I’m a reader. Always have been (my eyes are crap thanks to reading in the dark in middle school).
While I have been chipping away at Time’s Top 100 books of all time (for what feels like all time), every summer I like to lighten up the load a bit and challenge myself to finish a list of current titles more appropriate for mai tais and beach towels than the classroom. But picking what to commit to is always a challenge – there are too many things. After reading what felt like every single list of what to read this summer, I narrowed my list down to six. So here it is. My summer reading list.
- The Singles Game by Lauren Weisberger – You might remember Lauren Weisberger from that little book The Devil Wears Prada (ever heard of it?). Well, she’s back and this time she’s bringing a tennis prodigy on the road to superstardom with her. As we sit in a world encouraging women to give up themselves in order to “have it all,” the themes of Weisberger’s newest novel feel appropriately timed. I can guarantee this one is going to be a page turner.
- The Girls by Emma Cline – To start, this is not usually the kind of book I go for. To be clear, I can’t watch CSI because I have nightmares for weeks (true story). But something about this book inspired by Charles Manson’s “girls” has me anxious to dive in. A portrait of the vulnerability of girls on the road to becoming women might be a little deep for my usual beach read, but it’s probably the novel I’m most excited to start.
- The Children by Ann Leary – I’m actually already halfway through this one and I’ve gotta say – SO GOOD. It’s got everything from bloggers and social media stars to east coast family secrets. I haven’t been able to put it down since starting and find myself completely consumed by the matter of fact way Leary exposes this New England family’s dirt.
- Modern Lovers by Emma Straub – So, Entertainment Weekly dubbed this baby the Best Book of 2016 so far. That’s a pretty bold statement and, frankly, all I needed to hear in order to put this novel about friendships and growing older at the top of my list.
- Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler – Danler had me at “coming of age” and New York City – i.e., the mark of any good novel as far as I’m concerned.
- Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty – This one doesn’t actually get released until July 26, so I had to pre-order it on Amazon (yep, I’m that committed). But when I read the plot – a look at how guilt and innocent moments can expose the weaknesses in even the strongest relationships – I was sold. Oh, and the fact that Entertainment Weekly dubbed this one the “Best Beach Bet.” And since I have beach plans come Labor Day, I want to make sure it’s tucked away in my bag.
Picking what to commit to is always a challenge – there are too many things.