My Summer Reading List

Please tell me I’m not the only one that has been giddily planning my summer reading list for weeks now. During the school year, I tend to lean more towards a good audiobook and usually only get through a few books total, but I LOVE to read in the summer. I still have about ten days of school left, but you better believe I’m daydreaming of lazy afternoons on the beach (with lots of grandparents to help with kids) and by the pool with a good book in my hands and staying up late to finish one knowing I don’t have to set an alarm for the morning. I.Can’t.Wait.

I’ve been reading lists and polling my friends, but the final capstone to my list-making came yesterday when Modern Mrs. Darcy finally released her Summer Reading Guide. If you haven’t already gone and signed up to receive it, GO now. (Then come back here, but – seriously – GO.) It is carefully curated and includes five books in each of six categories with little descriptions/reviews and ideas of who each one would be good for, plus, it’s completely free! *This isn’t sponsored by MMD in any way, I just really love her blog/recommendations and think you’ll like the guide.

Anyway, I’ve been so overwhelmed with good suggestions, that I wanted to pause and actually put together a master list of priorities for summer. 😉 I keep a running list on my phone that’s up to more than 50 titles, so I tried to be choosy here. Many of these are brand new – some not even released yet. I chose titles that I’ve heard a lot about – most from multiple (trusted) sources – and ones I think will be buzzing this summer (because I like to be in on the action). Most of my picks fall in the “chick lit” or “thriller” category and none are particularly literary; I just know myself well enough to stick with what I like. I’m fine with not being a fancy or scholarly reader in the summer – I wear that hat (albeit a little lopsidedly) all year long.

So, here it is:

FICTION:

• The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Jenkins (MMD pick)
• The Knock-Off: A Novel by Jo Piazza (MMD pick)
• Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride & Prejudice by Curtis Sittenfeld (MMD pick)
• The Year We Turned Forty by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke (MMD pick)
• No One Knows by J.T. Ellison (MMD pick)
• One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid (MMD pick – due out 6/7/16)
• The Girls: A Novel by Emma Cline (due out 6/14/16)
• All the Missing Girls: A Novel by Megan Miranda (MMD pick – due out 6/28/16)
• You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott (due out 7/26/16)
• Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty (due out 7/26/16)

NONFICTION:

• I Know How She Does It by Laura Vandercam
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
• When We Were on Fire by Addie Zierman
• The Year of Yes by Shonda Rimes (MMD pick)
• Magic and Loss by Virginia Heffernan (MMD pick – due out 6/7/16)

FOR SCHOOL:

*These are mostly re-reads of books I’ve assigned for summer reading or plan to teach for the first time next year. I may or may not actually read them again. I’ve included them just in case anyone is interested. Email me if you want to see the full assignments, but read this post first about how I do summer reading with my classes and why.

• October Sky by Homer Hickam (9th grade summer reading)
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel (10th grade summer reading)
• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (11th grade summer reading)
• Thank You for Arguing by Jay Heinrichs (11th grade summer reading)
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (new for 9th grade next year)

Think I’ll get through all these? Ha!  Twenty books in three months id admittedly ambitious, but at least I have a list to choose from. I’m reading Me Before You and Coming Clean: A Story of Faith right now, and then I’ll dig into this. Where should I even start?!? 

I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve read any of these titles and hear what’s on your summer reading list. Also, I need to choose one of these books to do for a late-summer book club with girlfriends – any ideas there?

Have a good Thursday!

E

P.S. See other reading lists and my reviews of several recent ones here.