Summer has always felt like the perfect season to escape into a good book. Back in grad school, I kept a growing stack of books by my bedside all year long—almost always gay fiction, mostly lighthearted romances or mysteries—waiting patiently for summer break when I wasn’t buried in academic reading. There’s something especially satisfying about choosing what you want to read and getting lost in a story just for fun. So I’m curious—what are you reading this summer? Do you pick lighthearted fiction, or dive into something more serious like history, biography, or true crime?
The Closet Professor 
July 26th, 2025 at 10:30 am
As a literature major in grad school, the only time I had available for reading what I chose, as opposed to what the syllabus dictated, was Christmas break and summer. As a retired academic, these days I read mostly on my Kindle (even though I have a personal library of around 6,000 volumes–I told you I was a literature major). As a fifth grader, I remember my mother asking me to bring her back something “light and frivolous” when I’d head to the library to find something to read for a book report. I have now discovered the joy of “light and frivolous” and most of what’s on my Kindle falls into that category–mostly cozy mysteries and gay romance, books I can read in a day without too much thought. Lately I’ve also been listening to Audible selections, and those are not so light. I recently finished Colm Tobin’s _The Magician_ a biography of Thomas Mann, and just finished Augusten Burroughs’ _Magical Think ing._ Last night I started Barry Diller’s _Who Knew_. Hmm, I seem to be listening to works on the lives of famous gay men.