2018 SRL

First of all, I can't believe that it's time to compile the 2018 Summer Reading List! (I think time speeds up as I get older...) Second of all, I do not take this task lightly. This is my EIGHTH year of posting my SRL, and its reach gets wider every summer, which is very humbling.  I have met strangers who say, "Oh, I love your summer reading list!" For many of you, summer is the one season when you can read and relax, and as a high school librarian, I take this job of curating a list that will reach so many very seriously. And I LOVE doing it!

Every year I try to find an image that encapsulates the essence of summer reading. The cliche book/beach stock photo usually calls to me, but this picture speaks to the soul of summer reading. It was taken in the Summer of 2012 in Summertown, Georgia (how appropriate), when my oldest daughter, Landry, first started reading the HARRY POTTER series (remember that magical feeling?). Summer allows us time to truly savor books because we can take a collective breath and slooooooow down. We can sit under the whirring ceiling fan or by the pool or on a porch swing and get lost in a world of someone else's creation. Summertime reading feels different, and I love every minute.

The book at the tip-top of my list is HOW TO WALK AWAY by Katherine Center. I am a huge KC fan and loved BRIGHT SIDE OF DISASTER, GET LUCKY, EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL, and THE LOST HUSBAND. This is Center's newest work in three years, and it comes highly recommended by Brene Brown, as well as by my own mom, the incomparable EA Hart (aka "Chicka"). And I'm a sucker for a pretty cover!

                                                 

I use summer to get my adult fiction fix since I read a ton of YA throughout the year, so here are 15 more books on my adult fiction radar (click on each cover to read a blurb from Goodreads):

    

    

   

    

      

Here are the nonfiction titles that I'm really excited to read:

    

    

Because it's impossible to turn off my educator brain, even in the summertime, here are three professional titles that I can't wait to dive into:

              

                                             

And because I LOVE me some YA and can't stay away from it for long, here are the books currently in TBR pile:

   

  

And if you haven't already read these books, make sure to add them to your pile:

   

And for the second year in a row, I end with a plea for you to read THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas.  If you STILL haven't read it, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do your soul a favor and read it. A second reading is pretty amazing, too!  (Here's my blog post telling you why you should):
                                                    
If you need more lists, here are links to some that I consulted:

Modern Mrs. Darcy
32 Best Summer Reads
The Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2018 
18 of the Most Exciting YA Books to Read in 2018


For those of you who might be new to my SRL, let me tell you the rules: THERE ARE NO RULES. I don't ever read all of the books that I suggest; I never have and I never will. Read whatever your heart desires as long as you read something. I hope this summer brings you lots of time to escape with a book!