This school year I have read more than I have in a very long time and this is thanks to my new love – audiobooks! We’ve all been inside so much and at certain points with the weather I’ve had nothing but time so I’ve devoured a book or two a month (sometimes more!) over the last year. I haven’t read this much since before my now four-year-old daughter was born and leisurely days sitting and reading a book in bed, on the balcony, or wherever with a beverage in hand were a lot more common.
Those days are G-O-N-E! And my reading consumption dropped significantly and my podcast consumption increased substantially. It wasn’t until I was browsing on my city’s online library app that I realized I had a plethora of long-form podcasts – aka audiobooks – at my fingertips! And these were much less in demand than hard copy or e-copies of the same titles. Voila!
So with sunny days ahead, hopefully some good long walks, perhaps some balcony time (with my daughter occupied with a mini water table or some such activity) I can devour a few more books – fiction and non-fiction (I like to alternate between the two).
So here’s what’s on my summer to-be-read – or to-be-listened-to – list!
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
A friend recommended Circe ages ago and I never bothered to look it up until a few weeks ago and well, I should have listened to her sooner. It’s the first book in a long time I’ve wanted to savour rather than strictly devour. I made it last almost 8 days! So I’ve now put another of her books on my list for summer reading. Read more about this book on the author’s webpage.
They Said This would be Fun: Race, Campus Life, and Growing Up by Eternity Martis
A memoir by a Toronto-based author that has been on my TBR all year and I’ve been diligently waiting for it to become available through my local library. But if end of June hits and I’m not further up the list this is one I will purchase since I’ve heard amazing things about it from a colleague and the Twitterverse! Read more about this book on the author’s webpage.
Gutter Child by Jael Richardson
I’m excited to read this one based on the description. Here’s a snippet from the author’s website: Set in an imagined world in which the most vulnerable are forced to buy their freedom by working off their debt to society, Gutter Child uncovers a nation divided into the privileged Mainland and the policed Gutter. In this world, Elimina Dubois is one of only 100 babies taken from the Gutter and raised in the land of opportunity as part of a social experiment led by the Mainland government. Plus she’s a writer I’m familiar with as a result of her work on CBC Radio’s show q and her work as the founder of the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) – a festival you should definitely check out if you haven’t already!
You can read more about the book on the author’s website.
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
If you’re familiar with his podcast The Anthropocene then this is apparently versions of those episodes as essays. For me, this a ready-made ELA connector and part of the reason it’s on the list. My students this year had choice reading/listening time and Green’s podcast was an option that they really liked. As a result, I’m looking to incorporate it a bit more into specific lessons and this book is likely the way forward with that as a choice option for students in a non-fiction unit.
Read more about this book on the author’s website.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This addition to the list is for pure enjoyment. I loved Daisy Jones & The Six and have similar hopes of some time on my balcony with my child occupied so I can devour this one in an afternoon or two. Read more about this book on the author’s website.
For ways to incorporate some of these texts into your classroom check out these posts:
This post about John Green’s essay collection
This post about Eternity Martis’ memoir
This one about Martis’ memoir plus another memoir
