New Summer Reading Lists
Illustration by Olimpia Zagnoli
This week’s New York Times Book Review presents a beautiful summer reading image, but few true “beach reading” suggestions. There are lists of summer cookbooks, gardening books (even though it’s a little late in the season, perhaps justified by the fact that the lead title, Michelle Obama’s American Grown, RH/Crown, was released late) and travel books, plus music (who knew that summer was the time to read about music?), Hollywood (two titles) and a smattering of children’s books.
Possibly more in line with true beach reading, their “Summer Reading: Fiction” selections feature just six titles (including Joseph Kanon’s Istanbul Passage and the debut A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar, Suzanne Joinson, Bloomsbury).
From the other coast, the L.A. Times lays out a smorgasbord of over 100 titles (hover over each cover to read why it was chosen) that includes popular as well as literary titles, from Beach Reads (one of the only titles that overlaps with the NYT BR‘s list is A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar) to The Quirky (Bob’s Booger, anyone?) and Audio.
The Daily Beast selects 21 Best Summer Reads, including the buzz debut of the season, The Age of Miracles, Karen Thompson Walker, Random House, 6/26 (missing from both the L.A. Times and the NYT lists) and a few unusual, but intriguing choices (Mrs. Robinson’s Disgrace: The Private Diary of a Victorian Lady, Kate Summerscale, Bloomsbury, 6/19) and emerging favorites (Where’d You Go, Bernadette, Maria Semple, Hachette/Little, Brown, 8/14).
Links to all the lists are at the right, under 2012 Summer Reads.