“Activate on 6/5/15?”

This was the message I received from my local library as I hit “confirm” on my book queue. The little devil that sits on my shoulder hissed “No, now! Activate it nooooooowwww!”, but my brain won out as I scheduled my first library haul to arrive after June settled in.

You see, summer unofficially heralds in an intense three months of reading in my world, and I’m sure in many of yours as well. Summer is filled with seemingly endless time to delve into books — big books, cultured books, fluffy books, skimmable books — especially when you’re a school teacher. I can safely say that it’s the number one time of year when I fit most of my reading into my otherwise busy schedule.

I often get asked “What good books do you plan on reading?” and the true answer is often unsatisfying: I plan on reading all of the unread books that have been sitting on my shelves for years. Some Nabokov, some Ayn Rand, some Anne Rice, not to mention that ARC that’s been on my shelf for two years now. But to just read “those books” would take all of the fun out of summer reading. Practical, yes, but without reading books that you’re genuinely excited about, that are new or creep out of the woodwork, reading would quickly lose its allure.

So yes, I am planning on reading Lolita, and The Fountainhead, and The Witching Hour, but here are the books I’m itching to read this summer. This list is not conclusive (obviously.)

The Familiar vol. 1 by Mark Z. Danielewski | Honestly, I picked this up not knowing a single thing about it other than it’s written by Mark Z. Danielewski, author of one of my all-time favorite books, House of Leaves.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness | I excitedly received a digital ARC of this courtesy of Edelweiss. I’ve never read anything of Patrick Ness’ before, but the synopsis alone sold me:

“What if you aren’t the Chosen One?

The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?

What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.

Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.

Even if your best friend is worshiped by mountain lions.”

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab | Victoria Schwab is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. The Archived was phenomenal, Vicious was great, and I’m excited to see Schwab tackle alternate, parallel universe Londons. It sounds very Neverwhere-y to me.

Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas | The Hunger Games meets Game of Thrones? Kick-ass female assassin? Say no more.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard | Each time I go to the bookstore I pick up Red Queen, I hold it between my hands, I stroke it lovingly, then I put it back on the shelf. I can’t explain why I haven’t caved and bought it yet, especially with all of the good things I’ve heard about it. But this summer, it’s happening. Finally.

Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham | Muslim American female protagonist. Private eye. Supernatural forces. I’ll let you decide if this is going to be awesome or awesome.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins | If you recall, I was really late to the Stephanie Perkins party and just read Anna and the French Kiss last year while on vacation in Key West. Contemporary YA isn’t usually my thing, but seeing the beautifully coordinating trio of Perkins covers on every bookstagram account I followed piqued my curiosity. Long story short: it was cute; I got sucked in. And here I am at #2 in the series.

Lois Lane: Fallout by Gwenda Bond | Admittedly, I like Batman more than I like Superman. But Lois Lane (especially the animated Superman cartoon Lois Lane) takes no crap and is one of my favorite comic book ladies ever. Won’t say no to a book about her!

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon | I love Scotland. I love history. I love time travel. Seriously, can this kind of thing just happen in real life already?

On the Road by Jack Kerouac | Is there a book that is more quintessentially summer? No? Okay.

What’s on your summer reading list?

This post uses affiliate links — help support My Life as a Teacup!