50 Books to Read This Summer

One of my reading goals this year is to appreciate a book for what it is and not be such a genre snob, to embrace the value of literature that is entertaining and relatable without discounting it as "fluffy," and to challenge my biases about what constitutes a "good" book.  I have read some really bizarre and experimental literary fiction than isn't actually that enjoyable but leaves me thinking about it for months, and on the flip side of that I find so much joy and connection in really quick and sappy books that don't have layers and layers of metaphor.  There are many versions of a "good" book and it's healthy to step outside our bubbles.

One of the things I love about summer reading is that anything goes.  Maybe I want to read something set on a beach, or maybe I want to be taken away to a fantastical place.  I often want to read about family dynamics and relationship struggles, or maybe I want to time travel or view the world from the perspective of a ghost.  I love complex literary fiction in the summer but romance is welcomed too.  Satire, nature writing, humor, sci fi, memoir, thriller, anything is fair game in the summer.  There are a number of new titles emerging from pandemic writing with similar themes around dystopian societies, post-apocalyptic worlds, connections to the past, climate change, race, gender identity, and humanity and what defines us.  I noticed that there are also many collections of short stories or essays written by individuals in quarantine.  I find myself really drawn to these recently published stories to help me process all the many perspectives of the past two years.  I also like to listen to a lot of audiobooks in the summer while running or walking.  I can get through novels in audio form but I especially love memoirs or humor.  Another thing I love about summer reading is sitting outside with a book, on a patio or in a park, surrounded by nature (or cocktails, whatever).  Whether you're on a vacation or a staycation, summer is a great time to read.

Ady is starting to read short words and sentences and it is amazing to witness her joy and sense of accomplishment when she succeeds and reads a whole book on her own.  One of our summer goals is for her to read an early reader book every day in preparation for Kindergarten, and both of the girls are enrolled in the Summer Reading Program at the Santa Fe Public Library.  Ady's favorite genres right now are Fancy Nancy, unicorns, or books about friends, and Meredith is especially into dogs, Sesame Street, and anything with flaps to open.

Here's my 2022 summer reading list, some new titles and some old, some I already read (and highly recommend) and many I have not read yet, a wide range of genres to move, soothe, and inspire.  Happy reading and happy summer!

Yerba Buena, by Nina Lacour

Horse: A Novel, by Geraldine Brooks

Great Circle, by Maggie Shipstead

How Beautiful We Were, by Imbolo Mbue

Dogs of Summer, by Andrea Abreu

True Biz, by Sara Novic

Reckless Girls, by Rachel Hawkins

One Life, by Megan Rapinoe

Last Resort: A Chronicle of Paradise, Profit, and Peril at the Beach, by Sarah Stodol

Happy Go Lucky, by David Sedaris

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

A Little Hope, by Ethan Joella

The Paper Palace, by Miranda Cowley Heller

Unbound, by Tarana Burke

Razorblade Tears, by S.A. Cosby

Of Women and Salt, by Gabriela Garcia

West with Giraffes, by Lynda Rutledge

Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr

Seven Days in June, by Tia Williams

Black Cake, by Charmaine Wilkerson

Olga Dies Dreaming, by Xochitl Gonzalez

The Paris Apartment, by Lucy Foley

The Maidens, by Alex Michaelides

Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles

The Art of Fielding, by Chad Harbach

Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel

Candy House, by Jennifer Egan

Book Lovers, by Emily Henry

One Italian Summer, by Rebecca Serle

The Perishing, by Natashia Deon

We Are the Brennans, by Tracey Lange

Remarkable Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt

Time is a Mother, by Ocean Vuong

Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Run, Rose, Run, by Dolly Parton and James Patterson

Beautiful World, Where Are You, by Sally Rooney

Family of Liars, by e. lockhart

The Kiss Quotient, by Helen Hoang

No One Goes Alone, by Erik Larson

Clay's Ark, by Octavia E. Butler

Poet Warrior, by Jo Harjo

Bunny, by Mona Awad

When We Were Birds, by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

Sing, Unburied, Sing, by Jesmyn Ward

Carmelo, by Sandra Cisneros

The Diamond Eye, by Kate Quinn

People We Meet on Vacation, by Emily Henry

Jazz, by Toni Morrison

The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid