Updated 05/19/22
You hand out reading lists to your students every summer, but when was the last time you made one for yourself? Summer is the most opportune time to start something new, and there are so many books to read! Regardless of your genre preferences, you probably have some catching up to do. Here are some ideas to get a head start on your summer reading list, based on great online reviews:
These are the summer staples: feel-good, often romantic and humorous, that are light and breezy, just like the perfect beach dayâs weather.
The Patron Saint of Second Chances
by Christine SimonÂ
The Guncle
Beach Read
by Emily HenryÂ
Donât slip down the summer slide where you stop learning just because schoolâs out! Summer is a great time to learn something new or see things from a different perspective.Â
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
by Merlin SheldrakeÂ
Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop
by Danyel SmithÂ
Beautfiful Country
Sometimes weâre busier than expected during the summer. The solution? Short stories. Get engrossed in a selection of stories just as compelling as full novels.Â
We Want What We Want
by Alix Ohlin
Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century
 by Kim FuÂ
Letter to a Stranger: Essays to the Ones Who Haunt Us
by Colleen Kinder, Leslie JamisonÂ
Maybe light and breezy isnât your thing. Maybe youâre looking for a little more excitementâ maybe a little mysteryâ just like your favorite true crime podcast.Â
I’ll Be You
by Janelle BrownÂ
Portrait of a Thief
by Grace D. LiÂ
The Summer We Buried
by Jody GehrmanÂ
Perfect for getting lost in another world.Â
Sea of Tranquility
Nettle & Bone
The Impossible Us
by Sarah LotzÂ
History buffs, these are for you. Or for anyone who binge-watches period pieces on the weekends.Â
The Unlocked Path
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels
by India HoltonÂ
And then follow that with its sequel:
The League of Gentlewomen Witches
by India HoltonÂ
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du BoisÂ
Stellar imagery, lyrical expression. Some of the most moving pieces youâll read this summer.
Time is a Mother
 by Ocean Vuong
Finalists
An Art, A Craft, A Mystery: A Novel-in-Verse
by Laura Secord