Looking for a good book this summer? Many people take advantage of warm days and additional time off in the summer to do some reading, or spend some time reading by the pool or on the beach. Whether you’re looking to read one of the top new novels of the year or an old classic, summer is an ideal time to start a new book or even pick up a stack.

If you are looking for a good overall list of recommended gay and lesbian literature, take a look at jclarkmedia.com/gaybooks/recommended.html for a fairly comprehensive list. You might also check out afterellen.com/books for reviews of books with lesbian themes, and afterelton.com/books for books with gay themes. You might also review past winners of the Stonewall Book Award. While not specifically gay and lesbian oriented, many avid readers have happily taken on the challenge presented in Peter Boxall’s 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. Either of these can be a good start, particularly if you prefer your summer reading on the heavier side of things.

Some of the best possibilities for summer reading are not specifically queer themed, but are great new novels on the market. You should be able to find these in your local bookshop without difficulty, and enjoy them whether you are at home or traveling this summer. These range from novels of serial killers to young adult fantasy, from vampire stories to travel writing.

Tom Rob Smith’s Child 44 is a story of a serial killer in Stalinist Russia, and is receiving broad accolades, both from the literary community and readers as a whole. If you are of a more romantic bent, Salman Rushdie’s new Enchantress of Florence brings to life the world of renaissance Italy. Since some of us admittedly enjoy our summer reading on the lighter side, Stephenie Meyer’s new novel in the Twilight series, The Host is receiving good reviews. Christopher Paolini’s new addition to the Eragon trilogy is also due out for an early summer release.

What am I reading this summer? I suspect I’ll reread the classic Rubyfruit Jungle, and read for the first time John Barrowman’s autobiography Anything Goes, Jennifer Harris’ Pink, and Sarah Schulman’s The Child. I’d like to squeeze in Sarah Waters’ The Night Watch and finally, with some guilt that I haven’t read them before, take on Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City. I have no doubt I’ll sneak a few other books in under the wire as well while I retreat to the comfort of air conditioning on hot summer days.