With summer comes sunshine, idle afternoons, and book lists meant to fill up sunny, idle afternoons with reading. We decided to make a one-stop location — a list of lists, if you will— to help navigate your page-turning adventures this season. Expect a radiant dose of business, politics, education, and pure pleasure to accompany your beach blanket and sunscreen. Leave a comment with a link — or just a few suggestions — if you’ve a summer reading list you’d like to share.
1. The New York Times Who and what to expect: Chuck Palahniuk, Christopher Farnsworth, John Grisham, and guilt-free yarns about vampires.
2. Arts Beat Who and what to expect: Moss Hart, Frank Rich, Jose Quintero, and memoirs about the theater.
3. Los Angeles Times Who and what to expect: Gary Shteyngart, Roseanne Cash, Zoë Ferraris, and a diverse selection of 60 upcoming titles.
4. Brooklyn Public Library Who and what to expect: Zoë Heller, Jonathan Lethem, Edmund White, and books about New York City.
5. Mother Jones Who and what to expect: Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, Lawrence Wright, Tobias Wolff, and words that critically examine the world we live in.
6. Details Who and what to expect: Bret Easton Ellis, James Lord, David Mitchell, and musings about what it means to be a man.
7. Deep South Magazine Who and what to expect: Susan Rebecca White, John Brandon, Rebecca Wells, and tales about all things Southern.
8. Businessweek Who and what to expect: Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Stephen R. Covey, Thomas L. Friedman, and course readings for ambitious MBA students.
9. UC Berkeley Who and what to expect: Alex Haley, Greg Mortensen, Mike Rose, and reasons why our education system is failing us and how to make it better.
10. HTMLGIANT Who and what to expect: Roman Jakobson, Adam Robinson, Avital Ronell, and an esoteric list for literature lovers.
11. NPR Who and what to expect: Brady Udall, Sam Wasson, Kyoko Mori, and recommendations from three bookstore employees across the country.
12. Wall Street Journal Who and what to expect: Yoko Ogawa, John Steinbeck, Javier Marías, and a wide range of new titles to old classics, high-brow sophistication to low-brow satisfaction.