Fully Booked: Your 2026 Raleigh Summer Reading Guide, Plus Local Authors and Best Reading Spots
More than 40 summer book recommendations from Raleigh booksellers, interviews with three North Carolina authors, and the best local spots to read them.
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Summer Reading Recs from Bright Side Books & Wine
Susannah Baird, owner of Bright Side Books & Wine, Raleigh’s only romance bookstore, recommends love stories from wholesome romance to sweeping romantasy epics.
Q&A: Molly Irani’s Guide to Meaningful Hospitality
Part memoir, part survival guide, NC restaurateur Molly Irani’s debut book traces the origins of her award-winning restaurant group.
Summer Reading Recs from So & So Books
Chris Tonelli of So & So Books on Person Street shares darkly funny, magical realism picks for your 2026 summer reading list.
Book Nooks: 10 Cozy Places to Read in Raleigh
Raleigh’s coziest cafes, bars and wine shops for reading solo or hosting your book club — the perfect spots for your 2026 summer reading list.
Q&A: Mimi Montgomery’s Debut Mystery Novel
NC native Mimi Montgomery’s debut novel is a cozy murder mystery featuring designer dogs, Botox and zany celebrations in a Southern town.
Summer Reading Recs from Nice Price Books & Records
Enoch Marchant of Nice Price Books & Records on Hillsborough Street shares Southern fiction, biography and sports picks for your 2026 summer reading list.
Summer Reading Recs: Quail Ridge Books
Ginger Kauts of Quail Ridge Books, a Raleigh institution since 1984, shares fiction, fantasy and Southern author picks for your 2026 summer reading list.
Summer Reading Recs from Juliet Books & Beautiful Things
Marcie Montague, owner of Juliet Books, downtown Cary’s first independent bookstore, shares the current and historical fiction she couldn’t put down.
Summer Reading Recs from Blackbird Books & Coffee
Hannah Brunswick, co-owner of Blackbird Books & Coffee in Downtown Raleigh’s City Market, recommends poetry, thrillers and reads from Black, Indigenous and queer authors.
Summer Reading Recs from Liberation Station Bookstore
Victoria Scott-Miller, founder of Liberation Station in Southeast Raleigh, North Carolina’s first Black-owned children’s bookstore, recommends stories by and about Black women.
Q&A: Libby Buck’s Haunting and Heartfelt Debut Novel
North Carolina author Libby Buck discusses her debut novel, Port Anna, and how a childhood cottage in Maine inspired the story.
Summer Reading Recs: Dog-Eared Books
Colleen Gross and bookselling team at Dog-Eared Books in North Raleigh recommend beach reads, classics and North Carolina authors from their used-book collection.
Meet the WINnovation 2026 Workshop Leaders!
Liz Rossilli, Catherine Jonathan and Dr. Adrianne Pinkney bring workshops on sales, reinvention and life-balance insight to WINnovation 2026