Who doesn’t love a list? Provided it’s short. That’s part of the thinking behind our growing series of book recommendations for “The Economist reads”, which highlight just a handful of titles on a given subject which our journalists think are among the best in their category. We have lists on music festivals, the brain, prisons, boardroom battles, the origins of language and North Korea. The collection now runs to over 150 topics.

I wrote one recently on novels you can read in a day (for non-fiction, try these). I loved all six books on my mini list. But there were so many more that I had to leave out, and several I still want to read. So here’s my chance to offer four bonus books: “Wide Sargasso Sea” by Jean Rhys, a Caribbean prequel to “Jane Eyre”; “The Stranger” by Albert Camus—absurd, beautiful, a classic; “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang, because it takes my breath away every time; “A Very Easy Death” by Simone de Beauvoir, an account of the end of her mother’s life that I’ve heard is unforgettable.

For some great writing from our own journalists, check out our Summer reads page: our guide to a season of beach (or hammock, or café) reading.