My summer reads tend to sway towards the rest of my reading list: historical. It isn’t on purpose, it is just that historical fiction is defined by books that were written about a period fifty years prior to now. Which is…a lot of fiction.

To say that it is Summer Reading is to quantify the books read as lighter, funnier, dare I say, fluffier? But if the last year and a half has taught me anything, I need fluffy to round out my reading ALL the time. Like the other Lanterns that have weighed in on summer reads, my book list is a towering pile, governed by whims and listicles (I’m easily influenced).

As an introvert (I know that you wouldn’t think so, but I really am), reading is my escape from extraneous input. The way to turn down the volume on the outside world and relax for a minute. I don’t get a lot of down time, and reading “for fun” is what gives me fuel to keep going. Without it, I’m a ball of frustration.

 

I’m calling July and later my “summer reading session,” since June was filled with work at the Historical Novel Society conference. The conference was all-consuming—in the best way. Since then, I’ve indulged in The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George, The Island of the Sea Women by Lisa See, Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev, The Hellion’s Waltz by Olivia Dade, Well Played by Jen Deluca, The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan, and The Sky Worshipers by F.M. Deemyad. It has been a delight to plunge headfirst into worlds that are not my own. It’s helped me feel like I have more control in my own life, interestingly enough.

But is this really a different sampling than my normal reading? All women authors—not unusual for me. Some literary fiction, some romance—again, normal. And what is on my horizon for August? Well. Let me tell you.

I got my hot little hands on a copy of The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel, The Searcher by Tana French, and I’ve been invited to a nerd book club (yesss!!!) to read The Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian. My husband took my copy of The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin and is raving about it, so once he’s done, I’ll probably make room to read that science fiction because then we can talk about it, and have our own little family book club (be still my beating heart). It looks like my August will be bent more towards literary fiction, but I’ll sneak some romance in there. I always do.

 

What do your summer reads look like? Anything lighter than mine?