summer reading list (pt 1)

and answering, how do I get back into reading?

While back in Salt Lake City earlier this month, I returned to my favorite summer routine of going to Tulie Bakery to get an iced coffee then to King’s English to browse a new book before heading to what, in my opinion, is the greatest public pool ever built. It sits at the base of the foothills in Salt Lake with views of the entire Wasatch range. Hopefully, this newsletter will help you in picking just the right book for your favorite summer reading spot.

anonymous q&a

In this section, I answer questions anonymously submitted by readers of this substack. If you'd like to submit your own question, link here!

Question:

I literally majored in English in college but haven’t found myself reading for pleasure since. I would say it’s a mix of being sort of addicted to the instant pleasure my phone gives me but other than that I’m not really sure what’s going on. I pick books but I can’t really seem to finish them. Any ideas??

Answer:

THIS IS NOW MY FAVORITE FREAKING QUESTION TO ANSWER. Chances are you’re holding yourself to a too high or holy standard about what you ought to be reading and you might need to choose a book at an easier reading level with a more immediately engaging subject area to get you back into the swing of things. Once you’re back into the habit of reading, you can more easily access that 500 page literary read that will change your entire perspective on existence.

Now that more people in my life associate me with books, it’s so interesting to hear all the perspectives and biases people have about what they ought to be reading. Assuming that I’ll judge them for what they’re reading, they often beat me to the punch and scoff at a certain book or genre. I think it’s important to read writers from diverse backgrounds but other than that, reading is a form of entertainment. Yes, a novel can alter the way you see the world and it’s such a lucky experience when you find one of those. But to get to one of those, you just have to start reading again. And, reading anything is much better than, say, scrolling your phone for an hour. Reading increases empathy, manages stress, improves memory, leads to better sleep and the list goes on and on.

My recommendation is to choose a book with suspense and a FAST MOVING PLOT that will keep you super engaged. Write down the answers to each of these questions 1) What was the last book you remember speeding through or loving? 2) What was your favorite book as a kid/tween? 3) What’s a list of five things you like? If you then gave me that list of your answers, I would look for a book with reviews or blurbs describing it as “infinitely readable” in the genre that you loved as a tween or a subject area that has to do with something you just naturally like. If you want a short cut for that, see my reading list below where I highlight books to help you get back into reading this summer. One more tip if you’re getting back into reading, switch between audio books and a physical copy. OK, happy reading!!!

Books to get you back into reading this summer:

• Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue

  • for those who want to feel like they’re gossiping with a friend but also want some help understanding you’re early 20’s

• Come and Get It by Kiley Reid

• The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

  • If you loved Harry Potter, this one is so sweet. I recommend on audiobook!

• My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

• Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

• Swing Time by Zadie Smith

• Little Children by Tom Perrota

  • Sort of the perfect poolside read. Takes place over a summer in a suburban town, is juicy and hard to put down.

• Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

• Kindred by Octavia Butler

  • Octavia Butler kept a note by her desk reading “Strive at all times in all ways for intensity.” I can guarantee that you’ll be gripped throughout this read.

• Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

• True Biz by Sara Novic

  • If you’re someone who appreciates a blend of fiction and non-fiction, this book includes amazing non-fictional notes about deaf culture and history

• Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

• Circe by Madeline Miller

MFA-IN-A-SUMMER: books that you might be assigned if you got a fiction mfa

• Best American Short Fiction (choose an edition edited by a writer you like- I really like Lorrie Moore’s and Roxane Gay’s)

• Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

• The Wedding by Dorothy West

• Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

• Little Monsters by Adriene Brodeur

• A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders

• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

• The Friend by Sigrid Nunez

• A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

• Jazz by Toni Morrison (really any Toni Morrison book could go here)

• The Progress of Love by Alice Munro

• Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov

• The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

• Real Life by Brandon Taylor

• On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

• Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

• Find a lit mag that you like and support them. If you can’t swing a paid subscription, follow them on socials and like/comment/share their stuff.

HORNY SUMMER: books with great sex writing

• Little Rabbit by Ayssa Songsiridej

  • I loved this book. Great Massachusetts scenes and depictions of mid-20’s angst.

• Milk Fed by Melissa Broder

• Acts of service by Lillian fisherman

• Another Country by James Baldwin

• Mistakes were made by Meryl Wilsner

  • This book falls on the smut end of things in the best way, Meryl Wilsner is a great queer romance writer.

• Bad Behavior Mary Gaitskill

• Tampa by Alissa Nutting

• Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa

• Luster by Raven Leilani

Thanks for reading! See you next month for another installment of the summer reading list. If you want a personalized reading rec, respond to this email or comment on substack with answers to the following questions:

1. What was the last book you remember speeding through or loving? 

2. What was your favorite book as a kid/tween?

3. What’s a list of five things you like?

xoxo,

Zoe