The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires: This is not as frivolous as you might think based on the title. It IS a treat to read, but there's real heart and substance as well in a story about, well, southern ladies taking on a vampire.
Shatter Me: I am not big into young adult books, in part because I'm not a young adult anymore. But though many of the tropes I've come to find bothersome about YA are here in force, Mafi's story about a teenage girl whose very touch is lethal grabbed me and didn't let go!
Funny Girl: Nick Hornby books are definition of a beach read for me...they're humorous and not especially deep but almost always enjoyable to read (and then hard to remember later). This is one of his better recent works, about a comedienne in London in the 60s and her co-stars on a hit sitcom.
Sin in the Second City: Nonfiction is not often light enough to be fun summer reading, but this is dishy stuff. It's about Chicago's most famous whorehouse and the madams who ran it, and how their empire wound up crashing down around them, and it's a delight.
Death Prefers Blondes: What if a teenage heiress and her drag queen best friends were cat burglars? This isn't a spectacular book, and is maybe a little overlong, but it's sure fun to read!
Calypso: David Sedaris is one of America's most popular authors for a reason! His autobiographical short stories are witty and sharp and entertaining, and this (his most recent collection) is no different. These ones, though, feel a little more poignant than usual without losing the trademark humor.
The Last Romantics: A little deeper than many might be into for beach reading, this does fall into the family drama subgenre so popular for summer reading.
Daisy Jones and the Six: An oral history of a fictional 70s rock band who made a perfect album and then abruptly broke up on tour, you'll want to hear the band's music from their smash hit Aurora along with reading their story!
Bad Blood: This exposee of Elizabeth Holmes and her compant Theranos isn't really a light read, but it's attention-grabbing enough to keep you from falling asleep in the sunshine.
Astonish Me: A ballerina has an intense affair with a celebrity dancer, then retires into family life without ever really leaving her days of dance behind her. It's told out of chronological order, and while at least one twist is fairly predictable, if you like a dramatic ballet story, this will be a fantastic way to pass time outdoors!
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