Summer Reading List: 15 Great Summer Reads {2012}

Summer Reading List 2012

With summer, comes extra time to start (and finish) all those books that have been waiting for me on the nightstand.

In theory, anyway.

In reality, I haven’t been able to read on a beach since the first kid arrived 5 years ago. But still it never fails. As soon as summer arrives, I have a whole list of books that start calling my name.

I thought this year I’d share with all of you just some of the books that have caught my eye.

My (Un)official Summer Reading List of 2012

1. Canada by Richard Ford. I’m currently about 75% of the way through this and loving it. The narrator, age 13, tells the story of his parents, two of the most unlikely bank robbers you’d imagine.

2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn – I haven’t even totally figured out what this one’s about, to be honest. But it’s mysterious and suspenseful and has been getting great reviews, so it’s on the list.

3. Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer - Picoult teams up with her teenage daughter to write this novel for teens, a tale of a literary prince trapped in a fairy tale and the heroine who tries to rescue him.

4. Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich – This series is my go-to ultimate beach reading. I haven’t made it through the whole series. I usually save them for summer and read a few over the course of those few months.

5. Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy – Will I? Won’t I? I’m still up in the air on finishing this edgy set of books. I did actually read the first in the series. And… I don’t know. I’m not sure yet whether I’ll gear up (or shell out) for the other two. Have you read these? What did you think?

6. Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews – An “escapist novel about small towns, old flames, and deep secrets”. Sounds like a perfect summer read to me!

7. Gold: A Novel by Chris Cleave – Author of Little Bee is back, with the story of two lifelong friends who are vying for the track cycling gold medal at the 2012 Olympics. Out July 3.

8. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green – A 16-year-old cancer patient attends a support group and falls in love with a 17-year-old ex-basketball player and amputee.

9. The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner – Philadelphia-based Weiner, author of In Her Shoes and several other bestsellers, is back with a new title for summer (out July 3rd). This one’s about a screenwriter pursuing her dreams in Hollywood.

True (or mostly true) stories for summer reading:

10. Wild by Cheryl Strayed - This memoir is the book that’s relaunching Oprah’s Book Club. I’m reading it anyway. I’m teasing. I’ve liked some of Oprah’s selections in the past, so that won’t stop me from reading this new one. The book club’s going digital this time around, so if you buy the Kindle version, you’ll get to see exclusive content, including a reading group guide and Oprah’s personal notes.

11. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson – This one’s for fans of Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess). The reviews run hot and cold, but are mostly very high. My guess is that if you’ve found yourself laughing uncontrollably at The Bloggess’ posts, you’ll enjoy this mostly-true memoir as well. Or that’s my hope, anyway, when I read it!

12. Confessions of a Scary Mommy by Jill Smokler – Another collection of essays from another well-known blogger. I’ll risk getting my blogger card revoked here, but I’ve never read Scary Mommy. That said, this gets very high reviews as well, so I’m definitely interested.

13. Father’s Day by Buzz Bissinger – I read the preview on my Kindle last week and was hooked. This memoir, from the author of Friday Night Lights, centers on his relationship with his youngest son. Bissinger’s twins were born minutes apart. The older twin attends grad school at Penn State. The younger has attended special schools all his life. This book follows Buzz and his youngest on a road trip across the country, during which Buzz connects with his son.

Catching up on the classics (summer reading):

14.  Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - This may be my year to dig into this meaty classic and actually finish it! It may not be your typical summer reading choice, but my goal is to finish before November, when the newest remake (with Keira Knightley) hits theaters. The translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky has been sitting on my bookshelf for years. And yes, it was once an Oprah selection.

15. Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole - As soon as I read that Zach Galifianakis may be on board for the film version, this title went back on my To-Read list. The film adaptation of this classic has been a long time coming and has run into problems before, so I’m not holding my breath yet. Instead… I’ll just be over here reading.

I’d love to hear what you have on your summer reading list, too!