There’s something about the summertime that calls for a good book. But what constitutes a worthy summer read can vary wildly, so where can one find a reliably good, personalized recommendation?
Listeners got that opportunity on Boston Public Radio when Porter Square Books’ Katharine Nazzaro and Frugal Bookstore’s Clarrissa Cropper shared some of their favorite summer reads and responded to listener calls requesting niche recommendations.
“There’s either the people who desperately want to read all of the dystopian things [and] are like, ‘I need to hear other people talk about what’s going on,’” Nazzaro said. “Then on the flip side, [others] want to read the lighter books, romance and happier things ... where they’re like ‘I can just escape into this.’”
For darker, dystopian reads: "Parable of the Sower" by Octavia Butler, "When Women Were Dragons" by Kelly Barnhill, "Riot Baby" by Tochi Onyebuchi and "Razorblade Tears" by S.A. Cosby.
For books on the lighter side: "Book Lovers" by Emily Henry (which Nazzaro said was Porter Square’s number one bestseller), "Daisy Jones and the Six" by Taylor Jenkins Reid, "On Rotation" by Shirlene Obuobi and "Miss Pearly’s Girls" by ReShonda Tate Billingsley.
For inspiring confidence, by women: Cropper suggested "Speak" by Tunde Oyeneyin, and Nazzaro spoke about "Burnout" by Amelia and Emily Nagoski.
For history buffs: Nazzaro recommended "The Alice Network" by Kate Quinn, which she called “a really great story of women coming together and understanding each other,” with many listeners echoing the sentiment.
To reignite a lost love of reading: Nazzaro suggested reading old favorites from childhood. “[Pick] a story that you know really well and that you can launch back into without too much brain power, especially because it’s usually ... aimed at a lower reading level,” she said. "Once you finish a book, you’re much more likely to pick up another one.”
For books that stay with you: For Nazzaro, that was "Our Wives Under the Sea" by Julia Armfield, which she called “incredible" and "a really beautiful, weird novel.” Cropper suggested "The Warmth of Other Suns" by Isabel Wilkerson, which she called “a heavy book both literally and figuratively, but it’s one I’m getting through and really enjoying right now.”
Boston Public Radio listeners also texted in their recommendations. Here are a few highlights:
For fiction: "Migrations" by Charlotte McConaghy, "The Handmaid’s Tale" by Margaret Atwood, "Jaws" by Peter Benchley, "A Gentleman in Moscow" and "Rules of Civility" by Amor Towles, "Trans Imagination" by C. M. Jacqline, "The Rose Code" by Kate Quinn, "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, "PORTALS" by PJ Yovino and "The Violin Conspiracy" by Brendan Slocumb.
For nonfiction: "Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy" by Jamie Raskin, "Ninth Street Women" by Mary Gabriel, "Untamed" by Glennon Doyle and "The Orchid Thief" by Susan Orlean.
