Which writers have accompanied you on holiday? I brought George Orwell to the Caribbean and J.D. Vance on my honeymoon. (I loved “1984”, though “Hillbilly Elegy” was too elegiac for my taste.) Bookworms face choices as they jet (or drive) off this summer: a breezy escape or a more serious tome? Craving a tried-and-true classic or a new release that has delighted our critics?

The Economist’s list of the best books so far this year is out. We have tried to select something for everyone. There are serious histories, looking at the Black Death and the most notorious assassination in history. And there are more timely takes, such as an exposé of the “kidfluencing” business and a survey of why American children are such picky eaters. One of our recommendations contemplates the likelihood of a third world war in the next decade: the author puts the odds at 30-35%. That is not very comforting. Though it is, perhaps, an argument to make time for all the reading you want to do, while you have a little peace and quiet.