50 Best Books of Summer -- Do you agree?

I was scrolling through my feed this morning when I found a link to an article called 50 of the Greatest Summer Novels of All Time. That caught my attention. For one thing I can't resist reading book lists. Secondly, it is summer right now in the Northern Hemisphere and I am sitting here in my kitchen with the sliding glass door open (screen closed) to let in the air. Yep. It is summer. Shouldn't I be reading summer novels (as compared to other times of the year novels???)

I've always wanted to read summer novels but always just end up reading what is on hand whenever it is on hand. The picture I get when people mention 'summer reads' is of a person sitting at the beach, in a beach chair (which is really an Adirondack-style chair and I have no idea how it got to the beach) reading a lighthearted novel under an umbrella to shade one's eyes from the warm and friendly sun. The reality in the Pacific NW is quite different. For one thing, the water in the ocean is cold, so swimming isn't really a thing unless one has a wetsuit. Secondly, the beaches are usually wide open, flat, and often quite windy. One could maybe set up a beach towel without it flying away if they found some sort of windbreak, like a tall vehicle to block the wind (Yes, you can drive onto the beaches in Washington State, not in Oregon, however.) But the book will still come home full of sand...and that umbrella to block the sun....ha ha ha. It flew away. Not the picture most of you have in mind when you picture beach reads, huh? My life.

Back to the 50 greatest summer novels list... of the listed books I've only read eight of them -- The Summer Book (Jansson); Virgin Suicides (Eugenides); Rebecca (Du Maurier); American Spy (Wilkinson); The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (McCullers); Sing Unburied Sing (Ward); Bridget Jones' Diary (Fielding); and The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald). Of those titles, only two of them scream "summer reads" to me: The Summer Book -- because of the title, and it was set during summer -- and Bridget Jones' Diary -- because it is pretty lighthearted stuff.

What of the other 42? It is hard to say. I am guessing the author of the article likes to read out-there stuff during the summer. Several of the books were identified as satire or avant-garde. While others had zany characters behaving out of character. Quite a few of the books were mentioned because of an illicit love affair. Meaning: summer is a great time for a broken heart, I guess. Three, maybe more, are rather lengthy tomes: The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois wins with over 800 pages. The author mentioned that summer is a wonderful time to dig into a big novel. Maybe so, but when I travel I want something small and light.

Ultimately I starred 14 books I might like to read sometime (not necessarily in the summer) but only six of those titles are new to me. The other eight are already on my TBR, or at least on my radar. Of the books I haven't heard of before, these three titles have intrigued me to explore further immediately: The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac (Shields), Norwood (Portis), and Luster (Leilani). 

So what do I think are the best summer novels? These books need to have almost instant appeal and/or are books which are easy to pick back up after a short hiatus. I actually like reading short stories during the summer for this reason. I may not have the attention needed for a long or big book. But I can consume a short story in one sitting and feel quite satisfied. My family takes a lot of car trips during the summer, so good audiobooks that the whole family can enjoy are a must. I don't often read mysteries, but for some reason I find that I crave them during summer months. 

Here is a list of some of my favorite summer reads from the past few years:

• Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. We listened to the audiobook and found it both riveting and entertaining. This is the book I tell more people to read than any other.
• The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. This isn't a novel. It is a series of interconnected essays. Perfect for listening to during car trips.
• A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor. If you haven't read any stories by O'Conner, you really must and this collection is a great place to start.
• The Souvenir Museum by Elizabeth McCracken. This is one of my favorite short story collections I've ever read. I thought all the stories were funny or charming.
• Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King. We listened to all three audiobooks in the Bill Hodges series over two summers. They are long but thrilling and the pace is relentless.
• The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. I just finished this mystery, so it is on my mind. It was a quick read. Perfect for the come and go of summer life.

Now, let's discuss --

1. How many of the 50 Greatest Summer Novels have you read? See list here.

2. What makes a great summer novel, in your opinion?

3. What are a few of your recent favorite summer novels?

-Anne