The 2019 It's-Not-Too-Late Summer Reading List
There’s no denying it: summer is great. But the weather is turning crisper, the days gradually shorter, and it’s just a matter of weeks before we have to pack up our shorts and sunglasses. If you’re now thinking, “oh snap [or alternative expletive of choice], I just wasted my summer?!”, here’s one salve I’ll offer to soothe your end-of-summer blues: stories. Whether you’re stuck in a cubicle or lounging in a cabana, these are books that will take you to a fictional town in Colombia, to the shores of Jeju island — and abroad.
If you want more recommendations, take a peek at my last year’s summer reading list. (P.S. This also means it’s been a full year since Ink + Butter first launched — happy birthday to us!).
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Written as a series of interviews, this novel tells the story of how a devil-may-care, aspiring singer-songwriter and an up-and-coming group of musicians catapult to fame as the biggest rock band of the seventies. I read this book a few months ago, and still can’t shake off its charm. While you get the glitz and glamour of rock n’ roll, you also get the grittier, human aspects of real life — from the push-and-pull of dreams and duty, to the palpable chemistry between Daisy and Billy, the band’s leader, despite their efforts to feel otherwise. I especially loved the vibrant voices of each character, and found myself often audibly chuckling at their snark and sarcasm. For an engaging, riotous read, Daisy Jones & The Six is your ticket to a riveting road trip across the shimmering deserts of Hollywood and rock n’ roll.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
I don’t know about you, but I’m not one of those people who can breeze through classics like they’re comic books. Consequently, I usually save anything written before the eighties (or thereabouts) for holidays, when I can fully hunker down with the book and give it the brain capacity it deserves. One Hundred Years of Solitude, a multi-generational family saga, has been on my to-read list for the longest time, and there’s something about García Márquez’s trademark magical realism that makes it the ideal summer classic. Admittedly, I’ve heard this is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of book, but I figure I’ll take a trip to the fictional town of Macondo to see for myself.
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
Imagine a group of forty-something-year-old women, slickly squeezed into skintight diving suits like a herd of seals. These are the haenyeo, the real life mermaids of Jeju province — one of the few semi-matriarchal societies in Korea. The Island of Sea Women follows two girls who join the collective of all-female divers as they’re swept through the Japanese occupation, World War II and the Korean War. A tale of female friendship, familial bonds and history, this novel is a sweeping look into the lives of one of the most fascinating groups of women in Korea.
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
You may have seen his newest novel, Black Leopard, Red Wolf, in bookstores everywhere recently, but I thought it’d be interesting to read the book that first catapulted Marlon James to fame. The winner of the 2015 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, A Brief History of Seven Killings reconstructs the history surrounding the attempted murder of Bob Marley in 1976, two days before the Smile Jamaica Concert. Marley went on to perform at the public concert despite his injuries, but left his home country the next day, not to return for two years. Spanning the 1980s crack wars in New York City and a radically altered Jamaica in the 1990s, the novel explores an era fraught with violence and instability, weaving together the stories of a vibrant cast of characters, from gangsters to ghosts.
Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino
Trick Mirror is a collection of essays by New Yorker staff writer Jia Tolentino. Subtitled “Reflections on Self Delusion,” the book is, at its core, about the difficulties of seeing ourselves clearly in a solipsistic, self-centered culture. Each essay explores different “cultural prisms” in the author’s life that have shaped her identity, from literary heroines to her secret life as a teenage reality TV contestant. I always enjoy Jia Tolentino’s razor-sharp, insightful writing, so this is definitely a must-read for me. This book was just released a couple weeks ago, you can swipe a peek at an excerpt on the New Yorker (this one’s on ecstasy — in relation to both religion and drugs). Also check out a great interview of Jia Tolentino on Longform, where she discusses her book and her transition from Jezebel to the New Yorker.
