I start every summer with the best of intentions: to attack one big book from the past, a classic that I was supposed to have read when young and ambitious. Often the pairings of books and settings have been purely accidental: Moby Dick on a three-day cross-country train trip; The Magic Mountain in a New England beachside cottage with no locks on the doors, no telephones or televisions in the rooms, and little to do beyond row on the salt pond. Attempting The Man Without Qualities on a return to Hawaii, my native state, however, was less fruitful: I made it through one and a quarter volumes, then decided that I’d got the point and went swimming instead.

But this summer I find myself at a loss. I’m not quite interested in Balzac, say, or Tristram Shandy. There’s always War and Peace, which I’ve covered some distance several times, only to get bogged down in the “War” part, set it aside for a while, and realize that I have to start over from the beginning again, having forgotten everyone’s name and social rank. How appealing to simply fall back on a favorite — once more into The Waves or Justine, which feels almost like cheating, too exciting and too much fun to properly belong in serious literature.

And then there’s Stendhal’s The Red and the Black, which happens to be the name of my favorite cocktail of the summer, created by Micheal Cecconi at Savoy and Back Forty. It is easy to drink and knocking back three or four seems like such a delightful idea. Cecconi’s theory: “I take whatever’s fresh at the green market and turn it into liquid.” The result is a pure shot of afternoon in the park, making one feel cheerful and peaceful all at once, lying on uncut grass with eyes shut, sun beating through the lids…

Here are some of the favorite books that people might feel like in their spare time.

When Isabella Swan moves to Forks to live with her father, she expects that her new life will be as dull as the town. But actually she finds her new classmates are drawn to this pale, dark-haired new girl in town.

Hetty feather is just a tiny fiery-haired baby when her mother leaves her on the steps of the Foundling Hospital. The hospital cares for abandoned children — but Hetty must live with a foster family (寄养家庭) until she is big enough to go school.

Annabelle Worthington lives a privileged life, but everything changes on a cold April day in 1912, when the sinking of the Titanic happens. Finding strength within her grief, Annabelle throws herself into volunteer work, nursing the poor.

Over eighty years since Winnie-the-pooh first delighted readers, David Benedictus takes us back to the Hundred Acre Wood for more adventures. Return to the Hundred Acre Wood allows readers to spend a few more treasured hours with the Best Bear in all the world.

It’s looking like a great year for poetry collections! Poetry has a way of drawing our consciousness not only to our inner self but to society’s most pressing and urgent issues. These are some of the poetry books we can’t wait to read in the year ahead.

Trigger Warning by Maria Takolander

Award-winning poet Maria Takolander presents what’s been called her “most impressive and personal collection yet.” As the title may suggest, this book(her fourth)deals with domestic violence and environmental disasters with a clear and attractive voice.

Release Date: July 2021

Publisher: University Queensland Press

Poems That Do Not Sleep by Hassan Al Nawwab

While Hassan Al Nawwab, a former Iraqi soldier, has published three poetry collections previously, this is the first collection in English translated from Arabic. His poems speak to his experiences of the war and the terrors he suffered, homesickness, peace and belonging.

Release Date: June 2021

Publisher: Fremantle Press

Obligations of Voice by Anne Elvey

Poet, editor and researcher, Anne Elvey has previously published three collections of poetry. This book speaks loudly to her work of eco-criticism — the study of how literature treats the subject of nature. Detailed and communicative at the same time, Elvey explores environmental encounters and the politics of our natural (and unnatural) worlds.

Release Date: June 2021

Publisher: Recent Work Press

A Thousand Crimson Blooms by Eileen Chong

Singaporean poet of Chinese origin, Eileen Chong, is the author of eight previous books published across the world Her latest poetry collection is a thoughtful reflection on the influences and histories that inform our identities and fascinations.

Release Date: March 2021

Publisher: University Queensland Press