The Joy of Summer Book Lists

Recently I was interviewed by the American University alumni website for a feature in which I and several other AU alumni librarians gave our summer book recommendations. Preparing for the interview was a good exercise in thinking about the pleasures and rewards of reading, and its relationship to life as a whole. This, of course, is the season of summer book lists, which I also blogged about last year. NPR has a major section of book recommendations, 2010 Summer Books. The Los Angeles Times’ Jacket Copy blog also has a considerable summer books section, featuring Q&As with a variety of authors and editors on their summer reading. In the UK, The Guardian’s summer books page is particularly intriguing, with annotated suggestions from many top writers, including AS Byatt, Jonathan Franzen, David Lodge, David Hare, Margaret Drabble, Ian Rankin, Annie Proulx and Tom Stoppard. The Telegraph has a similar list, The Best Books Under the Sun, with some of the same people, but also Alexander McCall Smith, Tracy Chevalier and others. For a change of pace, check out Fortune’s The CEO Summer Reading List. Top executives were polled on their reading plans this season. While some will be reading business titles, others plan to read fiction, or books about politics, food and other subjects. On a similar note, The Boston Globe has a photo gallery of CEO summer reading lists, starting with the choices of Mass. Governor Deval Patrick. Summer book sections have been around for years, but have become much more elaborate in the online era. At the same time, some of the edge and novelty may have been diminished since so many websites and online booksellers concentrate heavily on lists and recommendations. But let’s hope that summer reading lists (and summer reading) never go out of fashion.