Ahh, summer. The sweet promise of sun, vacations, freedom, and whatever else you lucky bastards who still get summer breaks choose to indulge in.
But let’s talk about books, not bitterness. Because new TV shows basically crank to a halt during the summer months, meaning we need a different distraction with which to occupy our minds. Enter in books. Lots of ’em. If composing a summer reading list is your thing, take it from me and add these to it, stat.
June 16
Aziz Ansari, Modern Romance
First up is Aziz Ansari’s Modern Romance, a hilarious exploration of finding your match in the age of online dating, texting, and other technological (dis)advantages. It’s not just about technology, however; it’s about the fact that people now are getting married later and later because they’re not satisfied with marrying the boy or girl next door and popping out babies like PEZ dispensers. Ansari, as he does, takes things a step further, teaming up with an NYU sociologist to undergo a massive research project, complete with interviews, focus groups, and perspectives from people all over the world. Modern Romance will leave you wondering why a book like this hasn’t come out earlier, but it will also make you glad the world waited for Ansari to do it.
Judd Apatow, Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life and Comedy
Afterward, there’s Judd Apatow’s Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life and Comedy. I just started reading this one, and man is it good. Apatow gives us a brief foray into his childhood, like when he wrote a 30-page report on the Marx Brothers just for the hell of it, and how he’s still pissed at his parents for not eating their chicken parmesan faster so he could catch Steve Martin on The Carol Burnett Show. Then we get into the interviews — and by “interviews” I mean, “holy crap he interviewed every great comic in existence.” We’re talking Jerry Seinfeld, Amy Schumer, Louis C.K., James L. Brooks, Rosanne Barr, Martin Short, Steve Martin, and literally anyone and everyone in between. Comedians may be sick in the head like Apatow suggests, but we love them for it.
July 14
Harper Lee, Go Set a Watchman
Many of us have distinct memories of To Kill a Mockingbird, whether brought to life through the pages of Lee’s text or through the brilliance of Gregory Peck. For me, it’s Lee’s writing style. Her syntax is simple and direct, yet her prose is some of the most powerful I’ve ever read, and I longed to possess even a fraction of her talent. The fact that Mockingbird was her only book was one of the greatest tragedies of the literary world — that is, until she blew all our minds a few months ago by announcing a new release, Go Set a Watchman. Publisher HarperCollins is claiming the book is their highest-selling preorder title of all time, and for good reason. Go Set a Watchman will be the Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s first novel in nearly 55 years. Featuring familiar faces from Mockingbird, the text returns to Maycomb, Alabama, some 20 years later with Scout intent on facing her father, society, and the small town that shaped her. Apparently, Lee submitted this manuscript to her publishers first, but they were more interested in knowing about Scout and Jem’s childhood than their lives as adults. Go Set a Watchman has some big shoes to fill, but I have no doubt it will be just as exquisite as its predecessor.
Aug. 4
Haruki Murakami, Wind/Pinball: Two Novels
Though he’s been publishing novels for over 30 years, Haruki Murakami still seems to be making a name for himself in the English-speaking world. His works are distinctly influenced by Western authors, reminiscent of the likes of Raymond Chandler and Kurt Vonnegut, and marked by waves of both magical realism and fatalism. So for someone who counts Albert Camus as one of her most beloved authors, I can definitely dig what Murakami’s putting out. If you want to dive headfirst into some of his most well-known works, start with Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore, or my personal favorite, After Dark. But if you want to start at the beginning, pick up Wind/Pinball on Aug. 4th. Murakami first wrote the dual novellas, Heart the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973, back in the late 70s, launching him into a career as one of the most critically acclaimed authors of the modern era. This is the first time that these works will be widely available in English, newly translated and featuring an introduction by the author himself. If you’ve been stuck in a reading rut and need a new author to obsess over, Murakami’s your guy.
Aug. 25
Tracy Daugherty, The Last Love Song: A Biography of Joan Didion
Joan Didion is one of those prolific American authors. Her writing gets down to your very core, making you feel totally vulnerable and exposed. When I first read The Year of Magical Thinking, I was haunted for several days after, falling further in love with the literary virtuoso that is Didion. She’s one of those people who you just want to know everything about (speaking of, check out the trailer for the new Didion documentary by her nephew, Griffin Dunne). The Last Love Song will be the first printed biography of the distinguished yet reclusive writer, taking us back into her earlier days to interview those who knew her personally. Whether you’ve been a Didion fan for a while or are just becoming familiar with her work, this impressive tribute by Tracy Daugherty is sure to be a must-read.
Sept. 15
Mindy Kaling, Why Not Me?
Kaling’s first book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), brought us such gems as “There is no sunrise so beautiful that it is worth waking me up to see it,” and “If I’m at a party where I’m not enjoying myself, I will put some cookies in my jacket pocket and leave without saying goodbye.” I mean, amen, right? We can only hope that her Sept. 15th followup, Why Not Me? is just as brutally insightful. Kaling has said that her debut was more about introducing herself to the world and getting people to like her, but this sophomore effort is rawer. “I know now that people like me, so I’m incredibly honest and vulnerable in this book,” she said in a recent BookCon interview. “It’s a little scary, actually, but I think it makes it funnier. It feels like more has happened to me in the past five years than the preceding 30.” Kaling truly has a unique voice and perspective to which a lot of people identify. Here’s hoping Why Not Me? extends that persona.
Oct. 27
Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik, The Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
I know I’m supposed to be super pumped by a new book by a literary great like Harper Lee (and don’t get me wrong, I definitely am), but I am likewise times infinity for the Oct. 27 drop date of The Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ginsburg is obviously known for being a ball-busting feminist and a pioneering legal mastermind, but her image as an all-around badass has by and large taken on a life of its own. We’re talking T-shirts, tattoos, viral YouTube hits of her dissents, and, of course, the Notorious RBG Tumblr. Now, the brains behind that Tumblr — Shana Knizhnik and MSNBC reporter Irin Carmon — are bringing us an actual book that we can keep and hold and snuggle for years to come. As Carmon told The Cut, Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be “an unobjective and irreverent celebration of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life and role in the women’s movement,” aimed at “anyone who loves RBG, especially young women who might go off their birth control so they can have their own Ruth Baby Ginsburg.” You just can’t make this stuff up. And why would you want to? I’m calling it now: We’ve got a New York Times best-seller on our hands.
