Summertime Reads

Even if it involves sneaking off to the beach before work or waking before the family’s “itinerary” begins, finding a pocket of time to read in the summer months can be a challenge for visitor and resident alike. Reading sessions can be as short as just a glance at a page or perhaps hours of glorious uninterrupted page turning. In these conditions, books have to be fast-paced or immediately immersive no matter what page you leave off on.

Here are three reads that will keep the pages turning on a summer’s day no matter how much time you are afforded:

• How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu

Speaking of time, this quirky, non-linear story about a young man, his time machine, his imaginary dog, and the computer operation system he has fallen in love with, plays with the ideas of time, memory, and loss. This book is far more relatable than pure science fiction, and anyone who is a fan of Douglas Adams, Doctor Who, or a little movie called Star Wars will be laughing and crying by the end.

• Drinking at the Movies by Julia Wertz

Yes, it’s a comic book (or graphic novel when wanting to sound more legitimate), but it’s also a brilliant and hilarious memoir of a young lady who moves to New York City and her subsequent personal dealings with alcoholism. Creative struggles are plainly seen even in her drawing, but Wertz’s storytelling holds the attention and will keep you laughing at inappropriate moments days later.

• Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

Personally, this is my perennial read. It is summer and nostalgia for me. It is not Bradbury’s typical science fiction, but a very personal remembrance of both idyllic childhood and growing up the summer of 1928. Anyone who remembers running around town in new sneakers until it is too dark to see even with fireflies ablaze will hopefully fall in love with this story as well.