As summer gets underway, you might be looking for the perfect beach read: a book that’s engrossing, entertaining and fun to read. Why not try a history book? History books are ideal for the beach or any other summer destination. Learn something new without sacrificing entertainment. In fact, David McCullough has a new book coming in September called “History Matters.” This book of essays argues that history is critical to understanding our current times.
But for long summer days, it’s important to find a book that pulls you into the story and keeps you turning pages. These history books fit the bill – some have been around for a few years and others are newly published or are coming this fall.
Books about explorers and naval adventures are always popular at the bookstore. The titles of these books are self-explanatory: “The Explorers: A New History of America in Ten Expeditions” by Amanda Bellows, “The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder” by David Grann, “Shackleton” by Ranulph Fiennes, or the New York Times bestselling “The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook” by Hampton Sides, for grip the edge of your seat adventure. In October, “The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by John U. Bacon will be published, offering a surprising history of how this ship and its passengers ended up at the bottom of Lake Superior.
Interested in the history of humankind: “The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity” by David Graeber and David Wengrow, signals a paradigm shift in understanding our past and making space to imagine new ways of organizing society. One of the bestselling history books of all times , “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari, delivers powerful storytelling that challenges assumptions about our narrative history and our future as a species.
Going beyond our own species, “Every Living Thing: The Great and Deadly Race to Know All Life” by Jason Roberts or “Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature” by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian, both offer new perspectives on the nature surrounding us.
Native American history has several recently published, award-winning books such as “Native Nations: A Millennium in North America” by Kathleen DuVal or “The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History” by Ned Blackhawk, which won the National Book Award.
If you’re interested in African American history, check out the new biography, “John Lewis: A Life” by David Greenberg. A couple of award winners in this genre include “Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom” by Ilyon Woo, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2024, and “All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake” by Tiya Miles, winner of the National Book Award.
War is always a popular history topic and there are a few new books in this genre. “The Raider: The Untold Story of a Renegade Marine and the Birth of U.S. Special Forces in World War II” by Stephen R. Platt and “Sailing of the Intrepid: The Incredible Wartime Voyage of the Navy’s Iconic Aircraft Carrier” by Montel Williams. One of my favorites is “The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World” by Jonathan Freedland. “Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present” by Fareed Zakaria, reminds us that today’s polarization is not new in the course of history.
If Oregon history is your bag, check out “The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey” by Rinker Buck, “Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the American West” by Stephen E. Ambrose” or “Astoria: Astor and Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire: A Tale of Ambition and Survival on the Early American Frontier” by Peter Stark.” For a twist on things, try “The Secret History of Bigfoot” by John O’Connor.
If instead you’re interested in current events, check out “The Shortest History of Israel and Palestine” by Michael Scott-Baumann, “The Shortest History of Migration” by Ian Goldwin or “A History of the Muslim World: From Its Origins to the Dawn of Modernity” by Michael A. Cook. “Ukraine: The Forging of a Nation” by Yaroslav Hrysak, is a pioneering new history of that country.
Women’s roles in key historic events has also become its own sub-genre of history books. “The Six: The Extraordinary Story of the Grit and Daring of America’s First Women Astronauts” by Loren Grush, “Women in the Valley of the Kings” by Kathleen Sheppard, “When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion” by Julie Satow, are a few books giving women their proper place in history.
What about the history of health? John Green’s “Everything is Tuberculosis” is a fascinating read about a topic I didn’t know I was interested in. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down.
If none of these topics spark for you, check out these prolific history book authors: Timothy Egan, Erik Larson, David McCullough, Candice Millard or Doris Kearns Goodwin. You’ll surely find a book in their oeuvres that will pique your interest.
This list just scratches the surface of history books. No matter your interests, there is more to be discovered in the genre. Local booksellers and librarians are here to help find your next engrossing beach read.
This article appears in Source Weekly June 26, 2025.
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One of the best pop history books I’ve ever read is “The Mirage Factory” by Gary Krist (2018). It details the rapid growth of Los Angeles at the turn of the 20th century with a particular focus on the film industry, the tent revival scene, and the Mulholland water project. Highly recommended!