Tuesday Tea: What are you looking forward to reading this summer?
Metaphorical and literal beach reads ahoy!
Hello, friends!
This time of year, my dearest desire is to lie in front of the fan with a great book. I made it happen yesterday during a summer rainstorm — thunder, lightning, sheets of rain — with a bowl of popcorn and a glass of iced tea. It was pretty epic.
Dave and I are working on Season 8 of our podcast, so my summer reading is mostly planned for me; three books per episode are not going to read themselves! (It’s a good problem to have.)
But I’m going to find time each month for one new title from favorite authors to make my summer reading even more fun:
TODAY: The Typing Lady - Ruth Ozeki - out today!
Ozeki is the author of A Tale for the Time Being, which I loved for its combination of magical realism, lived-in characters, and very strong sense of place (Japan and British Columbia). The Typing Lady is a collection of short stories ‘spanning eras and geographies’ and ‘[t]hreaded with the tactile ephemera of writing—typewriters, letters, manuscripts, and disappearing ink.’ (Also very tempting: The Children by Melissa Albert, a fairy tale/mystery that Stephen King said reminded him of Ray Bradbury at his best. That is a strong endorsement.)
JUNE: Charity & Sylvia - Tillie Walden - out 16 June
The true (love) story of Sylvia Drake and Charity Bryant, told and illustrated by the one-and-only Tillie Walden. We’ve been enjoying behind-the-scenes peeks at Tillie’s process, and I can’t wait to read the finished book. Download an excerpt here.
JULY: Ransom - Daniel Silva - out 14 July
Is it even summer without a new Gabriel Allon spy novel?! In this 26th installment (!!!), the legendary art restorer/agent searches for the missing wife of a British billionaire in an ‘electrifying new tale of greed, corruption, and betrayal.’
AUGUST: The Salt King - Natasha Pulley - out 18 August
Natasha Pulley is one of my must-read authors. I don’t care what the book is about; I’m reading all of her words. But this one sounds like her usual irresistible cocktail of magic, science, romance, and adventure: A Jesuit priest must return from the Vatican to his small town in the Fens of England to investigate reports of people being turned to salt. Is it a religious phenomenon or the return of the mythological Salt King?
Reading Challenges
I suppose I’ve created my own reading challenge for the summer: Read three different books set in 10 different locations around the world. (And then tell all your online bookish friends about them.)
But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I’m very tempted by these frameworks:
LitHub: The Best of the Best Books Reading Challenge
Every two(ish) weeks, you’ll receive a list of books in a category (ex: classic novels under 200 pages, greatest summer novels of all time), then you pick a title and read it before the next list shows up.
The New York Times’ Summer Reading Bucket List
They’ve compiled a list of ‘10 literary to-dos’ to inspire your TBR for the next three months. Examples include a book in a genre you don’t usually read, a book set during the summer, a book published this year, and more.
National Book Foundation Summer Reading Adventure
Along with a great summer of reading, you could win prizes! The activities include fun stuff like read outdoors, read an all-time favorite, or host a reading party. Complete any of the activities for a chance to win e-readers, book subscriptions, ice cream, and more. Complete all of the activities for a chance at the grand prize: a trip to the 77th National Book Awards Ceremony in NYC on 18 November 2026!
And the one I would do if I didn’t have assigned reading for our podcast…
What To Read If… Summer Reading Bingo
In case you’re unfamiliar, Elizabeth writes the super-fun newsletter What To Read If, which pairs recommended books with current issues, buzzy trends, plot points, character types, and more. Her Summer Reading Bingo is a tradition with fun prompts, including a book set in two different time periods, a book in translation, reading aloud, and attending a book event. You can download the bingo card right here. (And you know, I bet I could apply these themes to my required reading!)
So, friends… share your summer reading plans with us! Do you have particular titles picked out? Are you joining a reading challenge? Are you a member of a book club? Have you outlined your own summer reading project?
I'm in school and have a five year old so my for-pleasure reading has been slower than I generally like and my TBR drawer in my nightstand has spilled over to a massive stack on top so my main goal is to make a dent in that baby so that I feel like I can justify buying more books (😅). Some of the ones at the top of my list for the summer are:
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Morata
The White Book by Han Kang
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
The City and it's Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami
Soil by Camille T. Dungy
& Monk and Robot by Becky Chambers
Two books I’m most looking forward to reading this summer are Land by Maggie O’ Farrell and Whistler by Ann Patchett. Additionally, I joined Laura Tremaine’s Stephen King Summer and will be reading Holly, The Life of Chuck and Cujo.