Is it summer already? The last day of school usually signals the start of summer, but it takes my mind and body a few more weeks to make that shift. Nate sent out his summer reading list in the Takes and Typos newsletter back in May like the overachiever he is and I am now just sitting down to organize and sort through my TBR list. Surprise, surprise, we have some overlapping titles.

I like to oscillate between serious and non serious books, alternating between fiction and non fiction or even mixing up genres. For me, summer time reading means navigating between frivolity like a dramedy or romedy and trying to learn something about the world. I also make an effort to read books by women of color, queer authors, and a few titles at least a couple of young adult books to recommend to students. With all that in mind, my summer list is all over the place. I’m an avid audiobook reader in the summer as I also find myself on the road much of the time. Perhaps, you’ll find a book or two that sparks your interest.

I started my “summer” with John Green's Everything is Tuberculosis. This was my first experience with one of his non-fiction books and it did not disappoint. In fact, I might even prefer this as it lives in that narrative nonfiction world, capturing real events and people in a compelling manner. Green promises to link everything to TB and he really does. From adirondack chairs to the desired pallor of Victorian women and bare-faced men, everything can be explained through the lens of tuberculosis. I will warn you though, you may cry. Green does this thing all great writers do–make you care about something that you may have intellectualized; a thing you feel a comfortable distance from. By focusing much of the book on Sierra Leone and a young boy named Henry, any scholarly pretense you may have started reading with is out the window. Lastly, the book leaves readers eager to learn more with an extensive list of recommendations from Greene. Reading this book with the current political climate in mind, I had an “aha” moment. Tuberculosis is curable and preventable. The United States could be part of its eradication; however, we’ve forgotten the value of soft diplomacy, gutted USAID and are pretending there won’t be any consequences. *cringe emoji*

After that, I needed something a little lighter so I read Shauna Robinson’s The Banned Bookshop. This felt like one of those Netflix Christmas movies with the racially ambiguous characters doing “norm-y” things and experiencing non-traumatic life events. A girl from a big city returns to a small town looking for meaning in her life and starts to run her friend’s book store. The town is named after some famous historical white person who, to no-one’s surprise, built their fame and wealth on the labor of women and people of color. The main characters are black and the book is for adults so there’s a steamy scene and conversations about race and sexuality sprinkled in. On the one hand, it was a little slow. On the other hand, I think the world needs more of these “edgy” Hallmark stories.

Up next, I finally cracked open a young adult book I’d been carting round for the last year, the Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen. You’ll have to ask me in person to tell you the journey of my current mermaid fascination. The cover is stunning and pulls you right in. Bowen adeptly builds a world that links mermaids, West African folktales (specifically Nigerian water gods), and the transatlantic slave trade together in a compelling story of love, risk and courage. I typically don’t read much fantasy but this was a solid read and I’m excited to recommend it to students.

I continued on my romance binge and my growing obsession with author Sonora Reyes who we interviewed on the podcast “Ep. 190: Intersectional Story-Telling & Why Anger is Health”. The Broposal is a super sweet story of two “roommates” and best friends who wrestle with all the adulting duties of being in twenty-something but also realize they are actually in love with each other! It’s disgustingly sweet and adorable and every cutesy moment is exactly what you want it to be. There are a few steamy scenes to watch out for.

My Libby app is working overtime and rom-coms are a quick read. In the adult contemporary romances category, I cracked open Nisha Sharma’s Dating Dr. Dil. The algorithm continues to serve me Desi-centered stories which is fine by me as they feel like more mature versions of Never Have I Ever. I’m a sucker for stories with smart, professional female protagonists who are torn between careers, personal values, and parental cultural expectations no matter how formulaic the writing. There’s a lot of haters on Good Reads, but this definitely passed the time on my flight from Abu Dhabi to Seattle.

Fam, don’t give up on me yet. Since I was about eight, I’ve loved a detective/mystery storyline. As an adult I realized I can live in two genres: the cosy mystery and crime fiction. Having worked my way through David Joy, Brian Panowich, and Jordan Harper the last few years, I’m most obsessed with the GOAT, S.A. Cosby. You’d think I was earning shares the way I rep Cosby’s work. His latest book King of Ashes dropped mid-June and I was quickly added to a Crime Noir group chat. What this man does with setting and characterization (bruh, a crematory?!) makes my AP Lit heart throb. What this man does with structure and narration is masterful (there are no unwasted details in his stories). He writes the mess out of a gun battle and I feel like I’m watching it on screen as all my senses come alive.

Frankly, I’m sad I read the book so quickly so I could nerd out over drinks with my Tacoma friends this summer. I’m certain, I won’t read a better book this summer. But, alas, onward.

The Current TBR List

Bakari Sellers’ The Moment: Thoughts on the Race Reckoning That Wasn’t and How We All Can Move Forward. I heard a provocative interview with Sellers last year and wanted to read this book (read by the author himself). I’m curious how it holds up considering no one thought we’d have a second Trump administration. Can we actually move forward as Sellers suggests? TBD.

I cannot wait for The Last American Road Trip by Sarah Kendzior. I secretly, or not so secretly love this woman. She’s smart, witty, thoughtful, incredibly clairvoyant. Plus, she is so down-to-earth she will respond to social media interactions. I’m looking forward to seeing how she navigates a memoir while still offering political and social commentary on the US.

The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates has been on my list since it came out last year. The man can write. I’m looking forward to forming my own opinions rather than relying on the appraisals of critics.

I’m trying to work my way through How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa for the NerdFarm reads book club, but it’s stop and go for me.

I’m also excited to finish off my summer romance binge with something from Abby Jimenez and Jesse Q. Sutanto who have taken this genre by storm. Sutanto’s new series is up my alley mixing nosiness and detective work. I’ve only heard positive things about the Vera Wong series and I hope Sutanto will be willing to come back on the podcast this year (send thoughts and prayers). Check out the conversation in Ep. 128: An Interview with The Writing Hippo

Let me know what you’re reading, if you’ve drank the S.A. Cosby Kool Aid and what I’m missing on this list.