Arts & Culture

UVA Librarians Share Their Must-Read Books for Summer

The extra daylight hours summer brings also mean more time for reading.

Whether you’re spending the season by the beach, lounging at a pool or holed up inside with the AC blasting, summer’s more relaxed pace invites you to crack open a book and immerse yourself in a new world.

UVA Today talked to members of the University of Virginia Library staff for their recommendations on what to read this summer.

From Kelly Graham, Director of Development

“The Personal Librarian,” by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

Anyone who loves libraries and historical fiction should read “The Personal Librarian.” Belle da Costa Greene’s story is remarkable and inspiring, and I was hooked from the first page. Thank you to UVA alumna Eileen Burgwyn for the recommendation!

“Be Ready When the Luck Happens,” by Ina Garten

Again, I love memoirs. I found Ina Garten’s memoir to be insightful, mostly lighthearted and sweet (literally), and just a delightful, quick read.

“Just for the Summer,” by Abby Jimenez

If you’re looking for a true beach read, pick up any book by Abby Jimenez. I find myself caring deeply about her characters, and her writing is witty, endearing and hopeful.

From Dan Ray, Music Metadata Librarian

“Heartbreak is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music,” by Rob Sheffield

A rewarding and insightful exploration of the cultural and artistic impacts of the pop icon, by a UVA alumnus. It is a short book, but worth taking the time to listen as you read, especially for someone outside the fortress of fandom.

“Pet Sounds,” by Jim Fusilli

This examination of the Beach Boys’ 1966 album ranges from dense and technical to intimate and personal. It is part of the 33 1/3 series of books, each exploring a specific album in depth. They are the perfect length to read on a flight. Just don’t forget to download the album, too, because you will want to listen as you read.

“Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South,” by Elizabeth R. Varon

Gen. Longstreet was a complicated guy with an amazing beard. This book provides context for what it meant to support reunification and Reconstruction as a veteran of the Confederacy. An insightful read for anyone with an interest in military history or civil rights.

From Nicholas Cummins, Research Librarian for Economics & Commerce

“Poor Things: Episodes From the Early Life of Archibald McCandless, M.D. Scottish Public Health Officer,” by Alasdair Gray

Described on the jacket copy as “a postmodern revision of Frankenstein,” Gray’s novel was recently adapted by Yorgos Lanthimos, whose other films include “Dogtooth,” “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” “The Lobster” and “The Favourite.” I have not seen the film and thus cannot vouch for the accuracy of the adaptation, but the novel is one of the more unique books I’ve read, specifically in Gray’s use of language and narrative structure.

“The Historian: A Novel,” by Elizabeth Kostova

Having recently seen the movie “Sinners,” vampires are again on my mind. Indebted as it is to Stoker’s “Dracula,” this novel feels more like a competent Indiana Jones sequel. The story weaves together three generations of people and their adventures from the U.S. to England, Turkey and Romania, and suggests that the written record of history grants a kind of immortality normally reserved for the undead.

From Jean Cooper, Principal Cataloger

“Starter Villain,” by John Scalzi

Inheriting your uncle’s supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who’s running the place. (It’s science fiction, if that matters.)

From Bret Heddleston, Print Periodicals Specialist

“Lady Susan,” by Jane Austen

At 18, Jane Austen wrote the novella to climax and complete the farcical lawlessness of her teenage writings. Not all of Austen’s heroines are very virtuous, but the beautiful Lady Susan’s competition with her daughter over the wealthy and much, much younger Reginald de Courcy made her story too racy to be published by a pastor’s daughter and homeschooler in the mid-1790s. But “Lady Susan” had a distinguished literary afterlife when the acid brilliance of her observations qualified her to narrate the rest of Jane Austen’s works.