"I PERCEIVED THAT I WAS HUNGRY," wrote H.G. Wells in "The Island of Dr. Moreau," his 1896 novel, "and prepared to clamber out of the hammock which, very politely anticipating my intention, twisted round and deposited me upon the floor." Such rare moments of mischief aside, hammocks offer a uniquely soothing, womb-like way to wile away a summer day, and they come in a much wider range of designs than was available when Wells conjured up Dr. Moreau and his nefarious experiments.  Here are five especially inviting slings and—because nothing complements a hammock like an engrossing book—a transporting, classic read to match each model's style.  Despite their macho associations with the bellies of Navy ships, hammocks can be as feminine as Holly Golightly post-hillbilly makeover. This 100% cotton Scandinavian design from Bloomingville of Denmark is abundantly girlie, but its geometric pattern gives it edge. Bloomingville Hammock by Idyll Home, $110, notonthehighstreet.com  The sway-friendly book: For something more pointed than routine chick lit, try Elaine Dundy's acerbic cult classic "The Dud Avocado" which, like its spiritual sister "Breakfast at Tiffany's," came out in 1958. Ms. Dundy's antic heroine, distracted by "vague nymphomania," avidly pursues Life Itself in 1950s Paris—and would be forgiven for wanting to take a nap.  For this number, Australian designer Adam Cornish arrayed wood segments along a "spine" of flexible rubber "vertebra," allowing the pieces to conform to your body. It evokes the expressive work of Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Hammock, from $3,000, adamcornish.com  The sway-friendly book: Architecture and escapist fiction rarely mix as well as in the 1978 horror hit "The House Next Door," by Anne Rivers Siddons—a book that asks the question, "Can a brand new, rigorously modernist home be haunted?" A tennis-playing couple in an establishment Atlanta neighborhood questions their sanity as things go awry across the fence.  At 60 inches wide, this traditional design from L.L. Bean has the span to accommodate a pair of beer-drinking idlers—or a parent nestled with a kid. The netting is hand-woven from fade- and mildew-resistant DuraCord and the spreaders are oak. Hammock, $179, llbean.com  The sway-friendly book: "The Four-Story Mistake," by Elizabeth Enright, a read-aloud classic, could hold the attention of both mother and child even if a ladybug crawled up the page. This 1942 tale of the Melendy family (a proto-Wes Anderson clan)—whisked out of wartime New York to a curious old country house—has everything from secret rooms to ambitious amateur theatricals, all relayed in captivating, melodic prose.  Though this be-tasseled, cotton hammock reminds us of the antebellum South, it actually hails from much nearer the equator: Guatemala. Woven on a pedal loom in keeping with that country's textile traditions, it gets extra personality from coquettish crocheted borders. Take Me to the Forest Hammock, $280, novica.com  The sway-friendly book: The "everyone should read it once" Southern saga "Gone With the Wind," by Margaret Mitchell—and not just because the tassels summon the curtains Scarlett O'Hara repurposes as an impromptu dress. More layered and nuanced than the 1939 film (though even more saddled with of-its-time racism), this 1936 epic will absorb you whole.  With this MissoniHome hammock—a high-end interpretation of a basic—the brand's signature stripes are muted for a sun-soaked effect. Woven in Italy from nylon cord, it has the not-trying-too-hard, mid-20th-century, continental chic of a Vespa or a Gio Ponti chair. Hammock, $1,134, MissoniHome, 631-353-3700  The sway-friendly book: This design would fit right into the milieu of "The Talented Mr. Ripley," Patricia Highsmith's 1955 psychological thriller about an ingratiating sociopath who invades the glamorously aimless lives of American expats in a coastal Italian town. It's even more deliciously dark and complex than the 1999 film adaptation. Chinotto, anyone?
Pair a stylish, stress-dissolving hammock with a book so good you'll take up permanent residence between two trees.