Maybe you’re in denial like I am, but seriously? Memorial Day is just around the corner. If you’re like me, the week passes faster than you can ask, “What time is it?” Before you know it, you’ll be heading out on vacation or relaxing by the swimming pool. So you’d better get your summer reading in line.

Here’s what’s on my reading list for the summer. Quick note: it’s backlist, so if you’re looking for hot new releases, you’ve come to the wrong place. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for gems you might have missed the first go-round, read on:

Beartown, by Fredrik Backman.

This will be the third Backman novel I’ve read, and if it’s remotely like Britt-Marie Was Here or A Man Called Ove, I’ll be a fan for life. One of my projects for the summer is to study how Backman lulls the reader along with his dry wit and then, wham! He sucker-punches you with a moment so poignant it takes your breath away. The man’s a genius, I tell you.

Look Alive Out There by Sloane Crosley.

I’m a relative newcomer to Sloane Crosley‘s work, but what I’ve read so far has left me in stitches. Let’s face it: Life is hard and painful and messy. We all need more laughter in our lives. Sloane Crosley serves it up in big, juicy helpings. Get you some!

Fifteen One-Act Plays by Sam Shepard

I last read Sam Shepard’s plays in college, which is farther back than we need to get into right now. I remember being bowled over. Plays are fun to read because they’re dynamic and they leave the reader to use her imagination to fill in the scenes. You don’t get anything non-essential. We’re all busy people. If you’re looking for something to read that’s easy to get engaged with and quick to consume, read a play. Then, try and go see a play.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Light reading, this is not. Things Fall Apart has been on my TBR pile for a long time, and it’s high time I moved it to the completed-reads stack. It’s a modern classic about a warrior’s life in precolonial Nigeria and its fateful clash with British colonizers. I’ve heard it’s violent (and generally I skip such material, as there’s plenty of that to be had on the news), but I’ve also read reviews that suggest to me that the violence doesn’t overpower the narrative. If it keeps me up with nightmares, I’ll let you know.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

I don’t know a lot about this book except that it’s supposed to be full of dark humor (my favorite kind) about a spoiled woman suffering the pain of alienation and self-hatred while under a cocktail of bewildering pharmaceuticals. Sign me up.

What’s on your reading list this summer? Got a favorite novel you keep going back to, or are you tackling something you’ve been meaning to read for years? Leave a comment so we can all add a few more titles to our TBR piles.

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