Building a summer reading list with the New York Times.
A fun and easy framework for making your list + my picks.
Hi friends. When I saw that The New York Times had put together a summer reading bucket list, I was all over it. I love putting together lists like this, although the harsh truth is that I’m less interested in completing them (hello, New Year’s Resolutions). Usually, once the list is made, I become interested in other things (or books, in this case).
But then I read this magical sentence in the article: Can you get through at least five before summer ends?
Yes! Yes, I can. Even a mood reader like me can pull that off. Here are my picks for the various categories, and I’d love to know what your list would include. I think we should get a personal pan pizza at the end!
Here are my picks…
Note: Today’s post is long and might be best viewed in the Substack app or on the website.
1. Read one of The New York Times’s Best Books of the 21st Century.
Here’s the list that had readers buzzing last year. Twelve books that are on the list are also on my to-be-read (TBR) list, including Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. The book follows two childhood friends who reconnect in college and become superstar video game designers. Am I interested in video games? Not at all. Have I have seen many fans of the book say you don’t need to be? Yes. I also really liked two of the author’s previous books, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and Young Jane Young, so here it is.
2. Read a book published in the last year.
How about one published this month? When I read the description of Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Fraser’s new book, Murderland (out today), I immediately pre-ordered it. In it she makes the case for a connection between the fact that the same area of her native Pacific Northwest that produced multiple serial killers and rapists in the 1970s and 80s was also the site of a toxic waste site. A talented writer + a compelling concept + a strong sense of place is a winning formula for me.
3. Read a book in a genre you don’t typically read.
Even though I shy away from fantasy, I’ve been curious about The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin since it was published in 2020. The premise is that sometimes a city comes alive, and one of its residents becomes its avatar in order to fight evil. In this case, the city is New York City, and there are multiple avatars for the different boroughs. This kind of urban fantasy sounds interesting to me.
4. Read a book in translation.
What You Are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama has shown up a number of times in my algorithms recently, so it immediately came to mind. From the publisher: “What are you looking for?” So asks Tokyo's most enigmatic librarian. For Sayuri Komachi is able to sense exactly what each visitor to her library is searching for and provide just the book recommendation to help them find it. It sounds sweet.
5. Read a book by a writer you’ve never read before.
I only recently learned of Megan Abbott, and her newest book, El Dorado Drive (out June 24), sounds interesting. It’s about three suburban sisters, once privileged, now less so, who find themselves involved in, near as I can tell, a pyramid scheme/investment club. Readers are promised suspense and family drama. I’m excited about this one!
6. Reread a book you loved as a kid.
I don’t know if I read and loved Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret. as a kid, or I just feel like I did, because it’s such an iconic book. It was published in 1970, and the cover above is the one I remember. I feel like I certainly owned it at some point.
7. Listen to an audiobook.
My book club is reading The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese, and I’ve picked up both the e-book and audiobook to help me move through the 700+ pages. Here’s something that floored me: not only is Verghese a practicing physician and professor at Stanford, and the author of two memoirs and two best-selling works of literary fiction, but he’s also the audiobook narrator of this book. I’m not aware of any other fiction authors who narrate their books, are you? Such talent.
8. Read a book set somewhere you’ve never been.
I’ve never been to Maine (sob), where Amity Gaige’s new suspense novel, Heartwood, is set. A 42-year-old woman goes missing while hiking, and her story is told through the letters she writes to her mother while lost. There’s also the story of the search, led by a female game warden and involving a retired birdwatcher. This promises to be a big book this summer, which reminds me of another mystery set in the woods, last summer’s hit, God of the Woods.
9. Read a book that takes place during the summer.
The cover of The Wedding People by Alison Espach looks like it’d be a light read, and reviews have described it as “hilarious,” “heartwarming,” and “delightful.” But they have also called this book, which is set at a Newport, RI, hotel on a wedding weekend, “refreshingly sharp” and “deceptively complex.” I’m looking forward to seeing the author as she swings through Kansas City on a book tour later this month.
10. Check out and read a book from your local library (bonus points if it’s recommended by a librarian!)
This feels like the free space in bingo, because many of these will be from the library (God bless the Libby app).
So, those are the books I’ve chosen…
…and here are the five I think I’m most likely to read this summer:
Murderland. I love narrative nonfiction, and this premise is too compelling.
El Dorado Drive. I like suburban suspense, and I love the financial angle.
Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret? The nostalgia factor is strong.
The Covenant of Water. It’s a book club book that I’ve already started.
The Wedding People. I know I’ll want to dive into this one after I hear the author talk.
Now it’s your turn…what are you reading this summer? Do you plan your reading or just wing it?