors of stone fruits and tomatoes to consume my waking thoughts. These cookbooks each capture a piece of that dream through their recipes, scratch the itch of nostalgic dishes I crave, or transport me to tables set in places I’d rather be. Whether we’re on vacation or just cooking like we are, these are the books that make summer feel like summer:

Getaway: Food & Drink to Transport You by Renee Erickson

When Getaway: Food & Drink to Transport You came out in 2020, it felt like a lifeline for us all. Renee Erickson, the chef and founder of Seattle’s Sea Creatures restaurant group, created a book that perfectly sums up the idea of traveling as a way of living, not just escaping. It reads like a vacation journal from a friend who knows how to live well with coastal seafood spreads, low-effort cocktails, and dishes that feel like exhaling after a long day. Each chapter is rooted in a place that brings its own mood. Rome is for anchovy toast, bellinis, and zucchini crisped in parmesan cheese. Normandy has cider, crepes, and shellfish. Baja is full of ceviches, salsas, and an aguachile that’s pure sunshine. And Renee’s home base of Seattle features strawberry G&Ts, lots of seafood, and summer snacks that never go out of style… like her dill dip with crispy potato chips that I’ll take by the gallon, tysm.

Renee’s background in art history shines through in the romantic photography and her gentle approach to hospitality. These are recipes you can throw together with a few good ingredients and a relaxed mindset while enjoying something chilled with your people nearby. I reach for this book any time I need to transport myself away from the Bay, but in the summer Getaway really hits its stride.

Standout Recipes: Rockfish Ceviche with Avocado Tomatillo Salsa (pictured above), Anchovy Toast, Sliced Coppa with Celery Salad, Dill Dip with Potato Chips

Coastal: Recipes from a California Roadtrip by Scott Clark and Betsy Andrews

Growing up in the Sacramento valley, I was fixated on the coast. It was this magical, far away place that I couldn’t stop dreaming about. That is until my high school sweetheart moved to San Luis Obispo for college and I spent four years visiting him and soaking it all in. Every salty breeze, seaside bite, and golden-hour drive along Highway 1 only deepened my love of the coast. So when this book hit the shelves, Coastal absolutely and instantly melted my heart (even though I live only two miles from the beach now). It captures that California dream of being a little sun drunk and wind swept, and is filled with the kind of recipes you crave after a day in the water or a long drive with the windows down.

From Michelin-starred kitchens in SF to now being the proud owner of Dad’s Luncheonette in Half Moon Bay, Scott Clark, alongside James Beard Award–winning journalist Betsy Andrews, has crafted an unforgettable road trip narrative in Coastal. The chapters are structured like a perfect summer itinerary: road trip snacks, pitstops with seaside farmers, grilling in Pismo, lunch in the vineyards, and sailing to the Channel Islands. Even if you’re cooking from a foggy San Francisco kitchen like I am, Coastal makes it feel like summer’s here to stay.

Stand out recipes: California Pineapple BLT (pictured above), Korean BBQ Peanut Butter Ribs, Lingcod Ceviche, Watermelon Agua Fresca, Confit Tuna Salad, Dad’s Potato Chips, Curried Carrot Soup

Le Sud: Recipes from Provence-Alpes-Cotes D’Azur by Rebekah Peppler

Who isn’t dreaming of summer in southern France right about now? I’d give just about anything to be sunscreen-soaked, sea-salty, and seated seaside with a spritz in hand and Rebekah Peppler’s Perfect In-Season Tomatoes in the other. Le Sud is her latest stunner of a cookbook, a sun-drenched ode to the food, wine, and effortless charm of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. It’s part cocktail and wine guide, part dinner party blueprint, and full-on summer fantasy for me.

So if your summer fantasy includes French terraces, aperitifs, and good linen, this book is your one-way ticket. Le Sud drips with French elegance and summer lovin’. Think seaside aperitifs, tomatoes, olives, chilled reds, and pastas to fill up on after a day out in the Mediterranean heat. And the desserts? A Strawberry Gâteau and Tarte au Citron that feel like the chicest way to end a long, sunlit meal. The photography alone will make you start planning an outfit for dinner at home and setting a Google Flights alert for a ticket to the south of France.

Standout Recipes: Perfect In-Season Tomatoes with Anchovy Aioli (pictured above), Marseillan Spritz, Herbed Salade Verte, Gazpacho para Ella, Tarte au Citron

The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook: Recipes for Everyday Luxury and Elevated Entertaining by Meredith Hayden

The content creator it girl of the season and millennial Martha Stewart, Meredith Hayden, aka Wishbone Kitchen, released her debut cookbook just in time for summer and it’s exactly the kind of fresh, fun, dinner party distraction we could all use right about now. The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook is packed with East Coast seafood staples, poolside snacks, crisp cocktails, and enough menu inspirations to carry you through the year. Meredith’s recipes feel stylish but doable, from Caesar Crudités and Blueberry BBQ Chicken Salad to Lobster Capellini and boozy bevs. Equal parts aesthetic vibes and approachable, it’s the kind of book you’ll reach for when you’re hosting friends, cooking for a date, or looking to impress yourself on a Tuesday night.

Standout Recipes: Caesar Crudités (pictured above), Stracciatella with Marinated Sungolds, Squash Ribbons with Pistachio and Pecorino, Hot Buttered Lobster Rolls, Tomato Butter Baked Cod, Duck Lettuce Wraps, Lambrusco Negronis

Peinao: A Greek Feast For All by Helena and Vikki Moursellas

Peinao (meaning “I’m hungry” in Greek) is sweeping me away to the Greek Islands this summer in the best possible way, well… aside from flying there myself. Written by twin sisters Helena and Vikki Moursellas, this book feels like a modern retelling of their family’s recipes, layered with flavors they’ve picked up through their own travels. It’s not just a cookbook, it’s a love letter to the culture of Greek food: rich yet vibrant flavors, seaside meals, mezze for long afternoons, and dishes built around olive oil, lemon, and salt. The flavors are bold and sun-soaked while the spirit of the book is tender, generous, and inviting—the kind of host I aspire to be. It’s a long story, but I didn’t grow up with Greek recipes passed down through my family. So I’ve been slowly cooking my way through Peinao to discover my family roots, one herby salad, flaky pastry, and lamb dish at a time (and everything has been a winner, of course).

Standout recipes: Halloumi with Honey-Roasted Tomatoes (pictured above), Chargrilled Octopus with Greek Salsa Verde, Pork & Feta Keftedes, Tuna with Tomato & Dill Yogurt, Honey & Salted Almond Pagotó, Lamb Pita

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Whether it’s a citrusy cocktail on a terrace in Provence, a crab dip by the pool, or a long afternoon mezze spread to embrace my roots, these books are helping me set the mood of summer. So if you’re staying close to home this season but still want to eat like you’re somewhere with iconic summer vibes, I hope these pages take you there!

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See you next week pals—stay well fed.