My Summer Reading List 2026: Books That Travel Through Portugal
A thoughtfully curated summer reading list inspired by Portugal.
Each summer, I like to gather a reading list that travels through Portugal without ever leaving the page. Some are books I’ve read and returned to. Others are thoughtful selections that seem especially well suited to a Portugal-inspired summer. Together, they offer another way of knowing a place—not only through travel itself, but through the voices, histories, landscapes, and lived experiences that bring it into focus.
This year’s edition also includes a small collection of reader recommendations, making the list feel even more like a shared bookshelf than a personal one.
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This is a curated seasonal reading list rather than a formal review roundup, so you’ll find a mix of personal favorites, thoughtful selections, and a few titles still on my own to-be-read shelf. For convenience, I’ve included links to Amazon.com or other booksellers for readers who may wish to learn more about a title or purchase a copy. These are not affiliate links, and I do not receive compensation from them.
Curated Summer Reading List
Take Me With You – Portugal’s National Road 2 on Foot
by Afonso Reis Cabral
Portugal’s National Road 2 runs nearly the full length of the country, from Chaves in the north to Faro in the south. Rather than drive it, Afonso Reis Cabral chose to walk it alone, over 24 days, letting the road set the pace and the encounters shape the journey.
Part travel diary and part portrait of everyday Portugal, the book follows his passage through mountains and plains, storms and heat, rivers, and villages. Along the way, the most enduring moments come not from the landscape itself, but from conversations with the people he meets. Originally written as daily reflections and shared online, the book has since been expanded into an illustrated edition that captures the rhythm of the road and the quiet intimacy of moving through Portugal on foot.
Why it belongs on a summer reading list:
A slow, thoughtful journey into the heart of Portugal best read at an unhurried pace, much like the road itself.
Language availability:
Available in English and Portuguese
The Food of Portugal
by Jean Anderson
First published in the 1980s, The Food of Portugal remains one of the most thorough English-language explorations of Portuguese cuisine. Rather than offering a glossy, trend-driven take, Jean Anderson approaches Portuguese food as a reflection of geography, history, and daily life.
The book moves region by region, weaving together recipes, cultural context, and observations about markets, kitchens, and local traditions. Seafood, soups, breads, sweets, and wines are all treated with respect and depth, making this as much a cultural document as a practical cookbook. While some editions now feel vintage, that quality adds to the book’s charm.
Why it belongs on a summer reading list:
A book to read as much as cook from. Slow, informative, and deeply rooted in place.
Language availability:
Available in English
Shores, Horizons, Voyages: Selected Poems
by Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen
This collection brings together a carefully chosen selection of poems by one of Portugal’s most revered literary voices. Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen writes with remarkable clarity, often returning to elemental themes such as sea, light, ethics, memory, and freedom.
Her poems move between the intimate and the expansive, drawing deeply from Portugal’s coastal geography and moral imagination. This is the kind of book best read slowly in fragments, beside a window, on a terrace, or between longer works that need a little room to breathe.
Why it belongs on a summer reading list:
Ideal for reading in fragments between longer books, beside the sea, or in moments when language itself becomes the journey.
Language availability:
Available in Portuguese; selected poems available in English translation.
The Portuguese: A Modern History
by Barry Hatton
Blending history with personal observation, The Portuguese: A Modern History offers a wide-ranging look at Portugal through the eyes of a longtime foreign correspondent who has lived in Lisbon for decades. Rather than presenting a strictly academic history, Barry Hatton weaves together historical milestones with reflections on everyday life, national character, and the contradictions that shape modern Portugal.
The book traces Portugal’s journey from its role as a global maritime power through dictatorship, revolution, and contemporary European life. Along the way, it offers a portrait that is as much about people as it is about history.
Why it belongs on a summer reading list:
An engaging and accessible look at Portugal’s past and present, ideal for readers who want context, character, and a deeper sense of the country beyond the guidebooks.
Language availability:
Available in English
Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire
by Roger Crowley
In Conquerors, historian Roger Crowley examines how a small Atlantic nation became the first truly global empire. Focusing on the 15th and 16th centuries, the book traces Portugal’s maritime expansion through the Indian Ocean, Africa, and Asia, blending political history with vivid narrative.
