As you start packing books (or your e-reader) for summer vacation, do you go for trashy novels? Here & Now literary critic Steve Almond says you don’t have to. Some of his favorite summer reads have great plots and great writing. He shares some of his favorites with host Robin Young.
Steve Almond’s Books For The Summer
- Elizabeth Gilbert “The Signature of All Things” (read an excerpt & see our interview)
- Jess Walter “Beautiful Ruins” (read an excerpt and see our interview)
- Tim Kreider “We Learn Nothing: Essays”
- Margaret Atwood “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Steve Almond Also Recommends
Essays:
- David Sedaris “Me Talk Pretty One Day”
- David Foster Wallace “Consider the Lobster and Other Essays”
Other Nonfiction:
- Evan S. Connell “Son of the Morning Star: Custer and Little Bighorn”
- Nate Jackson “Slow Getting Up: A Story of NFL Survival from the Bottom of the Pile“
- Cheryl Strayed “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail“
Fiction:
- William Giraldi “Busy Monsters“
- Kurt Vonnegut “Slaughterhouse-Five”
Short Stories:
- Lorrie Moore “Birds of America“
What books are you recommending or putting on your own list this summer? Tell us on Facebook or in the comments.
Guest
- Steve Almond, literary critic and author of 10 books of fiction and nonfiction. He also writes the advice column “Heavy Meddle” for WBUR’s ideas and opinions blog, Cognoscenti.
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