Everything I read this summer, ranked

Eleven books this summer — read on park benches, one beach, two flights, and my fire escape. Ranked below with complete conviction and total openness to being argued with in the comments.

The podium

1. The doorstop literary novel everyone said was "worth it" — infuriatingly, it was
2. A slim translated novella I read twice in one weekend
3. The memoir I started at 10pm "just to sample" — finished at 3am

The honorable middle

Five perfectly good books that did exactly what they promised: two smart beach thrillers, a re-read of an old favorite (holds up), an essay collection that was 60% brilliant, and a history of something I can’t believe I now have opinions about.

The abandoned two

Dropped one at page 50 and the other at page 12, and I’d like to formally state: abandoning books is a life skill, not a moral failing. The to-be-read pile is long and summer is short.

Life’s too short to finish books you’re only reading out of spite.

Fall reading list is already forming. It’s ambitious. It’s doomed. I can’t wait.

Kite All posts → I'm Laura, a lifestyle creator from New York. I share my daily routines, habits, and all the things that help me feel more calm, confident, and put together.