Happy to share with you all my summer reading list! Whether you like to read poolside, inside in the air conditioning, on a park bench, or at the beach, these five books will get you through the “Dog Days” of summer, and beyond.
A couple of these books I’ve read recently, some a few summers back, another I read as a child and recently reread. There’s a variety of books; some more serious, others hilarious. Any books you buy with my Bookshop.org URLs gets me a 10% commission.
Without further ado, my 2022 summer reading suggestions!
1. We are Never Meeting in Real Life | Sam Irby
I discovered Sam Irby on a whim while browsing Solid State Books in DC back in 2017. The cat on the cover was enough for me. Inside I was delighted to find the most clever, hilarious, and heart-warming (also vulgar) essays ever. Since that day I’ve read many of her books, support her substack, and have written about Sam on Mockingbird’s Blog. The essays are short and so funny you’ll pee your pants from laughing, or do you also suffer from incontinence like Sam and I? Great lighthearted summer material.
2. The Five Wounds | Kirstin Valdez Quade
I read The Five Wounds earlier this year as part of Overdrive’s Together We Read bookclub. It was wonderful! I didn’t know when I started it that it would be such a great pregnancy book, or how much it would be a reminder of grace in everyday life. My friend Cj Green wrote up an amazing review of Quade’s book here | ‘THE FIVE WOUNDS’ BY KIRSTIN VALDEZ QUADE: NO SUCH THING AS SACRED PERFORMANCE
3. Sarah, Plain and Tall | Patricia MacLachlan
This one is a bit odd, but stick with me! I read through the entire Little House series during the early days of Quarantine (also highly recommend those). After finishing those up I wanted something similar, something familiar. Enter, Sarah, Plain, and Tall. I had read this book in 4th or 5th grade and really loved it. It still holds up today! I think it’s a great summer read because it’s so short. A novella really! Pick it up and read it in a single afternoon while drinking lemonade and laying in the grass!
4. One Summer, America 1927 | Bill Bryson
Until a few months back I had never heard of Bill Bryson, now I have read almost his entire body of work. It feels like my pregnancy was helped along in some strange way by Bryson. I devoured many of his books, and I am still working my way through a couple of his amazing titles.
For those who haven’t had a chance to discover Bill Bryson, this is the one I would recommend most for summer reading, for obvious reasons! This book kindled in me a deep(er?) love for baseball and made me curious about many other events in American history. It was just pure joy to read!
Honorable Bryson mention: A Walk in the Woods; Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
5. Cherry | Nico Walker
Once again the cover art is what drew me to this book, purchased back in 2019 at The Wild Detectives in Dallas, Texas. This autofictional novel from Nico Walker was an absolute page turner. Part true crime, part romance, fully engaging in it’s narrative, Walker takes the reader on an unforgettable journey of despair and a life broken apart by trauma. It’s a heavy read for sure, but I enjoyed reading it poolside in Palm Springs, thus making it a summer book in my mind. ps. Before you ask, I haven’t seen the movie version!
What are yall reading this summer? Please send me your recommendations!
Happy reading!
love,
Jen
I compiled this list while listening to this playlist; really takes me back to high school and the days of listening to my Paste Magazine CDs over and over and over again! | Twee on Spotify
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