Summer Reads, Part I: What Makes a Great Read for Summer?

It’s Memorial Day, the traditional start of summer (even if the calendar tells us it is still three weeks away) . . . and with that welcome change of season, people who love to read often begin to think about their summer reading list. Summer, for many of us, conjures up afternoons by the pool or the beach, reading lazily in a lounge chair, with a cool drink by your side . . . or perhaps reading on the plane as you jet off to an exotic vacation locale. Many people feel that they simply have more time for reading in the summer months, even if they are not carting a book or Kindle along to the pool or going away on vacation. Sometimes, less demanding summer work schedules or the temporary disappearance of children’s nightly homework routines allow more opportunity to curl up on the couch, or maybe the deck, with a great book on long summer evenings.

One thing that I’ve observed, however, is that not everyone has the same idea of what makes a great “summer read.” Publishers and booksellers seem to think that women, at least, all want to read a piece of fluff that has some connection to beachiness in June, July, and August . . . Have you ever noticed the preponderance of summer releases sporting covers with a beach or pool scene, or a woman under a sun umbrella or wearing a big floppy hat? These books tend not to be the most literary of material.

And for me, this begs the question, why does a summer read have to be “light”? I like a non-taxing and easily digestible novel now and then, believe me . . . But really, I’d rather a summer novel be fully absorbing more than anything else. My pool or vacation reads don’t need to be about summer or have the obligatory “family-on-vacation-and-many-truths-emerge” theme. I just want my summer books to be engrossing and compelling. I want something that occupies me completely on the plane, or keeps me so wrapped up that I don’t even notice that the sun has started to set after a long and wonderful day on the beach. Sometimes, yes, that’s a lighter, fluffier read; sometimes it’s even a thriller or a mystery, which lie outside of my usual reading interests. But to me, a fantastic summer read can also be a highly literary novel that immerses me into a wholly different world.

What kind of book do you consider to be a great “summer read”?