summer reading lists | Bookshelf Fantasies

Once again, I’m joining in with the Top 5 Tuesday meme this week! Top 5 Tuesday is hosted by Bionic Bookworm, who posts the month’s topics at the start of each month. Today’s topic is Top 5 Summer Reads. This topic could go a few different ways… book set in the summer? books to read in the summer? books I’ve read in the summer? books about beaches? I guess I’ll do a little of everything — here’s my list of five books that are great to read in the summer or that have a summer theme!

1. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han:
The story of a teen girl and the two boys she spends every summer with at their families’ shared beach house is just so perfect for reading on a beach or by a pool. It’s surprisingly deeper than you might expect, getting into family loyalties and loss and grief. (It’s the first in a trilogy, and all three are good!)

2. Beach Read by Emily Henry
I just finished this terrific love story, set in a beach cottage over the course of an eventful summer. A perfect summer read!

3. Robots vs. Fairies edited by Dominik Parisien & Navah Wolfe
This awesome collection of robot and fairy stories includes several by favorite authors of mine (Including Seanan McGuire and John Scalzi), and maybe it’s because I took this on vacation with me a couple of years ago and read it on the beach, but I feel like it’s just so fun and entertaining and low commitment that it’s perfect for summer.

4. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
This book is sweetness and light, and so full of happiness that I can see it as a perfect summer reading option.

5. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
There’s no obvious connection to summer, but the four books of the Finishing School series are light, funny, and exciting, and feel to me like a perfect choice for reading poolside with a frosty drink in hand.

What do you consider summer reads? Let me know, and please share your Top 5 link if you have one!

Public schools are back in session — yes, already! At least where I live, they are. My kid is safely ensconced in an institution of learning, ready to absorb all sorts of wisdom…

… and all the back-to-school hoopla has started me thinking (uh-oh).

On a trip this summer, we happened to be traveling with several families who had teens with them (and they were all quite lovely to be around!). Most of these teens spent their time on the various bus rides trying to barrel through their required summer reading. First off, I was happy to see teens reading actual books (you know, those things made of paper) and not constantly texting, tweeting, etc. Second, I was impressed by some of their reading assignments. Third, I started thinking about just how long it’s been since I’ve read some of these books, and felt quite ancient when I realized that for some, it’s been decades.

So I decided to give myself a back-to-school reading assignment. I’m quite wary of reading challenges these days, since I invariably fail. (Can I help it if I get distracted by all the shiny books waiting to be read and have a problem sticking to a pre-defined list?) I thought I’d keep it simple and doable. Sometime during the coming school year, I intend to read three or four “summer reading” books and see how they stand up a) compared to my memories and b) as experienced by an adult rather than a high school student!

I intend to read:

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

If I finish all of these and the school year isn’t over yet, I may add a 4th book to the list. Any suggestions?

I haven’t set myself a timeline or schedule at all, so I’ll be reading these more or less whenever I feel like it. BUT, if anyone wants to join me, I’d be happy to make it a bit more official and “assign” a due date so we can discuss.

Let me know if you’d like to join me in my back-to-school reading! No pop quizzes, I promise.