Summer Reading
Summer is almost here, and I cannot wait. I’m looking forward to gorgeous weather, to shorts and bare feet, and to long, lovely days of freedom…with my books, of course. Here are some bookish summer hopes I’ve got my eyes on as I move toward two of the most glorious months of the year.
Books I’m Excited to Read:
Annabel Monnaghan–Her new book, Summer Romance, comes out at the start of June, and is definitely one of my most-anticipated authors to read. Her books are perfect summer reads always, and they are perfect summer re-reads if you’ve ever read anything of hers.
Lia Louis–The US version of her latest book, Better Left Unsent, came out at the end of May, and it looks like it will have her trademark humor and extremely real main characters, while still being lighthearted and excellent to read by the pool.
Katherine Center–She is the queen of feel-good romance, and her new book, The Rom-Commers, out in June, promises to deliver big time on its title. People are already talking about it, and I’m basically counting the minutes until it’s in my mailbox.
Sandwich–This one is literary fiction, and has been recommended by Shauna Niequist and by my favorite Haley Holcomb. It’s a middle-aged family drama set on the Cape, and sounds like exactly what you’d want from a June book.
There’s Always This Year–Everyone is talking about this one, except for me, because I can’t get my hands on it. My Libby holds are taking forever to deliver it to my Kindle, and in the meantime, I keep feeling jealous of everyone who has already read it. It’s about basketball and also life, and I feel sure that Joe is going to want to read it too (and it will probably make an appearance as one of our joint reads on Paperback Readers).
Habits I Hope to Break:
Over the past year, as library holds have come in at once and exciting new releases appear in the same weeks, I have often become overwhelmed with my reading. My tradition has been to have a novel and a nonfiction book going at the same time, but lately there have been two or three novels, and a couple of nonfiction books about different things, and I’ve just been getting overwhelmed. Much as I love to read, and much as I want to read every wonderful thing as it comes out, I’m hoping to discipline myself a little more this summer and pare it back to a novel and a nonfiction book at any one time.
Habits I Hope to Solidify
I really want to do more re-reading. I used to re-read books all the time, before I had a good sense of the kinds of books I like and a long list of authors I want to read, and re-reading is so rewarding. When I read a book the first time, I am so focused on the characters and the plot–who are these people and what’s happening and why do I care? But the second time, I can see the details I missed; I can notice the craft. I sink deeper into the story and the themes, and they become a deeper part of me. Honestly, after I finish a first read, I often can’t remember the names of the characters the next day. It’s re-reading that really makes a book a favorite, and I want to do more of it this summer.
Bookish Activities That Have Me Excited:
I want to join Sarah Westfall’s book club this summer. She runs it through her Substack, where I am currently a free subscriber, and I have long been interested in the books she read, many of which I have read and enjoyed. This month, I have been reading an ARC of her new book, The Way of Belonging, which comes out June 11, and I am in love with her writing and the way her kind and gentle words are landing on my heart. (You definitely want to read it.) I’m interested to see what she says about other books as well.
Last, my family and I are starting to choose a book for family book club this summer. We want something that hopefully is new to both kids anyway, and is high-interest and relevant for both of them, a challenge since they definitely have different tastes. After we all read it, we plan to discuss it and make a book club night of it–possibly cook something in relation to the book, watch any movies that have been made of it, etc. Everyone is tentatively looking forward to it, and I am trying hard not to take over and drag everyone along on my agenda, which I have a tendency to do.
This is what I have planned for my reading summer. What would you add to my list? And what are you planning for your own reading summer?