Here we are, in the thick of summer. It's hot; too hot to do anything other than try to keep the house cool. Money's tight, too. Inflation and travel woes have put the kibosh on any plans for a summer getaway.
With all of that and more going on, what could make for an enjoyable, memorable summer? A summer reading list!
What can dry, dusty, low-tech books do for you?
- You can escape into a good story
- You can learn about distant places and intriguing people
- You can discover things you're passionate about: art, history, music and your favourite bands
- You can explore new horizons by reading books on subjects you're not familiar with
- You can develop your imagination
- You can see yourself reflected in the stories you read and grow to understand yourself better
To be fair, students generally don't go around looking for the best holiday reads to learn things and, as a group, readers don't pick up a book because they want to see themselves in the stories they read. They might simply be looking for the best books to read on holiday.
Or maybe they want a digital detox and they're searching for the best book to get back into reading.
Whatever type of reader you are, reluctant to keen, here are some of the best books to read this summer.
Best Reads 2022: The Anomaly
March 10th: a plane completes its flight from Paris by landing at JFK airport in New York City. Two weeks later, the exact same plane - same flight number, passengers and crew attempt to land at the same airport. Everyone is kept in quarantine until the authorities can straighten things out.
The US Department of Defence enacts an emergency protocol that culminates in the duplicated people meeting their originals. In some cases, harmonious agreements of shared existence are made while, in others, there is upheaval and pain.
A few months later, a third replicated plane tries to land.
Translated from French only last year in November, The Anomaly takes top spot as one of the must read books 2022.
Out of the Sun
Unless you're living it, you cannot possibly understand the Black experience. Even if you're living it, it's hard to grasp the many facets of Black Life worldwide.
Enter this collection of essays by Esi Edugyan, which challenges long-established notions about Black folks and questions how those ideas have endured for so long. It deposits Black likenesses into classic European art to expose the presumption of lordship the works' original subjects held.
There's never been a better time for people to understand one another on a deep, personal level. And there's never been a more urgent time for the Black community to step outside of their personal experiences to grasp how entrenched the biases that confine them are.
Considering this issue's urgency and regardless of your race, ethnicity and heritage, Out of the Sun is one of the books you need to read this summer.
Pure Colour: A Fav Summer Book
If you've read any of Sheila Heti's books, you know she brings her wicked sense of humour to even the most serious topics. Pure Colour is no exception.
Ms Heti proves that philosophy doesn't have to be a ponderous subject. She narrates her tale with skill and wisdom, never giving so much away that the reader feels they're being fed. Pure Colour invites you to explore your relationship with reality while showing the infinite ways it could change.
Note: placing this title beneath the one dealing with race is purely coincidental; the colour in the title refers to something other than skin tone. You'll have to read this summer book to go beyond this synopsis.
We Need Snowflakes
There's an awful lot going on in the world these days and not a lot of it is good. That speaks against reading non-fiction works; who needs to ingest truth when it daily proves itself so ugly?
One of the uglier facets of conversation these days is labelling others according to one's own prejudices. Calling someone a snowflake is a fine example of such.
Snowflakes are defined as (young) people lacking resilience and quick to take offence. Obviously, the label is not meant as a compliment.
Do we need Snowflakes? Author Hannah Jewell says 'Yes' because historically and still today, these so-called snowflakes have brought about some of the most positive social changes.
Are you frustrated or angry at being labelled as someone who is overly sensitive and intellectually weak? Do you know someone who is?
If so, We Need Snowflakes would be your best holiday read.
Ephemeron
Many readers unused to poetry see the genre as either epic - Iliad or Gilgamesh, or of the moon-spoon-June variety; i.e., Triteness, Inc. Fiona Benson, this collection's author, delivers nothing of the sort.
You'll find in Ephemeron four sections, one each devoted to a facet of experience not necessarily human, but easy enough to put yourself into or, at least, see the parallels to humanity.
Ephemeron might not be the lightest of fare on your summer reading list but it is well worth the read, if only for its concepts.
Homesickness
Some writers use such elegant phraseology that their readers eagerly await upcoming books and snatch them up as soon as they're available, regardless of title or topic. Colin Barrett is one such writer.
To dive into a Barrett collection is to immerse yourself in the colourful language and ethos of Ireland. Phones don't ring; they mewl for attention. Cars don't have rusted rocker panels; they're adorned with piebald panelling.
Evocative yet as grounded in modern life as any lonely voice crying for recognition, Homesickness may be one of the best books to get into reading. Indeed, if you were considering taking a gap year, this book may be your best companion on the journey.
Best Holiday Read: Sea of Tranquility
Emily St John Mandel didn't set out to become a prophet. It just happened that her breakout novel, Station Eleven - a tale of a global pandemic originating in the Soviet Union that renders life on Earth dystopian made her seem eerily prescient.
Particularly because, just as filming began on the television series, the world went into its first COVID lockdown.
Unintentionally prophetic as that 2014 work was, it revealed the author's uncanny ability to draw disparate elements together to present a riveting tale; a skill she puts to good use in her latest oeuvre. This time, it tackles parallel worlds and time travel (or is it time displacement?).
If you're asking yourself "Which book should I read next?", Sea of Tranquility is the answer you're looking for.
Among the Books You Need to Read: Buried
Some people think history is dry and boring. Who cares if Romans wandered around the English countryside a couple of thousand years ago? That is precisely the wrong attitude to take, particularly with this summer book.
Dr Alice Roberts makes full use of today's technology to adjust the image we've long held about Romans being hyper-militaristic, disciplined and principled. For instance, did you know that Romans buried deviants with their heads 'assigned' to other bodies?
Why ancient Britons felt the need to rearrange deviant heads is probably lost to history but just reading about such oddities is akin to poring over today's gossip columns or not being able to look away from a drink-besotted person's antics. You're left wondering over something that will have no bearing on anything important.
Still, if you have a penchant for grim humour and a taste for harmless salaciousness, Buried should be among your Must Read books 2022.
No worries about this tome denting your budget too badly; its entertainment value far outweighs what you'll spend for your copy.
An Immense World: Best Holiday Read
It seems unfair to call this Ed Yong offering the best when all of the titles suggested here should be on your summer reading list but, in many ways, this book stands out because it's fundamentally a critique of humanity filtered through the natural world.
People tend to assign human attributes like feelings, thought processes and actions to other creatures. Disney has built an entire industry around anthropomorphism: animals wearing clothes, talking and doing things no non-human animal would ever do.
In a way, that's such a shame because the non-humans on this Earth are wondrous creatures, they don't need any enhancement to be both amazing and relatable.
Whether you've declared yourself a biology major or simply casting about for the best books to read this summer, An Immense World should definitely be on your list.
You Don't Know Us Negroes
Zora Neale Hurston is 60 years gone but her voice is as powerful and timely today, and just as relevant as it was during her life.
A pioneer of Black literacy, Ms Hurston made it a point to travel where 'Negroes' weren't welcome. In her reporter's satchel were the tools of her trade, pencil and paper, as well as a gun for self-defence.
As she travelled through the southern United States, she scorned the genteel telling - one might say whitewashing of the Black experience, preferring to transcribe her interview subjects' speech verbatim rather than cleaning it up for better representation.
Today's BLM and mass deportation initiatives makes You Don't Know count as one of the books you need to read.
Now, learn how having a dog by your side while reading can help boost your sense of calm as well as your reading comprehension.
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