Crowley explores the ambition, violence, ingenuity, and unintended consequences of an empire. Portugal emerges as complex and contradictory, deeply shaped by exploration, trade, faith, and power, with legacies that still echo today.
Why it belongs on a summer reading list:
Engaging, readable history that helps contextualize Portugal’s global footprint without requiring academic commitment.
Language availability:
Available in English; Portuguese editions available.
The Last Crusade: The Epic Voyages of Vasco da Gama
by Nigel Cliff
For readers drawn to Portugal’s maritime past, The Last Crusade offers a sweeping account of the voyages of Vasco da Gama, whose journey around Africa to India in 1498 opened a sea route that would reshape global trade and power.
Framed as both an adventure narrative and a work of historical interpretation, the book traces da Gama’s expeditions across oceans, through storms, conflict, and cultural encounters. It also places those voyages in a broader historical context, revealing the ambition, tension, and consequences behind one of Portugal’s defining eras.
Why it belongs on a summer reading list:
An epic, fast-moving work of narrative history that brings Portugal’s Age of Discovery vividly to life.
Language availability:
Available in English and in several translated editions.
Estoril
by Dejan Tiago-Stanković, translated by Christina Pribichevich-Zorić
Set on the Portuguese Riviera during the Second World War, Estoril unfolds in and around the famed Hotel Palácio, where exiled royals, spies, diplomats, refugees, and restless observers drift through neutral Portugal while war engulfs the rest of Europe.
At the center of the novel is a young Jewish boy separated from his parents, moving through a world of uncertainty, performance, and divided loyalties. The hotel itself becomes more than a setting. It feels almost like a character, holding together a temporary world shaped by waiting and unease.
Why it belongs on a summer reading list:
A moody, elegant wartime novel that captures the glamour, unease, and human complexity of Portugal’s Atlantic coast during one of Europe’s darkest chapters.
Language availability:
Available in English and Serbian.
Two Nights in Lisbon
by Chris Pavone
Set in present-day Lisbon, Two Nights in Lisbon begins with a woman waking in a hotel room to discover that her husband has vanished. What follows is a fast-moving thriller involving secrets, shifting identities, political entanglements, and the uneasy realization that no one may be exactly who they seem. The novel has been described by its publisher as a “riveting thriller” and became an instant New York Times bestseller.
What makes this title appealing for a Portugal-themed reading list is that it offers a more contemporary, suspense-driven Lisbon—one shaped less by nostalgia and more by tension, speed, and modern intrigue. For readers who want at least one sleek, page-turning thriller among the slower and more reflective titles on this list, this book is a welcome inclusion.
Why it belongs on a summer reading list:
A stylish, contemporary Lisbon thriller that adds a little speed and suspense to the stack.
Language availability:
Available in English; also published in audiobook and eBook editions.
Recommendations From Our Portugal Journey Readers
Several of this year’s additions came directly from readers of Our Portugal Journey. I’ve included them here as part of that ongoing conversation—books others have found memorable, meaningful, or worth passing along.
The Librarians of Lisbon: A WWII Story of Love and Espionage
by Suzanne Nelson
Recommended by: Steph
Set in neutral Lisbon during World War II, this historical novel follows two American librarians drawn into a web of espionage, coded missions, and emotional risk. It combines suspense, romance, and wartime atmosphere in a city already rich with intrigue.
Why it belongs on a summer reading list:
An engaging blend of historical intrigue and human drama set in wartime Lisbon.
Language availability:
Available in English
Journey to Portugal: In Pursuit of Portugal’s History and Culture
by José Saramago
Recommended by: Jeannine Johnson Maia
Part literary travelogue and part cultural meditation, Journey to Portugal follows Saramago as he travels across the country in search of its history, landscapes, and overlooked corners. Rather than functioning as a guidebook, it offers a more reflective way of seeing Portugal—through observation, memory, and attention to place.
