Summer Reading List

Every newspaper and magazine has published their summer reading list by now. When I look at these lists, I'm always amazed by how much I have not read. I was curious to see what high schools are suggesting for students to read over the summer, so I googled "high school summer reading list". What struck me about most of the lists I found was that they could be for anyone who enjoys reading, not just high schoolers. Young adult titles seem to comprise about 25% of the lists, classics another 25%, and nonfiction and literature the remaining 50%. Seeing these lists is a reminder that teenage readers don't only read YA. They read books that are good. Here's a short list (because I also discovered that long lists are a drag) of what I'll be reading this summer.

• Chime, by Franny Billingsley
• Room, by Emma Donaghue
• The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco
• The Onion Girl, by Charles de Lint
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot