What Caught My Eye Online #72
Reading's collapse, a scroll-free summer, and more
Welcome to this week’s roundup!
In case you missed my last newsletter, Literary Merit turned two over the weekend! I’m so pleased with the encouragement and kindness I’ve received on this platform. To celebrate, I created a free summer reading guide full of 45 book recommendations, including a couple of upcoming titles, classics, and everything in between. You can access the guide here. I hope you enjoy it! Please share it if you do.
And now for this week’s links!
Matthew Long included my post 45 Things Public Libraries Can Offer You in his latest Commonplace roundup. I’m thankful to be in some good company over there.
Another link Matthew shared this week is this thoughtful piece from Joel J Miller about the quiet collapse of reading. He shares many fascinating stats. (I’d love any teachers reading this to comment below and share their perspective about student reading. I have a lot of opinions about it, but I’m in the library, not the classroom.)
Learn how Taylor Jenkins Reid became a publishing powerhouse.
Book Riot recommends the best beach reads of all time. Some titles I love are on this list, including Gone Girl, Everything I Never Told You, Big Little Lies, The Secret History, and Such a Fun Age.
Here are 31 novels coming this summer.
And here are 21 nonfiction reads coming out soon.
Haley Larsen is walking readers through Middlemarch this summer. She also offers tips for getting into and sticking with long books.
Anne Bogel put together a list of 15 funny books for when you need some relief from a heavy world.
Kelly Jensen reports, "In an en blanc panel opinion, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday, May 23, 2025, that the First Amendment cannot be used to challenge book removals in three U.S. states." She goes on to say this, which I appreciate:
"Public libraries do more than simply 'decide' what books 'they' want in the collection. Collection development is a professional task, performed with several factors in mind. Among them are the library’s budget, its community make-up, reviews of books under consideration, and both the strengths and needs of the current library collection. These decisions are not made in the library’s interests. They’re made in the interests of the patrons–all of them, not the demographics with the loudest voices or most connections–whose tax dollars sustain the library."
Speaking of libraries, Brightly recommends children's books that celebrate libraries. I'm a big fan of the picture book Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen.
Lit Hub shares 22 novels you need to read this summer. Many of these sound fantastic!
Until I saw this list from Five Books, I was unfamiliar with the Orwell Prize, "UK's most prestigious awards for writing about politics." Check out the nominated titles.
Here are seven historical novels that explore the underbelly of the art world.
If you're in the mood to solve a mystery, try one of these eight books.
This book list is right up my alley: eight dark academia novels set in art school.
I often struggle with balancing new releases and backlist titles that have been on my TBR for a while. The guest on the most recent episode of the What Should I Read Next? podcast struggles with it, too.
CrimeReads offers up a list of the most anticipated crime fiction for this summer.
Author and translator Anton Hur discusses the six books nominated for this year's International Booker Prize.
Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasthi took home the prize.
NPR shares 17 new books that their critics can't wait to read this summer.
Kennedy from one of my favorite YouTube channels, Cozy K, went on a book retreat with her mom and vlogged about it. It sounded like a great time! I’d love to do something like this with friends.
I love this post from Nina P. about having a scroll-free summer.
I still struggle with clutter and overconsumption, but I’m better than I used to be because I’d rather have one or two nice things than nine or ten things I got because they were cheap. Shira Gill talks about the “one thing” rule here, and she’s full of great suggestions. Her Substack is a good one to follow if you’re into home decor, organizing, or minimalism.
I appreciate these tips for becoming the creative director of your own house from Jenna O’Brien.
Sharon McMahon talks about the “Everyone Is Welcome” banner that caused a stir in Idaho, and the teacher who resigned over her district’s ridiculous policy.
If you’d like to support my work, comment, share, upgrade to a paid subscription, buy me a coffee, or shop my bookshop or affiliate links. I love doing this work, and I’m thankful to have you in this community!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on anything I’ve shared here. What catches your eye? As always, thanks for reading!
Such a beautiful guide. So many wonderful choices. I enjoyed the thought you put into it. Thank you.
Awww, thanks for the shoutout (and for your awesome reading rundowns--I take notes!).