4 . 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…

5 . Every parent loves it when their kid wants to read. Who doesn’t want an ambitious little bookworm to learn — or at least turn the pages and demand you read the story?

Here are the beauty of board books. They’re good enough for tiny hands to explore, and therefore sure to last for more than one reading session. But we all know kids’ books can get repetitive after a while; so here are three unique board books that go beyond the standard. Each one is perfect for bedtime (or anytime!)．

DK Braille: Counting

This special little book teaches counting in a unique and revolutionary way. Inside, you’ll find colorful images and words on each page, accompanied by Braille (盲文), so little ones can learn to read in more than one way. This book is perfect for blind children with sighted parents or sighted children with blind parents, allowing everyone to get in on the fun of reading together.

Available from DK, $14.99

All Aboard New York

Planning a trip to a big city? Baby Lit has you covered. Get your kid excited about visiting somewhere new with this “All Aboard” series — whether you’re heading there soon, or just looking to educate them about places near and far.

Available from Baby Lit, $9.99

Canticos: Los Pollitos/Canticos: Little Chickies

Sing your heart out while teaching your little one some Spanish with this sweet book! Written by Susie Jaramillo, it features the popular Spanish song, “Los Pollitos Dicen” for both of you to sing along. So whether your family speaks more than one language already, or you want your kid to get a jumpstart on their Spanish skills, story time will be fun for both of you.

Available from Amazon, $14.06

7 . On a rainy afternoon, maybe one of the following books will keep you company leisurely, allowing you to spend your time alone as well as stepping into a different world.

Don’t Shed Your Tears for Anyone Who Lives on These Streets, by Patricio Pron

In April 1945, Italy, a writer disappeared at a conference and was found dead at another place. Thirty years later, a young man interviewed survivors from the conference, trying to uncover the truth about what happened and its consequences. This novel, by a well-known Argentine writer, explores art, crime and politics.

When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi

At thirty-six, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient. This autobiography finds hope and beauty in the face of death as Kalanithi attempts to answer the question “What makes a life worth living?”.

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Set in a small Alabama town in the 1930s, the story focuses on honest, highly respected lawyer Atticus Finch who puts his career on the line when he agrees to represent Tom Robinson, a black man accused of committing a crime.

Nobody Will Tell You This But Me: A true (as told to me) story by Bess Kalb

Bess Kalb saved every voicemail from her grandmother Bobby Bell who died at ninety. In this book, Bobby is speaking to Bess once more, in a voice as loving as it ever was in life and brings us several generations of brave women. They include Bobby’s mother, who traveled alone from Belarus to America to survive, and Bess’s mother, who always fought against convention.

10 . An Indonesian librarian is lending books to children in exchange for trash they collect in a novel way to clean up the environment and get the kids to read more.

Each weekday, Raden Roro Hendarti, a librarian in Indonesia’s Java Island rides her three-wheeler with books piled up at the back for children in Muntang village to exchange for plastic cups, bags and other waste that she carries back. As soon as she shows up, little children, many accompanied by their mothers, surround her “Trash Library” and ask loudly for the books. They are all carrying trash bags and Raden’s three-wheeler quickly fills up with them as the books fly out. She’s happy the kids are going to spend less time on online games as a result.

“Let us get kids to read more and build a culture of literacy from a young age,” Raden said. “We should also take care of our waste in order to fight against climate change and to save the earth from trash,” she said.

She collects about 100 kg of waste each week, which is then sorted out by her colleagues and sent for recycling or sold. She has a stock of 6,000 books to lend and wants to take the mobile service to neighboring areas as well.

Kevin Alamsyah, an eager 11-year-old reader, looks for waste lying in the village. “When there is too much trash, our environment will become dirty and it’s not healthy. That’s why I look for trash to borrow a book,” he says.

The literacy rate for above-15-year-olds in Indonesia is around 96 percent, but a September report by the World Bank warned that the pandemic will leave more than 80% of 15-year-olds below the minimum reading level identified by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.