Why it belongs on a summer reading list:
A thoughtful, literary companion for anyone who wants to move more slowly and attentively through Portugal.
Language availability:
Available in English and Portuguese
The Return
by Dulce Maria Cardoso
Recommended by: Marty
This coming-of-age novel is set in the aftermath of Portugal’s decolonization and follows a teenage boy forced to return to Portugal from Angola in the mid-1970s. Through his perspective, the novel explores displacement, identity, and a country in transition.
Why it belongs on a summer reading list:
A deeply human story that expands how we understand Portugal’s recent past and the lives shaped by it.
Language availability:
Available in English and Portuguese.
The Filigree Master’s Apprentice
by Jeannine Johnson Maia
Recommended by: Lynn-Marie
Set in Porto in 1877, this historical novel follows a teenage boy from the Douro Valley as he enters the world of filigree craftsmanship, ambition, and social change. It offers a vivid sense of place and a compelling window into one of Portugal’s most enduring artisan traditions.
Why it belongs on a summer reading list:
A richly atmospheric novel for readers who love Porto, craftsmanship, and stories shaped by place.
Language availability:
Available in English and Portuguese.
A Very Short History of Portugal
by A. H. de Oliveira Marques, updated by João José Alves Dias
Recommended by: Marty
For readers who want a concise but wide-ranging introduction to Portugal’s past, this compact history offers a strong overview without requiring a deep academic commitment. It can be especially useful for travelers and curious readers who want more context for the country they’re exploring.
Why it belongs on a summer reading list:
A compact, readable introduction to Portugal’s history and identity.
Language availability:
Available in English and Portuguese.
Rossio Square N.°59
by Jeannine Johnson Maia
Recommended by: Lynn-Marie
Set in Lisbon in 1941, this historical novel unfolds in a city filled with refugees, uncertainty, and wartime intrigue. With Rossio Station and central Lisbon as part of its backdrop, it blends suspense, atmosphere, and a strong sense of place.
Why it belongs on a summer reading list:
A suspenseful, atmospheric novel that invites readers into wartime Lisbon.
Language availability:
Available in English and Portuguese.
Hunting Midnight
by Richard Zimler
Recommended by: Jeannine Johnson Maia
Beginning in Porto in the early nineteenth century, Hunting Midnight is a historical novel rooted in Portugal’s Jewish history, memory, and cultural complexity. Richard Zimler is known for weaving identity, mystery, and history into richly atmospheric fiction, and this novel continues that tradition.
Why it belongs on a summer reading list:
A layered historical novel that offers a different and deeply textured perspective on Portugal’s past.
Language availability:
Available in English and Portuguese
Whether you choose one title or several, I hope this year’s Summer Reading List offers a few meaningful ways to experience Portugal from wherever you happen to be reading. Some of these books may deepen what you already know; others may simply open a new door.
And as always, if there’s a Portugal-themed book that has stayed with you, I’d love to hear about it. Some of the best additions to these lists have come from readers, and I suspect there are still many more stories waiting to be discovered.
Wishing you a summer of good reading and beautiful detours!
Thanks for being on this Journey with me.
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Looking for Books in English in Portugal? This resource may help.
![Finding Books in English in Portugal [Bonus Post]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HPsi!,w_1300,h_650,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F57de3de7-151f-4183-b07c-5b4281f71609_1920x1097.jpeg)
Until next time…
Obrigada!
Carol.
Thank you! Having used our Hilton Honors points to stay at the Palacio on our last trip to Portugal, and having read a bit about its history, I definitely want to read "Estoril." I think "The Portuguese, A Popular History" is excellent – the first book I suggest to anyone going to Portugal for the first time. The author, Barry Hatton, apparently had too much material about Lisbon to fit into one book, so he also wrote another good book “Queen of the Sea: A History of Lisbon”
Also, there’s another good book about walking the length of Portugal: “Walking Europe's Edge: Reflections on Portugal.” The author of that one is British, so it will be interesting to compare it to the perspective of an author whom, I assume, is Portuguese.
I always love this list. My book club has chosen Baltasar and Blimunda by Saramago for our summer read.