Sunscreen-Popsicle-and-beach-read season is fast approaching. As you daydream about your upcoming summer vacation (or look forward to the long Memorial Day weekend ahead!), here are nine books I've recently read/am reading and highly recommend. Prop your flip-flopped feet up and enjoy, friends!
FICTION
"Romantic Comedy" (Curtis Sittenfeld, 2023)—The latest novel from socioculturally perceptive writer Curtis Sittenfeld, "Romantic Comedy" makes you "feel there" in the setting of a late-night live comedy show, both pre- and post-Covid. It's impossible not to root for a happily-ever-after for talented but jaded sketch writer Sally Milz and the show's newest guest host, sweet pop star Noah Brewster.
Possibly my favorite quote from the book: "'Anyway,' I said, 'for as long as I live, I'll always remember that you went and bought Jerry a bedside commode'" (page 286, Sally to Noah regarding her beloved stepfather, who's ill). Because true love = showing up in the least Instagram-y of moments.
"The Society of Shame" (Jane Roper, 2023)—I just started reading this, and I've been laughing nonstop. A sadly cliched scandal involving her politician husband thrusts middle-aged Kathleen Held into the multimedia spotlight, where she "becomes the unwitting figurehead for a new women's rights movement." Author Jane Roper cleverly explores the nuance (and occasional madness) related to contemporary phenomena such as hashtag activism, cancel culture, and "hipster-splaining" (page 15) and "trust fund hippies" (page 55), against the backdrop of Kathleen's public embarrassment.
"Wake" (Shelley Burr, 2022)—I loved this debut mystery from Shelley Burr. Loved it. Set in the Australian outback, "Wake" tells the age-old story of a long-since-missing girl, but with some decidedly present-day, Internet-era twists (true-crime chat rooms, life-changing secrets on laptops).
"Wake" literally kept me up all night—from the moment I began reading it, I couldn't stop. I can't wait to read this author's follow-up novel, "Murder Town," which will be published later this year and which brings back Lane Holland, the cold-case private investigator from "Wake."
Now, on to my nonfiction picks...
NONFICTION
"52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time" (Annabel Streets, 2022)—This is a beautiful yet research-based ode to the many benefits of walking, for reasons ranging from physical health to emotional healing. I absolutely love walking on the rail trail near my home, as much as I can, so this book really resonated with me.
Author Annabel Streets offers up a "walking mode" for every week of the year. Examples include "Walk, Smile, Greet, Repeat"; "Walk to Remember"; and "Climb Hills."
"Egg: A Dozen Ovatures" (Lizzie Stark, 2023)—The one-word title and bright-green cover intrigued me enough to check out "Egg," "[a]n unconventional history of the world's largest cellular workhorse, from chickens to penguins, from art to crime, and more." Some fun moments from what I've read so far: "Even if one disdains a straight scramble, the egg is a key ingredient in many comfort foods, including pancakes and birthday cake. For all these reasons, eggs carry a certain nostalgia" (page 33).
Also: "Many world cultures love a decorated egg. In China red eggs symbolize luck...In Mexico, cascarones—decorated eggs that have been hollowed out and filled with confetti—make joyful explosions as they are broken on children's heads in springtime...In a folk tradition from Hungary, meanwhile, blacksmiths display the delicacy of their skills by decorating blown eggs with miniature horseshoes" (page 89).
"Free for All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangsters in the Public Library" (Don Borchert, 2007)—I work in a public library, so when this book crossed my desk, I had to check it out, take it home with me. This book is hilarious, friends. Probably fellow library employees would most appreciate it, but it's a fun, super-accessible inside look at public-library life that anyone can enjoy.
The chapter entitled "The Friends of the Library" was one of my favorites. A choice quote: "You think, who the hell are these friends? Who are these pro-library, free-spending, deep-pocketed friends? Are they my friends, too?" (page 95).
"Make Space for Happiness" (Tracy McCubbin, 2022)—Subtitled "How to Stop Attracting Clutter and Start Magnetizing the Life You Want," this book is my current spring-cleaning how-to pick. I especially enjoyed the section on "Why We Buy" (pages 25-33). Food for thought: "Today, sales are constant and fairly meaningless."
"Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir" (Natasha Trethewey, 2020)—Wow...what a heartbreakingly compelling masterpiece of memoir writing. In "Memorial Drive," former U.S. poet laureate Natasha Trethewey turns to prose to reflect on the tragic domestic-violence death of her mother. "Some forgetting is necessary and the mind works to shield us from things that are too painful; even so," Trethewey writes, "some aspect of trauma lives on in the body, from which it can reemerge unexpectedly" (page 52).
A powerful story and reflection on love—race—loss—memory—and moving forward.
"Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto" (Chuck Klosterman, 2004)—Earlier this year, I read "The Nineties" by Chuck Klosterman (published in 2022) and totally loved it; a writing friend recommended I read this book, one of Klosterman's earlier works, and I'm so glad I did (thank you, Chad!).
So yes, I discovered "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" nearly two decades too late, but still...if you're a pop-culture fan like me, then this classic is one you don't want to miss.
Other books that friends have recommended, which are on my next-to-read list: "Beartown"; "The Cult of We: WeWork, Adam Neumann, and the Great Startup Delusion"; "Hello, Molly!"; "The Lost Apothecary"; and "Nora Goes Off Script" (thank you so much to Kirsten, Deanna, Meredith, Alexa and Melissa, respectively!).
What are you reading beachside, lakeside or poolside this summer, friends? 
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Like what you just read? Then check out Melissa Leddy's e-books on Amazon.com. Short fiction and creative nonfiction writing that's engaging, witty and from the heart.
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