I write about many book lists during the year, but my favorite is always the summer book lists. I aim to include a variety of publications and institutions, thereby increasing the opportunity to discover new authors, publishers, and subjects.
As usual, Emily Temple, managing editor of LitHub, has read through multiple lists and determined which books have the most mentions. This year, she says that meant 36 lists recommending 614 books. The most cited book, on 13 lists, is Ottessa Moshfegh’s Lapvona. Mohsin Hamid’s The Last White Man and Tom Perrotta’s Tracy Flick Can’t Win came in next with 10 each. Sloane Crosley’s Cult Classic and Akwaeke Emezi’s You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty each were on 9 lists.
The list from The Atlantic is divided into various interesting categories, such as “If You Want to Read What Your Friends Are Reading,” “If You Want to Better Understand Our World,” “If You Want to Be Transported to Another Place,” and “If You Want to Feel Wonder About the Universe.”
The Washington Post list also includes four other book categories, as well as an intriguing essay by novelist Elinor Lipman, “61 summers of reading: Elinor Lipman recalls the books that mattered.” The Publishers Weekly list also includes Summer Reads back to 2012.
The private bank J.P. Morgan describes its list as “a selection of fascinating reads from today’s most inspiring authors as they explore where we are, where we’ve been and where we’re going next.” In describing his five recommendations, Bill Gates notes: “Each of the writers—three novelists, a journalist, and a scientist—was able to take a meaty subject and make it compelling without sacrificing any complexity.”
As in previous years, the creativity of the cover art of many of these books is astounding. In fact, the quality and variety of the books themselves, and the work of their authors, demonstrate that in the midst of today’s serious and sometimes overwhelming problems, creativity and artistic expression may be at an all-time high.
The Atlantic Summer Reading Guide
Bloomberg The 10 Best Books for Your Summer Reading List
Book Riot What’s the Buzz: 40 of the Best Summer Reads 2022
ELLE 21 Must-Read Books To Pick Up This Summer
Esquire The 20 Best Books of Summer 2022
Financial Times Summer Books 2022
Fortune 10 new page-turning novels you should read this summer
GatesNotes The Blog of Bill Gates 5 great books for the summer
Goodreads Summer Reading Lists 2022
Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity’s 2022 Summer Reading List
J.P. Morgan Summer Reading List 2022
Literary Hub The Ultimate Summer 2022 Reading List Math + Books = ???
New York Post: It’s beach read season! Here are the 27 novels you’ll want to pick up this summer
The New York Times: 88 Books to Bring Your Summer Alive
People: The 20 Best Books to Read This Summer
Publishers Weekly Summer Reads 2022
Rutgers University What Is on Your Summer Reading List?
SHRM The Summer’s Best Business Books
Stanford Magazine What to Read This Summer – 2022
UC Berkeley Summer Reading List for New Students 2022
WABE (Atlanta) Summer Reading List
The Washington Post 21 books to read this summer