Today is National Iced Tea Day, of course. This being the South, we have plenty of cool, refreshing iced tea — make that, sweet tea — in our office.

But on a sunny, sweltering day like today, iced tea is meant to be sipped and savored, gulped and guzzled from a tall glass with a skinny spoon while reading a good book in the shade of a covered porch or in the direct path of some powerful air conditioning. We are just not doing the beverage justice by drinking it at our desks from to-go cups.

Sigh.

But it’s not too late for you. And we’ve got just the books to go with your brew. Find a swing, fill a glass with ice cubes, pour the tea and read one of these porch-perfect paperbacks:

The Remedy for Love by Bill Roorbach: Nothing will cool you off on a hot day more than being trapped in the “Storm of the Century,” just as strangers Eric and Danielle are in this novel full of snappy banter. Newsday called it “a page-turner, a love story and a vivid drama of man (and woman) against the elements.” 



The High Divide by Lin Enger: What does it mean to know someone, truly know him? Is a man defined by the time you’ve spent with him and the kindness you have witnessed? Or does his history make him who he is? Lin Enger explores these questions beautifully in a truly American story of the High Plains in the late 19th century.

The Happiest People in the World by Brock Clarke: Take the format of a spy thriller, shape it around real-life incidents involving international terrorism, leaven it with dark, dry humor, toss in a love rectangle, give everybody a gun, and let everything play out in the outer reaches of upstate New York — there you have an idea of Brock Clarke’s new novel. As bestselling author Hannah Tinti put it: “The funniest and smartest novel I have read in years.”

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin: We have said a lot about this book already, so we’ll let The Washington Post speak for us now: “Zevin has done something old-fashioned and fairly rare these days. She has written an entertaining novel, modest in its scope, engaging and funny without being cloying or sentimental. On top of all that, it is marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both.”