The appearance of lists featuring “beach books” and “summer reads” are a sure sign warm weather is almost here. In summer the general reading public tends to prefer books requiring less concentration, allowing both for oppressive heat and busy summer schedules. You rarely see classic literature on lists of summer reads. Occasionally books like My Antonia, A Separate Peace or The Catcher in the Rye pop up, but these are less-demanding classics, books that make you feel good about reading substantial literature while not requiring too much of what I like to refer to as “brain power.”

Before I go on I need to make a confession: I’ve never lightened my reading when the weather warms. I love meaty books, those with deep psychological themes, year round. I’ve never seen a reason to change my reading because of the seasons, but this year I’m planning to try something new. For once I’m going to try lightening things up a little. Why? Mostly because I’m afraid the majority of readers may be right. Maybe lighter fare does work out well in the summer. Maybe I haven’t given that idea enough credence.

This year I’m making a summer reading list that hits several genres I don’t normally read, including nonfiction since I’m lighter in that area than fiction. I’ve almost finished a course on Reader’s Advisory for graduate school; I feel much more confident knowing the names of a few major genre authors. It’s time to put some of that knowledge to work.

Barbara Vine (AKA Ruth Rendell) writes the sort of dark, psychological mysteries I love to read. Years ago a friend recommended No Night is Too Long, a book so dark and disturbing I became an instant fan of her writing. While I could choose another Vine/Rendell title for the summer, I know I should branch out. Instead, I’ll try a book by another British writer with the reputation for creating atmospheric stories—Charles Todd’s The Murder Stone set in London during World War I. Making the choice easier is the fact that it is a book I already own.

When it comes to the romance genre I feel less confident. I’m not much for love stories; I never have been. Back in high school when the girls were swooning over Danielle Steele I was the nerd in the corner reading Dickens. I was curious enough once to overcome my distaste. It wasn’t a great experience. In fact, it sent me running right back to Dickens. But maybe she was just a bad fit. Since a quick visit to Amazon tells me Nora Roberts is their bestselling romance writer I’ll go with whichever one of her titles jumps out at me at the bookstore.

Science fiction is more to my liking than romance. I’ve liked what I’ve read in that genre. I read I, Robot a couple years ago, and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I would read more Asimov, but as I noted above this year’s theme is branching out. Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five is science fiction, and I haven’t read his work in ages. Onto the list it goes.

As far as fantasy, I have a hard time separating it from science fiction. Certain books I know are fantasy—anything by Anne McCaffrey and the ubiquitous Harry Potter books.  But I’m not into dragons. I need something different, perhaps something in a Neil Gaiman. I admit he isn’t completely new to me. I have read his young adult title, Coraline. However, since I haven’t read his writing for adults I don’t consider this cheating. Neverwhere will be my choice since it’s another book already on my bookshelf.

Horror is a tough one since I am a first class wimp. Years ago I tried watching the TV adaptation of It. I don’t know if it was because I was pregnant at the time, but it caused a reaction of violent revulsion. Though I didn’t see the whole movie, I’m still terrified of clowns. I’d love to skip by this genre, but unlike the Gaiman thing that would be cheating. Stephen King and clowns aside, I’ll go with Dean Koontz. My sister-in-law has read all his books and insists he’s the greatest writer who ever lived. I don’t know about that, but he has written an awful lot of books. For my purposes I picked Winter Moon, mostly for the cover art which features a menacing tree on a blue background.

Nonfiction’s not a genre I avoid; I just tend to prefer fiction. Though it’s not exactly light, I’ve decided on Brian Greene’s The Elegant Universe. I am a little leery of it because I’m not well-versed in the sciences, and definitely not in physics. However, I am fascinated by the universe, how it works and theories as to how it formed so I’m looking forward to this read.

So there it is, my summer genre reading list, plus or minus other books I manage to sneak in. While I can’t guarantee I won’t read anything heavy,  I will give these genres a try. Then I’ll know who’s right, most other readers or me. Either way, I’ll be breaking out of my old patterns, reading books and writers completely new to me.

While I’m interested to see how this works out, what the final verdict will be, the truth is I just plan to enjoy the ride.


Lisa Guidarini subsists, almost entirely, on her twin passions of reading and writing (running just ahead of her love for Goose Island beer and Asiago cheese). Her day job, unsurprisingly, is at a public library where she works as Adult Program Coordinator for the Algonquin Area Public Library District. (To this day, she still wonders that people really pay her for the privilege of working in a library.) By evening, she is a graduate student in a distance learning program through the University of Wisconsin—Madison’s School of Library and Information Studies. In her spare time she tends to her family, including one husband, three children, and two rambunctious Jack Russell terriers. She also enjoys digital photography, visiting old cemeteries, and the occasional old-fashioned road trip. A member of the National Book Critics Circle, she also blogs about anything literary or otherwise interesting. You can reach Lisa at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it