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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.