What y'all are reading this summer
…from delightful to doomsday
In elementary school, it was around this time of year that the teacher would come around with a long list of books to read over the summer. More than a checklist, this paper was the universal sign: school was out and your last assignment was a trip to the bookstore. While we can’t call you out of your day job, we can offer the same spirit of invitation.
Welcome to the Circle Back Summer Reading List. Think sweaty glasses of lemonade and warped paperbacks, kindles in hammocks, and salty-stuck pages read oceanside.
We reached out to friends, mentors, our group chats, friendlies, siblings, etc. to source the ultimate reading list. We’ve got lighthearted beach reads to pure the-world-is-fucked nonfiction. We’ve organized the list to get progressively more “serious” – starting off with breezy summer vibes at the top, with more intense and sometimes dark towards the bottom.
Also! This week’s Treasure Trove is specifically curated to aid in your summer reading experience.
Happy summer and happy reading!
In this letter, and many going forward, we’ve decided to integrate affiliate links. What does this mean? Any book purchased through the independent booksellers linked below will generate a teeny tiny kickback to Circle Back (at no cost to you!). Thanks for reading and supporting us!
BREEZY --> SERIOUS
Big Swiss by Jen Beagi: Audrey recommended it to me and it was fun and based in Hudson; also the Pisces by Melissa Broder is erotic x neurotic. – Izzy
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar. To be read this summer: The Women by Kristin Hanna; Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski; A Touch of Jen by Beth Morgan; Alligator Tears by Edgar Gomez – Tara
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante! And then I’lI always do a summer reread of Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney. – Julia
All Fours by Miranda July – Farah, Julia, Anya
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid – Hannah & Juliana
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell for the dumb, summery vibe. Then I’m excited about some good character building in books like Playground by Richard Powers and Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. – Juliana
Moon Witch Spider King by Marlon James, a fantasy novel that draws on African mythology. And reading Boy by Roald Dahl, which I read every summer :) it’s a fun story of his childhood – Sean
Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting-Pot Cuisine by Edward Lee: I was watching culinary class wars on Netflix and his story of being Korean American and having to navigate between two cultures while never exactly feeling at home with either felt familiar. Plus I love chef memoirs! – Gene
Design as Art by Bruno Munari, but it was a little weird. – Lauren
Covert Joy: Selected Stories by Clarice Lispector; Don’t Forget We’re Here Forever: A New Generation’s Search for Religion by Lamorna Ash (out in July); finally the classic The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (followed by visit to Edith Wharton’s home in Lenox, MA good day trip activity!) – Gabriela
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver; long but I’ve heard it’s worth it! – Miranda
You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue: I can’t stop talking about it! It’s a trip on its own. – Sarah
Fake Work by Leigh Claire La Berge is a memoir about working in management consulting. I’m also going to try to give Catherine Lacey’s memoir, The Möbius Book, a try, although I hated the novel of hers that I read, so it’s hard to say I’m excited…To read: Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin and In the Freud Archives by Janet Malcolm because I’m on a Janet Malcolm kick. – Diana
The Power Broker by Robert Caro – Mel
The Uproar by Karim Dimechkie: This is a book I’m working on! It comes out literally next week. It’s a real page turner and soooo tense and evocative. It’s about this social worker in New York who thinks he’s a good person but there is this domino effect of bad luck and his morals are really put into question. It’s a really good portrayal of a pathological overthinker who is always making what feels like the wrong decision. Kind of feels like reading a movie. Also, The Destruction of Palestine is the Destruction of the Earth by Andreas Malm: Such a good book (and rlly short!) it connects what’s going on in Palestine with the climate crisis both historically and today and responds to specific arguments. I feel like it was clear and I learned so much, it really crystallized my perspective – Anya
How to Stand up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa: My dad sent me a bunch of books after the election. – Ian
The End of Love by Eva Illouz because our collective romantic and sexual lives are so interesting and weird and puzzling to me so I’m always looking for interesting and insightful takes on that – Tania
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall and The Names by Florence Knapp was really good but trigger warning for domestic abuse. – Hannah
Care and Feeding by Laurie Woolever is an incredible, although unsettling, but very honest memoir (more of her thoughts here). – Phoebe
Agony of Eros by Byung-Chul Han – Zoe and Tania
The Hollow Half by Sarah Aziza – Diana and Anya
Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters: A multi-perspective book that tells the aftermath of a tragedy in an indigenous family from Nova Scotia that migrates to Maine to pick blueberries every summer. Sad but really interesting commentary on family and how fucked up people can be – Libby
How to Kill a City by P. E. Moskowitz: The author is a friend and they kindly sent me an advanced copy of the 10 year anniversary edition, which comes out in September (I’m pretty sure) so I printed out the PDF. – Lindsay
The only beach cover up you’ll need from Shop Claudent, whose pieces protect you from over 98% of UVA/UVB rays
A bag by Santos by Monica, crafted from cactus leather that fits exactly one standard paperback
This pitcher would look so good filled with iced tea, sangria, [insert iced beverage of choice], to keep you hydrated as you read
Any pair of sunnies (we like the Aldo) or readers from Selima Optique
On-theme bookends to support your summer collection
The short short by H-O-R-S-E made from 100% Japanese cotton terry. Swamp ass who?
Translucent sticky notes. We like them because you can highlight phrases, words, and passages without marking up the book directly, which we also like to do
A plush and perfectly proportioned towel for pool-side reading