Summer reading list
This summer was intense: one deadly climate disaster after another – mudslides in India, floods in Germany and Kenya, tornados and tropical storms and fires across the US; escalation of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza with student protests erupting across college campuses; elections in the UK, Venezuela and Mexico; an assassination attempt on a US presidential candidate; fiery protests in Kenya (I got caught in traffic in Nairobi during the June protests – it was scary but luckily I escaped unharmed).
It was unrelenting. I reached a point where I had to mentally shift gears with a singular goal in mind: escape.
Summer vibes
That’s when I came across an episode from the podcast It’s Been a Minute, where host Brittany Luse and writers Jean Chen Ho and Tia Williams discuss what kind of books qualify for summer reading: gossipy and scandalous, magical and adventurous, light and funny. I needed a heavy dose of all the above.
The authors shared some of their favorite books for this summer and curated a summer reading list, which includes their own books.
Here’s their list:
The Guest by Emma Cline
Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City by Jane Wong
Hip-Hop Is History by Questlove with Ben Greenman
Devil is Fine by John Vercher
Good Material by Dolly Alderton
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
I’m enjoying working my way through this list. I’ve read five books so far, which I got from my local public library (US public libraries are nothing short of amazing, a wonder of the modern world – I can’t get over them. A topic for another day).
I loved that this selection features writers of color, and that there’s something for all tastes. I’ll definitely recommend a couple for my book club, where we read authors of color. I especially liked John Vercher’s magical realism in Devil is Fine, and how he expertly manages to balance the heavy themes of death, racial trauma, grief and loss with humor and heartwarming perspective. (It would have otherwise been too heavy for my summer reading.) My son says I should also recommend the book he’s currently reading, The Dragon Egg Princess by Ellen Oh, to my book club. I plan to read it next; perhaps I could convince a bunch of adults to connect with their child selves and enjoy a magical tale for middle schoolers.
Transported
But it was Piranesi by English author Susanna Clark that transported me into another world. I wasn’t sure what to make of it in the first few pages, but as the story began to unfold it quickly drew me in. I’ve never read anything like it.
It’s a story about a man who has been given the name Piranesi (not his real name), who lives in a huge strange house which is occupied by ocean tides and sea birds and statues. His days consist of taking care of his basic survival needs, discovering new things in the infinite rooms, halls and vestibules of the house, and meticulously writing down every detail of his experience in his notebooks. We are actually reading from Piranesi’s copious journals throughout the book. The house itself is a central character, full of mystery, generosity and otherworldly enchantment. There is one other person who visits the house occasionally, a man simply known as “The Other”, whom we get to know better as the novel unfolds.
I found myself immersed in this imaginal realm, where solitude, childlike curiosity and wonder come alive. Clark describes this weird time-space reality with such vividness that it verges on a sensory experience. I could just about smell the sea, see the moon casting its silvery light at night, hear the tides whooshing through the lower levels of the house. My favorite story elements — spoiler alert — were all present: a sorcerer-philosopher who discovers an alternate world, expeditions into parallel dimensions, blurring of realities, suspense and lurking dangers. And the question: given the choice, do we stay here forever or go back to the “real” world?
It still feels like summer here in Hotlanta. So I’m giving myself permission to continue working through my summer reading list as I sit in a cool place with a cold drink and escape for an hour or two.
Photo by Link Hoang on Unsplash