A lot of Facebook posts will tell you what books you should be reading right now.
I tend to look at these posts the same way I used to look at summer reading lists when I was in high school. I wanted to read all of the books so I could be as prepared as possible for the first day of school. But I’m not in school anymore, and so I don’t have to be tortured with the incomprehensible prose of William’s Faulkner’s “Light in August.”
Nor do I have to find regionally appropriate books to read while on vacation. John Irving’s bizarre novel “The Hotel New Hampshire” cured me of that desire.
And yet I still collect screenshots of Facebook posts, such as one suggesting “48 Books to Read in 2024.” Its July recommendations are “The Courage to be Disliked,” “Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?” “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey.” I don’t want to think about people who don’t like me or things I don’t know or read travel stories about depressing journeys when it’s 85 and sunny outside.
Another post, which suggests reading a more manageable 15 books in 2024, also is too heavily focused on self-improvement, with titles like “The Art of Thinking Clearly,” “Atomic Habits” and “How to Finish Everything You Start.” No thank you — unless what you’re looking to finish is a frozen drink or elaborate sand castle on the beach.
What do I like to read in the summer? Light, happy books that make me smile and laugh or that introduce me to new places.
And what might those books be? So glad you asked.
• “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt
This story of a friendship between an octopus and an older, widowed woman is filled with surprises, including first-person reflections from Marcellus (the octopus) that are especially wonderful if you listen to the book instead of reading it.
• “West With the Giraffes” by Lynda Rutledge
This novel was inspired by the true story of two giraffes who made headlines traveling from New York to the San Diego Zoo in 1938. Rutledge’s writing not only takes you across the country, it takes you back to an America (of Tin Lizzies and Dapper Dan pomade and Burma-Shave cream) that is long gone.
• anything by Jane Austen
People — at least those who weren’t English majors — tend to think 18th-century literature is serious and should be avoided at all costs. Jane Austen wrote romances, albeit with very long sentences, which make for perfect summer reads. Once you get used to the cadence of those very long sentences, you’ll be enchanted.
• “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd
While its subject matter is a little heavier than some of the other books on this list, I found this novel about healing and self-discovery to be touching and inspirational.
• “Little House on the Prairie” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
I have such wonderful memories of reading all the “Little House” books when I was a kid and later watching the TV series with my parents. Life was not particularly easy on the prairie, but there’s something to be said for the simplicity of the time and the joy of receiving a tin cup, a penny and a piece of candy for Christmas.
• “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert
Food, connection with a higher power, love and travel through Italy, India and Indonesia. What’s not to love about this read?
— Pamela Lannom is editor of The Hinsdalean. Readers can email her at [email protected].
