Years ago, when this website/blog was mainly dedicated to higher ed marketing/PR/branding/etc. and I read mainly non-fiction books, I would occasionally post, around Memorial Day, a Friday Five about some of the books I planned to read over the summer. Now that I’m attempting to carve out a “career” (*cough, cough*) of sorts in the creative writing arena, I thought it would make sense to share some of the books I plan to read this summer. Note that not all of my selections are current or even new-ish, as I am a notoriously slow reader and always am behind on my reading of the latest trendy or anti-trendy thing, so if you’re looking for recommendations on the latest summer reads, I suggest you look at LitHub’s “19 Novels You Need to Read This Summer” or The New York Times’ hyperbolically headlined list of “The Novels Everyone Will Be Reading This Summer” (gift link).
1. A novel published this year: Vigil, by George Saunders
I got a head start on this one, cracking it open last weekend. If you’re a fan of Saunders’ weirdly ethereal writing style and subject matter (death, usually), and especially if you enjoyed Lincoln in the Bardo, you might also like this one. Vigil is narrated by a dead woman (I hesitate to call her a ghost) whose afterlife duties involve helping those close to death. Her latest charge is more difficult than most, for some reason. I’ve yet to find out why but will probably know before the weekend is over. If you want to see what else Saunders is up to, check out his Substack, where he posts frequently.
2. A new short story collection: Python’s Kiss by Louise Erdrich
I’ve been a fan of Louise Erdrich for ages–since her first novel Love Medicine came out in 1984–and while she’s better known for the novel than the short story, she has penned plenty of the latter. Python’s Kiss is a collection of stories she’s written over the past two decades. The book also features illustrations by her talented artist daughter Aza Erdrich Abe. A member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, her previous books include The Round House, which won the National Book Award; The Night Watchman, which won the Pulitzer Prize; and The Mighty Red, which is set in the Red River Valley of North Dakota, where she grew up.
3. A ‘modern classic’ that I should have read by now: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is a Pulitzer Prize winner and also made The New York Times’ list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century, so it must be good, right? I’ve read other stuff by Michael Chabon–notably, the novel Mysteries of Pittsburgh, and Wonder Boys on my to-read list–and I’ve enjoyed his stuff so far. This includes his Substack essays, which often touch on music and pop culture (Music dorks–and guitar dorks especially–might get a kick out of his piece, “A History of Jangle (1963-2026)“).
4. Something gritty: The Knockout Artist, by Harry Crews
I first discovered the writings of Harry Crews in 1975, via his essay “Going Down in Valdez,” which first appeared in that esteemed literary publication Playboy. I was 14 then, and of course whenever I could get my hands on a copy of Playboy I would do it for the pictures. But, burgeoning word nerd that I was back then, I also read the essays, articles, and interviews. So it was that I discovered this master of grit lit. Sadly, I haven’t read much by him since. So I’ll remedy that grit lit knowledge gap by taking up The Knockout Artist, a 1988 novel about a boxer famous for knocking himself out.
5. Something else gritty: A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories, by Lucia Berlin
I’ve read a couple of stories by Lucia Berlin, the mostly unknown writer and one of literature’s tragic figures, but only here and there. I read the title story from this collection, as well as “Angel’s Laundromat,” in preparation for submitting a story to Cowboy Jamboree Magazine‘s issue 11.2, “A Manual For…” (I’m pleased to say my story “How to Fish” made it into that issue.) and I’m looking forward to reading them again, along with all the other tales in A Manual for Cleaning Women.
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Of course, I plan to read more than the five books listed above. I’ll probably find a non-fiction book or two to read, and poetry, and I’ll continue to drink from the flood of short stories that come my way online. But this list is a pretty good start, I think, and mildly ambitious, for a slow and easily distracted reader like me.
How about you? What are you reading this summer? Please let me know in the comments below.
Andrew Careaga 