I haven’t read any of the 45 books I’m about to recommend to you.
Even so, my confidence in them is high. In search of the season’s most-endorsed reads, Quartz analyzed every 2019 summer book list we could find, from Bill Gates to Bloomberg, Bustle, and Buzzfeed.
Encompassing 67 lists and 1,428 individual recommendations, it’s arguably the most statistically sound summer reading list on the internet.
For the most part, lists varied significantly. Of the 920 books recommended, most appeared on only one list. But we were searching for the stand-out reads that popped up often across different lists. And we found them: here are the 45 titles that appear on five or more lists. Nearly all are fiction, and 89% are written by women.
* Books not yet released as of July 8.