As the summer heat climbs toward its peak, the hottest accessory for blocking the rays is, of course, a book. Whether it be on the beach in the Hamptons or poolside in a friend’s backyard, these reads, recommended by some of CULTURED‘s favorite writers, actors, and artists, are perfect for summer Fridays and weekend getaways alike.
The choice is yours: Want to read a classic? Willy Chavarria suggests The House on Mango Street. Craving something a bit more quirky? Check out Chang-rae Lee’s go-to story of airborne romance. It’s so engrossing you might just forget to flip during your suntan.
Pauline Chalamet
Recommends: The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel
Shop: Barnes & Noble, Amazon
Why It’s Worth the Read: “Not the most practical book to bring to the beach, but I love reading graphic novels on vacation. All of Alison’s graphic novels are great but this one speaks to our current world in a special way. I love going on her life’s journeys with her.”
Chang-rae Lee
Recommends: Sky Daddy by Kate Folk
Shop: Barnes & Noble, Amazon
Why It’s Worth the Read: “A delightfully weird, funny, and brilliant tale on modern relationships and love told through a woman’s not quite platonic love of airplanes, Kate Folk’s Sky Daddy is the perfect novel for breaking through the zoned out haze of beach time.”
Kaitlin Phillips
Recommends: Two Girls, Fat and Thin by Mary Gaitskill
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Why It’s Worth the Read: “What do we think about on the beach? Bodies. There’s a book for that. Mary Gaitskill’s Two Girls, Fat and Thin is exactly what it sounds like.”
Ryan O’Connell
Recommends: The Works of Guillaume Dustan
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Why It’s Worth the Read: “A French writer details his gay sexcapades against the backdrop of AIDS. I love getting to know somebody by how they fuck. It’s a whore-storical document: Dustan fucking his way through an epidemic, driven by a mixture of lust and fear. I love personal writing. I feel like we live in a time where we have so much access to people and know nothing about them. Dustan is so revealing in his diaries in a way that will have you screaming ‘bring back self-disclosure!'”
Gabby Windey
Recommends: Slow Days, Fast Company: The World, the Flesh, and L.A. by Eve Babitz
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Why It’s Worth the Read: “Eve Babitz is an icon. A literary diva of the 1960s and ’70s (don’t we wish these still existed?), she nostalgically writes about old parties, her search for love, and a sometimes sadness that fills the air of Hollywood. Plus she’s funny and hot and we would all want to be friends with her. People denote the ‘feud’ between Eve Babitz and Joan Didion. I don’t think they fought. They wanted to be each other. Eve, a hot party girl, an underdog, dating musicians and actors. Joan, restrained, objective, but astute and entirely unmatched in her assessments. I admire a Joan but am myself an Eve. Slow Days, Fast Company is nostalgic of old Hollywood and sexy and feminine, and a perfect beach read in a thong bikini!”
Yerin Ha
Recommends: Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash
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Why It’s Worth the Read: “I found it to be a real turn pager and super quirky and ridiculous. Never really know where it’s going to go but a quietly humorous yet sincere exploration of a dysfunctional family and three sisters, each in their own way figuring out life and love. Despite everyone’s differences and unique individuality, it explores the strength of a family bond.”
Pat Oleszko
Recommends: On Censorship by Ai Weiwei or Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
Shop: On Censorship: Barnes & Noble, Amazon; Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass: Barnes & Noble, Amazon
Why It’s Worth the Read: “I could not make up my mind and decided there are actually two some/air books on my list: one to read before you go for a long swim to mull the denser ideas with the arms of the mighty ocean guiding you across the abyss, while the other lifts your spirits thru the delights of fantasy incorporated into some of the same ideas. Ai Weiwei’s On Censorship is a leap into the increasingly prevalent condition we are experiencing now, from the deeply disturbing effects of surveillance, electronic and capitalistic, that control this seemingly ‘open’ society. Every third line you want to underline and remember. The book is short, not sweet, readable and imminently necessary. On the other hand, many of the same ideas from the lost and profound are cloaked in astonishing language, brilliant humor, memorable drawings, and sophistication that belies its seemingly gentle and/or nonsensical roots.
I have reread Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass periodically since age 8 and the rewards have become increasingly complex and surprising: philosophy, religion, chess, psychedelia, even relevant political burlesque, ‘Off with their heads!’ seems eerily familiar, as all are deftly delivered through the realm of humor from satire to silliness. It is unforgettable, just like the Mock Turtle said, ‘He taught Laughing and Grief.'”
Rachel Reid
Recommends: Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian
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Why It’s Worth the Read: “A charming romance between two actors who fans have shipped as a real couple for years. As they spend more time together off set, they realize maybe the fans were right all along. Sweet, funny, and a page-turner. It’s perfect for a sunny beach day.”
Willy Chavarria
Recommends: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Shop: Barnes & Noble, Amazon
Why It’s Worth the Read: “Short, lyrical vignettes about a young Latina growing up in Chicago. It reads like flipping through Polaroids. You can pick it up between swims and never lose your place. It’s small enough to fit in a tote and big enough to stay with you all summer.”
Monica Lewinsky
Recommends: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
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Why It’s Worth the Read: “Unputdownable.”
Zac Posen
Recommends: Famesick by Lena Dunham
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Why It’s Worth the Read: “I’m looking forward to reading Famesick by Lena Dunham this summer. Lena is a true creative voice of her generation, someone we’ve all had the rare opportunity to watch evolve in real time. There’s something powerful about witnessing an artist grow alongside their audience, shaping and reshaping the conversation as they go. On a personal level, I’ve known Lena since she was young. I was her babysitter and having been a part of her journey in my own way, I’m especially excited to experience her reflections. I imagine Famesick will offer an intimate, thoughtful lens on creativity, identity, and the complexities of coming of age in the public eye.”
Taylour Paige
Recommends: An Apprenticeship or The Book of Pleasures by Clarice Lispector
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Why It’s Worth the Read: “[My favorite quote is], ‘What can I do with happiness? What can I do with this strange and piercing peace, which is already starting to hurt me like an anguish, like a great silence of spaces? To whom can I give my happiness, which is already starting to scratch me a bit and scares me. No, I don’t want to be happy. I prefer mediocrity. Ah, thousands of people don’t have the nerve to linger a while longer in this unknown thing which is feeling happy and they prefer mediocrity.’ You should read this because every other sentence I feel like weeping in the happiest way. It’s just so damn beautiful and sensuous. Clarice is a master. I love everything she writes. She actually sings to my soul right into my heart.”
Supriya Ganesh
Recommends: Luster by Raven Leilani
Shop: Barnes & Noble, Amazon
Why It’s Worth the Read: “I love this book—it is both sexy and cerebral. Leilani writes in rich, visceral prose that makes it hard to stop reading. I finished it in a day. Edie, the protagonist, is written in an unflinchingly honest way that makes you love her/hate her. Perfect for a long weekend!”
Lucy Foley
Recommends: Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan
Shop: Barnes & Noble, Amazon
Why It’s Worth the Read: “It has it all: a gloriously transporting sense of place, the glitter of the med beneath the midsummer heat, intrigue and glamour, first love, and all the vibrancy and folly and arrogance of youth. I probably reread it every other summer.”
Lukita Maxwell
Recommends: The Use of Photography by Annie Ernaux and Marc Marie
Shop: Barnes & Noble, Amazon
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