My summer reading is a mix of review copies I’ve been given and books that I’ve been meaning to get to. My lists are never all that functional because major distractions come out of nowhere and all I have to do is walk into a bookstore and instantly my structured list is a shambles.
But, that’s okay. Just the idea of a summer reading list comforts me. It reminds me of when I was young and ran to the library each weekend to collect books for the summer reading program. Oh, how I loved those programs! My library would sometimes show a movie to go along with the featured book. Sitting in the cool, dark theater, munching on popcorn and all the kids laughing or crying depending on the film. Such good times.
Now that I am all sentimental over summer reading, here’s what I’d like to read by the end of September because it will be blazing hot, like 115 degrees in September so I count that as summer.
Visible Empire by Hannah Pittard
Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay
Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding
The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon
The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch
Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li
A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti
Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Every year I try to read Pride and Prejudice because I feel it’s required reading if you blog about books but every year it gets pushed to the back of my shelf. This year, I am going to read it. I declared it here so it must be so.
I noticed after writing this up that I only listed one “summery” vacation type book on here. Are your summer reading lists usually light or heavy?
Book Chatter 
For the month of May I read almost exclusively light beach reads. Needed the diversion. But I’ve pushed it up several notches in June. I look forward to hearing what you think of WOMEN IN SUNLIGHT. I tried to read it three times. I wanted to like it… I love her memoirs. Loved THE IMMORTALISTS. Really liked UNSHELTERED. Happy reading.
Okay. Now I’m curious if I will like Women in Sunlight because you and I tend to like similar books.
I make mental lists, but I love it when a book I had forgotten about or wasn’t on my radar topples my whole TBR. Most recently, Ohio by Stephen Markley, pubbing in August
Ohio was on this list but I didn’t have a copy readily available at the time I posted this so I removed it! It’s still on my virtual list though.
I love that I have already read…and loved…three books on your list. I won’t tell you which ones until you have read it. I love that most of your books are ones I have, too. I am really excited about Cabin…
Pride and Prejudice? You are brave…once is enough for me.
Pride and Prejudice. Brave? I just thought it kind of boring the first few times I’ve read it. They say you are either a Bronte fan or an Austen fan and I adore Bronte so I wonder if I can actually get into P&P. We shall see!
My summer reading lists are like yours- just an idea of what I am going to read. If I get to a few of them on the list, I feel like I was pretty successful. There are books that will pop up along the way and I get distracted.
For me the book that’s been on my list for years is Little Women. I’ve read it before, but I think I’ve been meaning to reread it for a decade now. Will 2018 be the year I actually get to it?!
I want to know what you think of the Hannah Pittard book? I just couldn’t get into it, but obviously many people have loved it.
I will definitely let you know about the Pittard book. It’s next on my list or should be. Little Women. I adored it when I first read it so I am not all that anxious to read it again. Only because I’m not sure I’d like it as much, for some reason. They are redoing the movie with some big name stars so maybe now is the right time for you.
I get distracted by shiny new books so gave up on lists a while ago. You’ve made a good one!
I share your shiny book addiction.
I really do recommend Pride and Prejudice. It’s a slow build like many of the older books are, but drama happens. I think the best way to enjoy it though is with one of the actually good annotated editions that describes the relevant background stuff about the times so you can enjoy that a passage is a scathing insult and not get bored thinking they are just doing boring small talk about the chef and things like that. Picture annotated versions are even more fun, for me at least, as they have photos to go with the historical notes.
I hope you finally tackle Pride & Prejudice.
I am just going to say that yes, I will tackle this beast this summer. LOL. I’ve read Ulysses for goodness sake! I should be able to read P&P.
Great list of books! I just bought Stephen King’s Outsider so I hope to get to it soon. I head to SF Thursday and hope to avoid that heat wave that’s supposed to hit So Cal this weekend.
I was going to say, you sure picked the perfect time to head to the Bay area. It is supposed to be 110 by me.
Oh, and The Outsider! Yay!!
I’m really good at making lists of books I want to read, but I’m terrible at sticking to the list.
I am pretty good at picking FROM the list but not ever finishing what’s on the list.
I just love a good list, and this is a great one! Pride and Prejudice is the only one I’ve read… and I’m long overdue for a reread. Several others there I want to read. Think I’ll have to come up with a list of my own…
I may have already responded. Gmail updated and now my messages are all wonky. But yes! Please post your list. I love a good list.
Visible Empire and Baby Teeth are must reads for me. Hope you enjoy the summer picks.
My summer reading doesn’t really vary all that much from the rest of the year in terms of types of books I read. A few of the books on your summer list are book I would like to read at some point. Most of them actually. 🙂 I hope you enjoy Pride and Prejudice when you do get to it. I didn’t care for it the first time I read it in high school, but loved it the second time around when I revisited it as an adult. Have a great July, Ti!
They say that you are either an Austen reader or a Bronte reader. I love Bronte. All of them actually so we shall see.
First, you shouldn’t have mentioned “115.” It’s as if you spoke the temperature into existence. 😉 and 😦 As for summery books, I usually think light. However, I do have a few heavier books planned for the upcoming 24in48 Readathon here later in the month. Luckily, the following weekend is a Summer 24 Hour Readathon in which I plan to read some lighter fare.
115 would have been nice. 120 was not, nor was 118 the following day. On my way home Friday night all of the cars broken down made idling with the AC on an impossible feat. I was a mess by the time I got home over 90 minutes later.
It’s always good to have at least one classic on your summer reading list, and I hope you love Pride and Prejudice! It really is awfully good. You’ve seen movie versions before at least, right? Have you watched The Lizzie Bennet Diaries?
My classic for the summer is rereading The Great Gatsby. So far it’s going really well! I was extremely afraid that I would reread it and hate it, but I’m four chapters in and enjoying it a ton. The writing is amazing! College Jenny was not wrong!
Some books I can reread many times and not ever tire of. Gatsby is one such book.
I have never seen a P&P movie! I purposely avoided them because I had not read the book.
I like your list! I usually enjoy lighter faster reads in the summer and I think it’s fun making a list. On your list: I want to read the RO Kwon debut novel and the Robyn Harding novel. Also the Frances Mayes book & Kingsolver one look enticing. Thx for reminding me about all of these. I think I will try to come up with a list soon.
Oh a new Barbara Kingsolver, how did I not know about it! Loved The Poisonwood Bible. I will be looking out for the UK publication date.