Editor's note: Perhaps one of the best parts of summer is the freedom it provides from only reading what's required for our classes. In the summer, textbooks and scholarly essays give way to less arcane fare, and the act of reading transforms from just another item on your to-do list into a beloved leisure activity. Try to keep summer close by reading a few of our favorite summertime reads after your 12.
Summer is the perfect time for easy pleasure reading especially cute short stories like those in Elizabeth Strout's "Olive Kitteridge" (2008). Although the title character is rarely the main character in any of the book's 13 stories, she binds them together in the same way that she binds together the little Maine community, Crosby, in which she lives. Olive is a powerful woman, a retired schoolteacher whose family has abandoned her in her most vulnerable state. Using Olive as the driving force of the book, Strout writes stories of strength, love, lust, loss and happiness that may help you imagine you're back on the beach when you're actually just procrastinating on your homework. Sophia Archibald
Japanese-born British author Kazuo Ishiguro depicts the haunting tale of star-crossed lovers with absolute perfection in "Never Let Me Go" (2005). From beginning to end, the audience is drawn to the sadness that surrounds the students of Hailsham, an elite boarding school in a dystopian Britain where secrets are well kept. The story portrays the coming of age of Kathy, Ruth and Tommy and the inevitable tragedy that is their future, tying in elements of science fiction that keep readers intrigued. Hailed by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best books from 1923 to 2005, with a film adaptation scheduled to be released Sept. 15, this book is a must-read. Medha Raj
Based loosely on Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility," Cathleen Schine's latest novel "The Three Weissmans of Westport" (2010) is a charming examination of how life's tragedies both large and small can bring us closer together. At 75 years old, Betty Weissman is abandoned by her husband of 48 years. Her dramatic daughter Miranda, meanwhile, finds herself broke and unemployed as her literary agency collapses in a series of scandals. Their lives a mess, the two women move along with the third Weissmann, Annie into a ramshackle cottage on the beach of Connecticut. Schine chronicles their cramped living situation with both heart and humor. Caitlin Kennedy
This summer, I finally jumped on the bandwagon to read Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, which has been ubiquitous in the media since its U.S. release two years ago. The first installment, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," is a reminder of why a great mystery carries so much appeal. Larsson, a master storyteller, kept me on edge throughout his meticulously contrived novel from one dark plot point to the next until the unsettling denouement. The protagonists, charming journalist Mikael Blomkvist and eccentric hacker Lisbeth Salander, make an unlikely crime-solving duo and give the reader another reason to remain committed to the series. "Dragon Tattoo" certainly lives up to the hype, and I hope that the upcoming U.S. film adaptation, starring Daniel Craig as Blomkvist and newcomer Rooney Mara as Salander, doesn't disappoint. Alicia Kim
Although not a lighthearted summer read, Anna Quindlen's "Every Last One" (2010) is one of her most engaging books. While preserving her reputation as an author who pens notably thought-provoking, sentimental works about the ups and downs of family life, Quindlen includes a gripping series of plot twists in her most recent novel. The story traces the intense grief of the Mary Beth Latham, an ordinary mother of three, as tragedy strikes her family. Not only does Quindlen craft an emotionally wrenching, beautifully written narrative but creates within it an aura of mystery and suspense, and an ultimate "shock factor," that allows "Every Last One" to stand out from her other novels. Shannon Draucker
"Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years" (1994) by Sarah and A. Elizabeth Delany with Amy Hill Hearth, provides a historical account of what life was like for African Americans living in the south following the Civil War, telling the story of a well-respected black family from North Carolina. Most importantly, however, the book is filled with emotion, inspiring anger and astonishment in its readers that keep the pages turning. Dana Venerable
