It’s getting hot again, and to me that means time spent basking in sunshine, vacation, poolside hangs, beach bumming, and generally a gin and tonic in the afternoon type of vibe. But also: reading. The type of engrossing, meaty, fun books that don’t require me to drag myself through them. Winter is for arduous hibernation reading. Summertime means falling into stories that give me joy. I always walk into vacation with a stack of (yes, physical) books. (Call me a Luddite, but if you saw the havoc I wreck on my books, you’d never give me a Kindle to sit on the sand.)
I know I’m not alone in the hunt for some good reads. I want to laugh, cry, learn a little something, have some impressive facts for a few cocktail parties, and maybe be inspired to change the world (okay, okay, I’m asking a lot). So, I hunted down some APW staff, past and present, and we’ve made a summer reading list of some of our favorite easy yet interesting books (including a bunch of #throwbacks) that would be excellent warm weather companions.
Now tell us what’s in your library! What else should we binge-read this summer? We want recommendations (and we know you’re good for ’em).
Fiction
1. THIS IS NOT CHICK LIT, ED. BY ELIZABETH MERRICK
Because summer reading chick-lit heavy lists depress me, but what depresses me more is that we call books with very little substance “chick lit.” Here’s a collection of incredible stories by contemporary female authors from 2006 (why don’t we make it every year?) that should hold a few gems for any reader. Seriously, I used this book to find a bunch of my present-day favorite authors. Plus, there’s nothing like short stories in the summertime, bite size for plane rides or drives or over iced lattes (or you know, green juice). —Najva
2. NIMONA, BY NOELLE STEVENSON
The graphic novel release of the very-much-beloved web comic, it chronicles the story of Nimona, an impulsive young shapeshifter and evil sidekick to one-armed villain Ballister Blackheart. Noelle has amazing skill at blurring lines between good and evil, and turns the “hero and sidekick” storyline on its head in a really refreshing, unique way. Not to mention, her art style is fantastic and her characters are as diverse as they are lovely. —Lucy
3. The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins
When I was finished with Gone Girl, I immediately wanted something to replace it. So I picked up The Girl on the Train, another female-driven thriller that switches between first person narratives. While it’s a mystery on the surface, The Girl on the Train is ultimately about a woman falling apart and struggling to regain her footing while no one around her will take her seriously. It didn’t surprise me nearly as much as Gone Girl, but the Audible recording is acted out so earnestly that I was much more willing to believe it (plus I’m a sucker for British narrators). —Maddie
4. FLUKE, OR I KNOW WHY THE WINGED WHALE SINGS, BY CHRISTOPHER MOORE
Wanna laugh out loud on the beach about a story that actually takes place on the beach (ish)? Here you go. It’s an absurdist fiction that I can’t tell you too much about lest I ruin the entire story… but suffice to say it masterfully weaves enthralling characters, pressing ecological issues, slapstick characters, and badass female demi-gods into a whirlwind of mystery and fun. Because summer reading is about fun. —Najva
This is not a new book, by any means, and it’s not the *best* book I’ve ever read, but it’s a perfect confectionary summer read about a woman in the midst of finding out her husband is having an affair (filled to the brim with early 80’s neuroses and throwbacks to old New York when New York was a scary place.) But the Audible recording is read by Meryl Streep, which made it for one of the more enjoyable books I’ve read so far this almost-summer. —Maddie
6. WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE, BY MARIA SEMPLE
This book offers an interesting and ultimately positive view of a unique family, with some very feminist characters. The settings and characters are very vividly described, and it made me want to go to Seattle AND Antarctica, which is a delightful juxtaposition if you happen to be reading while sunbathing, poolside. —Kelsey
7. The Bone Clocks, by David Mitchell
If you want to settle in to a long, trippy novel, then Bone Clocks is the one for you (written by the author of Cloud Atlas). I thought I was sitting down for a mystery, but ended up getting equal parts science fiction and fantasy, never veering too far into the uncanny (but getting awfully close), but more importantly, it managed to keep me entertained for at least twenty-three out of the twenty-four hours of my recorded audiobook, which is nearly a personal record. —Maddie
8. THE THING AROUND YOUR NECK, BY Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Depending on your interests, might recognize Adeche from her cameo on the Beyonce’s “Flawless” track or her brilliant TED talk on why we should all be feminists. This collection of short stories is one of my favorite (though, I have her new book, Americanah in my to-read pile) because it’s like a simple meal made by a five-star chef. The snapshots of immigrant struggle, cultural identity, unexpected connections… they are so easy to digest you almost forget the extraordinary craft it takes to tell a story so well you forget you’re reading. Also, be ready to have some major feels. —Najva
Non- Fiction
1. How to Grow Up, by Michelle Tea
You should read this if you’ve ever: been poor, been too drunk to function, dated the wrong person, dreamed of going to fashion week, gotten fired from your job, had bisexual proclivities, felt like an outsider, had trouble getting pregnant, basically lived at all, and maybe wanted to feel less alone in the whole growing up thing. It’s a memoir-in-essays by one of my favorite authors. It just came out, and you should grab it. Michelle Tea is heartbreakingly candid, and it’s pretty rad to see a rough and tumble author known for salacious beatnik style stories get sober, get married, get stable, and write about how awesome this phase of her life is. —Najva
2. Sex At Dawn, Cacilda Jethá and Christopher Ryan
Wanna spend your summer reading about sex? I do. This isn’t a new book, but if you’ve ever wanted to know about the history of sexuality, monogamy, marriage, and partnership (without reading a boring academic text): this is for you. I’d totally read it with a grain of salt, because it’s very left of center, but it poses questions that are really, really fascinating about why things are the way they are, like: how the war between the sexes started, why some communities still practice polygamy, and which primates we are most similar to. —Najva
3. Yes, Please, by Amy Poehler
One of my favorite sections of the book is when Poehler talks about deciding what your currency is going to be, and starting to trade on that. It’s interesting to hear her discuss how she knew she wanted to be an entertainer, but felt that her looks were not her strongest form of currency, so she decided that she was going to put her efforts into being funny. It made think about what I want my currency to be, and how I can start putting my energy into strengthening that. Bonus points for being a great audiobook, if your summer plans involve travel time. —Kelsey
4. Art of Asking, by Amanda Palmer
I’ve been an Amanda Palmer fan since high school. She’s a weirdo-babe who made a living off of it, largely by making and sustaining a massive grassroots community around her music—and was eventually responsible for the first Kickstarter to break $1,000,000. Her shows weren’t just music, they were an artist hub. I’ve had the chance to work with her behind the scenes on some events before, and I was in awe of how sure she was of herself, her body, her talent, and with that: her needs. She asked for things, crazy things, and someone made it happen. If you want to learn about how to ask for what you need, there’s no better author, and no better book. —Najva
5. Sex Wars: A Novel Of Gilded Age New York, by Marge Piercy
When I asked if you liked to read about sex all summer, the answer was yes, right? So this book is technically a historical fiction, but it has so much… legitimate information that it’s basically classroom ready. Sex Wars is cross-section of sex-related stories in 1870-1900 New York, with bits about the man who put most of the original censorship laws in place, to the stories of famous suffragettes Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, to the tale of an immigrant girl who’s navigating the brothels and tenements in downtown Manhattan. It has all the things: cocktail party facts, compelling story, and a chance to understand how that brief period in time changed sex policy for a long, long time. —Najva
